Construction Law Experience. For more than twenty-five years, my practice has focused on the litigation, arbitration and mediation of complex construction disputes. I also have extensive experience in the negotiation and drafting of construction and other procurement contracts including engineering agreements, architectural service agreements, general contracts, subcontracts, construction management agreements, cable television service contracts and equipment purchase agreements. This construction claims and contracting experience has related to a wide variety of commercial projects including high-rise office structures, hospitals, hotels, shopping centers, wastewater treatment plants, industrial buildings, hydroelectric plants, and sports arenas. I also have extensive experience with both single-family and multi-family residential projects.

Mediation and Arbitration Experience. I have successfully mediated disputes for more than ten years, and have actively served as an arbitrator for more than twenty years. My mediation practice has encompassed disputes by and between owners, real estate developers, contractors, subcontractors, sureties, architects, engineers, insurance companies, local governing authorities and others. As a pro-active mediator with the benefit of wide construction experience, I have an excellent record of helping parties resolve disputes. Additionally, as an arbitrator I have served individually, and as a panel member, on both large and complex cases, as well as on small fast-track cases, involving virtually every type of construction project. This arbitration experience also provides unique insight which is often helpful in the mediation process.

Speaker and Lecturer on Construction Law Topics with Emphasis on Alternative Dispute Resolution Techniques and Strategies. With a strong interest in mediation and arbitration, and with my professional background as a construction attorney, I have served as speaker and lecturer for numerous educational institutions, trade associations and private companies throughout the United States. I have presented programs for George Washington University, the University of Tulsa, the University of Ohio, the University of Alaska, the Washington Post, Consolidated Edison Corporation, Dillingham Construction Company, the Georgia Municipal Association, and many other similar organizations. I regularly speak on alternative dispute resolution techniques and strategies with emphasis on the mediation process.

Educational and Professional Training:

Education:
University of Georgia (A.B. 1970); Mercer University (J.D., magna cum laude, 1973). Member: Brainerd Currie Honor Society; National Moot Court Team; Mercer Law Review (Executive Editor).

Dispute Resolution Training:
American Arbitration Association (AAA) Basic Arbitrator Training (1980); AAA Mediation Skill-Building Program (1994); Resolution Resources Mediation Observation (1995); AAA Advanced Arbitrator Training (1997); Mediating Land Use Disputes presented by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Boston, MA 2004.

Professional Certifications:
Member, American Arbitration Association’s Panel of Construction Arbitrators; Approved Neutral, Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution; Member, American Arbitration Association’s Panel of Construction Mediators; Member, Seventh Judicial Circuit Mediation Panel; Member, Gwinnett County, Georgia, Mediation Panel.

Professional Associations:
Georgia Bar Association (1973); District of Columbia Bar Association (1987); American Bar Association and its Forum Committee on the Construction Industry; Atlanta Bar Association and its Construction Law Section (Past Director); Atlanta Bar Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Section; Lawyers Club of Atlanta; admitted to practice in the United States District Courts for the Northern District of Georgia, the Middle District of Georgia, and the Southern District of Georgia, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the Eleventh Circuit, and the Sixth Circuit.

Other Significant Experience:
Chairman, Georgia State Ethics Commission (1990-1994).