Construction
National and regional clients involved in a wide range of construction projects turn to Stites & Harbison for top-flight credentials and practical, real-world experience. Our construction attorneys include former contractors, construction-firm owners, civil and mechanical engineers, and journeymen crafts-people. We understand the day-to-day workings of your business in addition to its legal issues.
From aviation and health care facilities to manufacturing and power plants, and from commercial buildings to highways, bridges and other infrastructure, Stites & Harbison’s Construction Service Group understands the critical legal issues that affect your projects.
We have worked with clients on projects located from coast to coast. We negotiate contracts, assist clients with claim prevention and resolution, and counsel clients on transactions, complex litigation and regulation. We offer many years of experience in mediation and arbitration, both as client advocates and neutrals. Whatever your needs, we have a strong team to represent you, utilizing the broad knowledge and experience of the attorneys throughout our firm. We also understand your concerns about cost effective representation.
Recent Accomplishments:
U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers have released their 2022 ratings for the "Best Law Firms" in America. Stites & Harbison earned 81 Metropolitan rankings. In addition, three of the firm's practices were rated National Tier 1. Click here to see the results.
- Stites & Harbison lawyers are LEED accredited professionals and members of the U.S. Green Building Council. We are here to help you meet the rigorous standards of green building.
- The Construction Lawyers Society of America (CLSA) recognized Stites & Harbison with the 2017 and 2018 CLSA Law Firm Award.
We give back to the industry in many ways. Stites & Harbison has represented the American Institute of Steel Construction, National Steel Bridge Alliance, Associated Builders and Contractors of Indiana/Kentucky, and the Associated General Contractors of Kentucky. We are also members of other industry organizations, serving as officers, board members, authors, and keynote speakers. Trade associations, professional societies, and members of the organized national construction bar regularly recruit us to provide articles and educational programs to their members. Our attorneys participated in the preparation of American Institute of Steel Construction Codes, Standards and Specifications, and have consulted with the American Institute of Architects and the Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee on formation of these organizations’ standard construction documents.
Clients, construction trade associations and other industry organizations count on Stites & Harbison for help with a wide range of industry-related areas, including:
- Antitrust issues
- Bidding and procurement
- Contract disputes
- Corporate governance and membership
- Environmental
- Intellectual property
- Labor, employment, wage & hour and immigration law
- Legislation
- Lien enforcement
- OSHA and safety
- Payment disagreements
- State and federal tax code interpretation and enforcement
Other industry contributions from our Construction Law group include:
- "Chapters 18 & 19: Kentucky Construction Lien and Bond Law," Cassidy R. Rosenthal, Co-Author, Fifty State Construction Lien and Bond Law Book, Third Edition, 2016 Supplement
- "Chapter 6: Discovery by Interrogatories," William Geisen and Jessica A. Hill, Discovery Deskbook for Construction Disputes, Second Edition, ABA Forum on Construction Law, Editors: John M. Cook, Buckner Hinkle, Jr. and Alexander Moseley, 2015
- Kentucky Construction Law, written and edited by the construction attorneys of Stites & Harbison, published by HLK Global Communications, 2015.
- Discovery Deskbook for Construction Law Disputes – Robert M. Connolly is a chapter author, published by ABA Publishing, 2006.
With nationally recognized experience in construction law and hands-on experience in the business, we are uniquely qualified to address the needs of our construction clients.
A partial list of representative transactional and adversarial construction engagements in which the members of the group have been involved is listed below:
- Developed and negotiated design and construction contracts for owner/developer of $1 billion investment in manufacturing facilities in South Carolina
- Participated in the development of term sheets and EPC contracts for $3 billion coal gasification facility in Western Kentucky
- Drafted and negotiated design build contract for fracking sands plant
- Belk’s, Oxford, Miss. (2010)
- Best Buy, Gulfport, Miss. (2012)
- Camden Paces Apartments, Atlanta, Ga. (2013)
- Delta Wing, Opryland, Nashville, Tenn.
- Disney-MGM Studios Water Tower, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
- Federal Express World Headquarters, Memphis, Tenn.
- GlaxoSmithKline, Memphis, Tenn.
- Holder Construction Company: Stites & Harbison's Atlanta offices
- Indiana-American Water Company, Jeffersonville, Ind.
- Lake Eola Condominiums, Orland, Fla.
- Lexington-Fayette Urban County Airport Board, (Blue Grass Airport, Lexington, Ky.)
- Lexington-Fayette Urban County Courts Facilities, Lexington, Ky.
- Lexington-Fayette Urban County Detention Facility, Lexington, Ky.
- Louisville Airport Improvement Program, Louisville, Ky.
- Louisville Slugger Museum, Louisville, Ky.
- Mercer University Center, Macon, Ga.
- National Corvette Museum, Bowling Green, Ky.
- National Steel Bridge Alliance, Miss.
- NCNB Tower, Tampa, Fla.
- One Atlantic Center (IBM building), Atlanta, Ga.
Stites & Harbison is the premiere construction law firm in Kentucky and southern Indiana.
Stites & Harbison has always been able to help regardless of the issue and/or complexity.
I have the utmost faith and trust in Stites & Harbison.
The construction law team at Stites & Harbison is outstanding. They have represented our company extremely well for many years. They are knowledgeable, give excellent advice, and they almost always achieve the desired results for our company. I feel like we have received very good value for legal expenses incurred when using the Stites & Harbison construction law team. I recommend them to anyone needing legal advice on construction matters.
Tennessee Bar Association Appoints Ross Hutchison to Construction Section’s Executive Committee
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—The Tennessee Bar Association’s (TBA’s) Construction Law Section recently appointed Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorney J. Ross Hutchison to its Executive Committee.
Stites & Harbison Attorneys Honored by 2022 Georgia Super Lawyers
ATLANTA—The 2022 edition of Georgia Super Lawyers recently honored four Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorneys based in the firm’s Atlanta office. Of special note, Joe Kingma was named to the Top 100 Georgia Lawyers list for the fifth time.
Rebecca Sherman Awarded 2022 ABA Forum on Construction Law Diversity Fellowship
LEXINGTON, Ky.—The American Bar Association (ABA) Forum on Construction Law has selected Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorney Rebecca M.W. Sherman for its 2022 Diversity Fellowship. Sherman is one of six nationwide honorees to receive the three-year fellowship.
Understanding the Legal and Ethical Obligations When it Comes to Public Procurement
Last month, a jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina found a former executive of Ohio-based Contech Engineered Solutions LLC, Brent Brewbaker, guilty of conspiracy to rig bids, conspiring to commit fraud, and related charges on over 300 North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) projects. Brewbaker faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for the bid-rigging conspiracy count and 20 years for each of the other counts.
Bill Geisen Elected to American College of Construction Lawyers Board of Governors
COVINGTON, Ky.—The American College of Construction Lawyers (ACCL) has elected Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorney Bill Geisen to its Board of Governors. He will serve a three-year term.
2022 Issues for Corporate House Counsel CLE Seminar
Louisville office attorneys Matt Breetz and Brian Cromer will be speakers at the Kentucky Bar Association's 2022 Issues for Corporate House Counsel CLE Seminar on April 12, 2022.
NASCC: The Steel Conference
Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St, Denver, CO 80202
Lexington office attorney Greg Parsons will be part of a panel speaking on Friday, March 25th at the National Association of Steel Construction Steel Conference.
Stites & Harbison Welcomes Drake Staples
LEXINGTON, Ky.—Stites & Harbison, PLLC welcomes attorney Drake W. Staples to the firm’s Lexington, Ky., office. He joins the Construction Service Group.
Commerce Lexington Appoints Cassidy Rosenthal as Chair-Elect for 2022
LEXINGTON, Ky.—Commerce Lexington has appointed Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorney Cassidy Rosenthal as Chair-Elect of its Board of Directors for 2022.
Stites & Harbison Adds 19 To Atlanta Team From 2 Firms
Law360 (January 24, 2022, 1:17 PM EST) -- Stites & Harbison PLLC has added 12 Copeland Stair Kingma & Lovell LLP attorneys and all seven of Owen Gleaton Egan Jones & Sweeney LLP's attorneys to its Atlanta office, the firm recently announced.
Stites & Harbison Grows Its Atlanta Office with the Addition of Owen Gleaton Attorneys
ATLANTA—Stites & Harbison, PLLC announces that all seven attorneys from Owen, Gleaton, Egan, Jones & Sweeney, LLP have joined Stites & Harbison’s Atlanta office.
Supreme Court Rejects OSHA Vaccine Mandate on Private Employers – Allows CMS Healthcare Mandate for Facilities Receiving Medicare/Medicaid Funds
Holding that “[a]lthough Congress has indisputably given OSHA the power to regulate occupational dangers, it has not given the agency the power to regulate public health more broadly,” in a 6-3 decision the Supreme Court of the United States, on January 13, 2022, issued a stay of OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”) on vaccination or testing for employers with 100 or more workers.
Kentucky Super Lawyers Honors 37 Stites & Harbison Attorneys for 2022
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The 2022 edition of Kentucky Super Lawyers recently honored 37 Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorneys in the Covington, Frankfort, Lexington and Louisville, Ky., offices. The publication named 29 attorneys to the Super Lawyers list and eight attorneys to the Rising Stars list.
Stites & Harbison Promotes Five Attorneys to Member
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Stites & Harbison, PLLC announced today that five attorneys have been promoted to Members (Partners) within the law firm effective January 2022. The new Members (Partners) include:
Greg Parsons to be Inducted as Fellow of American College of Construction Lawyers
LEXINGTON, Ky.—Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorney Greg Parsons will be inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Construction Lawyers (ACCL) on February 26, 2022, at the Annual Meeting in Laguna Beach, Calif. ACCL, one of the nation’s leading legal associations, only designates the top 1% of the construction bar in the U.S. with this honor.
Mid-South Super Lawyers®, Rising Stars 2021
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—The 2021 edition of Mid-South Super Lawyers recently honored eight Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorneys. Five attorneys were named to the Super Lawyers list and three were named to the Rising Stars list.
Van Tatenhove Pauses Enforcement of Vaccine Mandate for Some Federal Contractors
On November 30, 2021, a federal judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky issued an order granting a preliminary injunction curbing implementation and enforcement of President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal government contractors and subcontractors.
Stites & Harbison Earns 82 Rankings in 2022 “Best Law Firms” List
U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers® have released their 2022 “Best Law Firms” rankings. Stites & Harbison, PLLC’s three National Tier 1 rankings include: Litigation – Construction, Litigation – Real Estate, and Trademark Law. The firm’s overall results include 82 metropolitan rankings in six regions.
Stites & Harbison Welcomes J. Ross Hutchison to the Nashville office
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Stites & Harbison, PLLC welcomes attorney J. Ross Hutchison to the firm’s Nashville, Tenn., office. He joins the Construction Service Group as a Member (Partner).
Nerves of Steel Needed as Firms Face Inflation, Broken Contracts and Price-Gouging
Construction attorney Steven Henderson joins the conversation about construction pricing during Covid in this Engineering News-Record article.