ABOUT US | Builder's Briefcase

"When lawyers talk to contractors, they usually focus on things like liens and contract indemnity clauses. Those are important, but if that is what a contractor is dealing with, then things have gone really wrong. I want to keep contractors away from all that, so they can focus on doing their craft, having happy customers, getting paid their due and moving on to the next job."

Builder's Briefcase of Massachusetts, LLC is a construction consulting firm founded by John McGowan. With over 25 years of combined experience in the legal, real estate, and construction industries, John helps construction professionals develop winning business practices.

As a builder and general contractor, John is an accomplished frame-to-finish carpenter with extensive, hands-on experience in all facets of residential construction, from new home builds to small remodeling projects, as well as handling municipal permitting matters and collaborating with subcontractors and engineering and design professionals.

As a former practicing lawyer, he specialized in real estate and land use law and practiced in a variety of settings, from transactional and permitting matters to dispute resolution and litigation in the state and federal courts of Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

He graduated from Boston College (1999) with a B.A. degree in Economics and Vermont Law School (2007) with a Juris Doctorate. He holds a Massachusetts Construction Supervisor License (Unrestricted), a Massachusetts Lead-Safe Renovation Contractor License and a Massachusetts Home Improvement Contractor License. He is a LEED Accredited Professional through the U.S. Green Building Council.