Stites & Harbison, PLLC

     
". . . exceptional young lawyer . . . knowledge of LEED and green construction law is at the top 1% of nation."

  - Martindale Hubbell Peer Review

Angela Richie Stephens is a Member of the firm and practices in the firm’s Construction Law and Sustainability and Emerging Technologies Groups, focusing on general construction law and sustainable design and construction practices.  Based in Louisville, Kentucky, Angela works on behalf of clients across the country and around the globe. 

Angela assists her clients on a variety of legal issues ranging from construction issues (OSHA violations, ADA violations, construction contracts, litigation and alternative dispute resolution), economic development incentives, business and finance issues (formation and dissolution of companies, joint ventures, and partnerships), collection issues (recovery of unpaid balances, bankruptcy, mechanic’s liens), employment issues (employment policies and handbooks, workers compensation immunity disputes, prevailing wage disputes), environmental issues (permitting and environmental compliance), real estate issues (lease review and disputes), intellectual property issues (copyright, trademark, and patent issues), and tax issues (tax protests and appeals).

Angela frequently consults with steel fabricators and other members of the structural steel industry on issues such as the Buy American Act, the Buy America Statutes and Regulations, Federal Contracting, and sustainable design and construction practices.

Angela became a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) on March 26, 2009, and uses her knowledge of sustainable practices to advise clients how to maximize “green”  design and construction.  She is the first attorney in the Commonwealth of Kentucky to achieve Green Advantage® certification in Commercial and Residential construction.

In August 2011, Angela was nominated as a ABA National Outstanding Young Lawyer by the ABA Forum on the Construction Industry.  In December 2011, Angela was selected as finalist for the ABA National Outstanding Young Lawyer Award. 

Recent Assignments

• Obtained payment of outstanding contract balances on behalf of multiple clients
• Successfully resolved multiple change order claims on both small and large construction projects
• Successfully resolved multiple construction defect claims
• Successfully defended a client in a claim asserted by the Kentucky Labor Cabinet in a prevailing wage dispute
• Obtained summary judgment for large construction company which resulted in the dismissal of personal injury claims covered by workers compensation insurance
• Successfully defended a client in an OSHA dispute which resulted in OSHA withdrawing all of the citations and penalties originally assessed against the client
• Provided advice to multiple clients regarding the application of various Federal construction contracting requirements such as the application of various Federal Acquisition Regulations, the Buy American Act, the Buy America Statutes and Regulations, the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, and other government contracting requirements
• Assisted client with proposal process on a carbon capture and sequestration project which will receive grant of Recovery Act funds
• Successfully resolved multiple design defect claims
• Successfully resolved a multi-million dollar mold claim brought against a general contractor

Recent Speaking Engagements

• "Top Ten Tips for Minimizing Risks on Sustainable Construction Projects - Legal Pitfalls in Sustainable Design and Construction," CSI / AIA East Kentucky Trade Show & Seminar, Lexington, Kentucky (June 8, 2011
• “Basics of LEED Credentials and LEED Building Certification” Associated Builders & Contractors of Kentuckiana, Louisville, Kentucky (April 5, 2011)
• "Sustainability and Asphalt: How Asphalt Can Help Green A Project," Plantmix Asphalt Industry of Kentucky, Louisville, Kentucky (February 11, 2011)
•  “Legal Issues for the Kentucky Design Professional: Recognizing and Minimizing Potential Risks and Liabilities” ASHRAE, Louisville, Kentucky (February 7, 2011)
• "What to do when a client doesn't pay: A look at retainage, lien, payment bond, and prompt payment claims," Thirsty Thursday, Louisville, Kentucky (January 27, 2011)
• "Sustainability and Steel: New Laws and Green Codes that Give Steel and Edge," AISI Sustainability Task Group, Washington, D.C. (November 4, 2010)
• "Sustainability & Structural Steel: Comprehensive Two-Day Course on Achieving Sustainability through use of Structural Steel on Construction Projects," Virginia Carolina Structural Steel Fabricators Association, Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina (October 9-10, 2010)
• "10 Ways to Minimize the Legal Pitfalls of Sustainable Design and Construction," radio interview with Ted Garrison, host of New Construction Strategies Radio 3.0, October 27, 2010
• "Sustainability & Steel: New Laws & Green Codes that Give Steel an Edge," Steel Day Free Webinar, Stites & Harbison, PLLC, September 24, 2010
• "Ten ways to minimize the legal pitfalls of sustainable design and construction," Stites & Harbison, PLLC, Client Alert, August 5, 2010
• "Asphalt Pavements and the LEED Green Building Design," Plantmix Asphalt Industry of Kentucky (PAIKY) 2010 Summer Meeting, Lexington, Ky., June 11, 2010
• "Selling Green Steel," Southern Association of Steel Fabricators 2010 Convention, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., June 5, 2010
• "From Voluntary to Mandatory—New Laws in Sustainable Design and Construction," News, Booze and Free CEUs, AIA/EKC & Bluegrass CSI Trade Fair, Lexington, Ky., June 2, 2010
• "Thirsty Thursday: What does alphabet soup (IPD, BIM, LEED, etc.) have to do with the future of healthcare construction?," Stites & Harbison PLLC, seminar, May 20, 2010
• New Laws in Sustainable Design," Ohio Valley Region of Design-Build Institute of America, Louisville, Ky., December 10, 2009
• "LEED Certification of Public Buildings," Division 10 ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, Teleconference, November 20, 2009
• "Applied LEED Discussion: Using LEED as a Guideline," Green Steps Conference, October 23, 2009
• "Avoiding Legal Pitfalls in Sustainable Design and Construction," Green Steps Conference, October 23, 2009
• "Avoiding Legal Pitfalls in Sustainable Design and Construction," AGC of Kentucky, Safety Day Conference, September 11, 2009
• How to Avoid Legal Pitfalls Associated with Sustainable Design and Construction," Chicago Committee on High Rise Buildings, Chicago, Ill., August 13, 2009
• "Contract Language and Risk Management Primer: Understanding basic contract language and the implications.  Effective methods in reducing your company's risk," NASCC The Steel Conference 2009 Advance Program, 2009 Annual Stability Conference, Phoenix, AZ, April 1-4, 2009
• "Kentucky Construction Law: Changes that Affect You," Kentucky Book Conference, Bowling Green, Ky., March 19, 2009
• "Kentucky Construction Law — Changes That Affect You," Stites & Harbison, Louisville, KY, August 21, 2008
• "Fundamentals of Construction Contracts: Understanding the Issues," Lorman Seminar, Louisville, KY June 4, 2008
• "Construction Contracts — Who's the Fairest of Them All? AIA vs. Consensus DOCS," NAWIC Louisville Chapter, Louisville, KY, May 12, 2008
• "Legal Issues for Kentucky Design Professionals," HMS, Louisville, KY, March 12, 2008
• "What to Do When Construction Projects Go Bad in Kentucky, Lorman Seminar, Louisville, KY, February 26, 2008
• "Mock Arbitration," NAWIC Annual Planning Conference, Louisville, KY, November 3, 2007
• "Change Orders in Kentucky," Lorman Seminar, Louisville, KY, October 16, 2007
• "Fundamentals of Construction Contracts: Understanding the Issues," Lorman Seminar, Louisville, KY, June 28, 2007
• "What to Do When Construction Projects Go Bad in Kentucky," Lorman Seminar, Louisville, KY, June 28, 2006
• "Law for Design Professionals in Kentucky, CSI Louisville Chapter, Louisville, KY, May 11, 2006

 Recent Publications

• "LEED for Healthcare:  How Healthcare Facilities can Go Green," The Business of Healthcare, November 2011.
• "10 Ways to Minimize the Legal Pitfalls of Sustainable Design & Construction," 2x4x10, Fall 2011
• "The Legal Side of Green" Modern Steel Construction (March 2011)
• "Assisting Clients Navigate Green Building Projects" Louisville Bar Briefs (March 2011)
• "Sustainable Design and Construction: Where is it LEEDing Us?" Bench and Bar (March 2010)
• "Green Building Codes," co-author with Ronald J. Stay, Modern Contract Solutions, March 2010
• "Sustainable Design and Construction: From Voluntary to Mandatory?," Steel Erectors Association of America (SEAA) e-newsletter, February 2010
• "States starting to require architects and contractors to design and construct public buildings to achieve LEED Silver Certification," Design Cost Data Magazine, November-December 2009
• "New regulations in Kentucky require architects and contractors to design and construct public buildings using LEED 2009," Stites & Harbison Client Alert, October 9, 2009
• "Made in America?," Modern Steel Construction, February 2009
• Contributing Author, Kentucky Construction Law, Stites & Harbison, PLLC, 2007
• Co-author, "The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and Recent Legislation Regulating the Hiring of Illegal Immigrants," The Construction Lawyer, Volume 27, Number 1, Winter 2007
• Co-editor of the updates for the 2005 and 2006 supplement to the Construction Law Handbook
• Assisted with research for the Construction Business Formbook, 2004

Before Stites & Harbison

During her tenure at the University of Louisville's Speed Scientific School she interned with Messer Construction Co., where she assisted the Project Manager, on the construction of a steel and concrete building, by implementing a quality assurance program and updating project schedules.

Ms. Stephens also interned with Camp, Dresser, & McKee where she provided engineering services to assess the needs of water drainage and sewage systems.

Ms. Stephens also previously served as a summer associate with the firm's Louisville office.

She is a native of Villa Hills, Ky.