Joe Staak is Senior Counsel with the Atlanta law firm of Smith, Currie & Hancock LLP. His areas of practice include construction law, government contracts and environmental law. He has practiced with the firm since 1981. He is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Georgia School of Law.<\/p>\n
Joe provides professional and cost effective legal representation to parties involved in all aspects of construction. He concentrates his practice on the resolution of construction disputes through negotiation, mediation, arbitration, litigation or alternative dispute resolution. He has represented owners, developers, contractors, subcontractors, engineers, suppliers, insurers, and sureties. His experience ranges from the front-end planning of a construction project through project-completion and resolution of post-completion disputes. He has experience in projects ranging from multi-million dollar industrial plants to home construction. Project types include power plants, highways and bridges, semiconductor facilities, paper mills, water and waste, tunneling, airports, office buildings, high rise construction, multifamily, schools, courthouses, retail, warehousing, hospitals, military construction and environmental remediation. He has worked with numerous project delivery vehicles including design-build, construction management, partnering, DRBs and P3s. He has experience in construction scheduling, cost controls, design defects, means and methods, geotechnical and foundations, structural steel, stucco and plaster, roof systems, instrumentation and control wiring, electrical, mechanical, and construction defects.<\/p>\n
He has participated in numerous hearings and trials in state and federal courts, before federal boards of contract appeals, and in arbitration. Joe has extensive experience in procurement protests, contractor and engineering licensing issues, latent defects, errors and omissions, construction insurance, and claims identification and resolution.<\/p>\n
Upon graduating from Georgia Tech with a BS degree in Civil Engineering, Joe was commissioned in the Air Force and served four years as an engineering and construction management officer in Texas and Alaska. While stationed at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, Joe headed the Construction Management Office responsible for inspecting and administering contract construction at Elmendorf AFB and twelve remote radar sites. His duties included evaluating contractor claims and providing technical advice to the contracting officer.<\/p>\n
Joe has lectured and conducted seminars and educational programs for many organizations including the Associated General Contractors, the Associated Builders and Contractors, the University of Florida Construction Management Academy, Southeast Builders Conference and Lorman Educational Services. He also conducts training programs for Florida licensed contractors to meet their required continuing education obligations. He has authored or co-authored numerous articles and publications.<\/p>\n
Experience<\/p>\n
\u2022Apartment Complex in Georgia
\n\u2022Bridges and Roads in Florida
\n\u2022Cable-Stayed Bridge in Georgia
\n\u2022Construction of Motor Vehicle Facilities, Military Barracks, Dining Facilities and Operational Support Facilities
\n\u2022Deep Storage Tunnel in Chicago
\n\u2022Ecological Restoration Work in the Everglades National Park
\n\u2022Highrise Condominium Projects in Jacksonville, Florida
\n\u2022Hilton Garden Inn in Georgia
\n\u2022Kentucky Petroleum Refinery Project
\n\u2022Materials Testing Work on Georgia Highway Projects
\n\u2022Modular Retaining Wall in Georgia
\n\u2022New Bank Building, Crestview Florida
\n\u2022Platinum Rated LEED Project in Chicago
\n\u2022Power Plant Litigation in Nebraska
\n\u2022Recycling Facility in Georgia
\n\u2022Representation of Engineering Company on Multiple Geotechnical Matters
\n\u2022Roof Projects
\n\u2022School Projects in Florida
\n\u2022Tren Urbano Project in Puerto Rico
\n\u2022UST Environmental Remediation in Alabama
\n\u2022Wal-Mart Stores
\n\u2022Student Housing, Albany, Georgia
\n\u2022Litigation on a Government Contract Involving Georgia’s WIC Program
\n\u2022Construction Defect Litigation on a Georgia Courthouse<\/p>\n
Honors and Awards<\/p>\n
\u2022Certified in Construction Law by the Florida Bar, 2005 to present.<\/p>\n
Articles & Publications<\/p>\n
\u2022Public Construction, Contracting and Procurement Law: State and Federal Perspective, Co-Author, 2012.
\n\u2022Construction Risk Avoidance and Mitigation for Florida Contractors, 2011.
\n\u2022\u201cGovernment Construction Contracting Law: Federal and State Perspectives,\u201d 2000; 2012.
\n\u2022\u201cGeorgia Construction Law,\u201d 1998.
\n\u2022\u201cGeorgia Construction Lien and Public Contract Bond Law\u201d, co-author, Lorman Education Services.<\/p>\n
Smith Currie’s Common Sense Contract Law<\/p>\n
\u2022Subcontractor Terminations on Design-Build Projects, (April 17, 2013)
\n\u2022Practical Impacts of Design-Build on the Design Engineer, (December 12, 2012)
\n\u2022OSHA Is Developing New Proposed Rules Regulating Silica Dust, (March 2, 2012)
\n\u2022The Significance of Final Acceptance, (July 9, 2012)<\/p>\n
Presentations<\/p>\n
\u2022FCILB Course for Florida Contractors in Alabama – August 18 & 19, 2016 – Birmingham, AL
\n\u2022Arbitration v. Litigation – How Litigators Deal with the Differences – August 5, 2016 – Atlanta, GA
\n\u2022FCILB Course for Florida Contractors in Georgia – August 4-5, 2016 – Atlanta, GA
\n\u2022FCILB Course for Florida Contractors in Alabama – August 20 & 21, 2015 – Birmingham, AL
\n\u2022FCILB Course for Florida Contractors in Georgia – August 6-7, 2015 – Atlanta, GA
\n\u2022August 21-22, 2014 – FCILB Courses for Florida Contractors in Alabama – Birmingham, AL
\n\u2022August 7-8, 2014 – FCILB Courses for Florida Contractors in Georgia – Atlanta, GA
\n\u2022May 16, 2014 – Fundamentals of Construction Contracts in Georgia – Atlanta, GA
\n\u2022April 25, 2014 – AIA Contracts Seminar – Athens, GA
\n\u2022August 8-9, 2013 – FCILB Seminar – Common Sense Construction Law for Florida Contractors in Georgia
\n\u2022August 1-2, 2013 – FCILB Seminar – Common Sense Construction Law for Florida Contractors in Alabama
\n\u2022May 3, 2013 – Seminar on the Fundamentals of Construction Contracts
\n\u2022January 25, 2013 – AIA Contracts: Analysis and Interpretation of AIA Standard Contract Forms Seminar<\/p>\n
Classes & Seminars Taught<\/p>\n
\u2022Lecturer on construction claims for various professional groups, seminars and workshops.<\/p>\n
Other Experience<\/p>\n
United States Air Force, Design and Construction Engineer, 1974 – 1978<\/p>\n
\u2022Arbitration<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","atbdp_listing_types":[2],"at_biz_dir-category":[315,316],"at_biz_dir-location":[153],"at_biz_dir-tags":[1448,1451],"class_list":["post-4820","at_biz_dir","type-at_biz_dir","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","atbdp_listing_types-general","at_biz_dir-category-bail-bondsmen","at_biz_dir-category-surety-bonds","at_biz_dir-location-georgia","at_biz_dir-tags-bail-bondsmen","at_biz_dir-tags-surety-bonds"],"yoast_head":"\r\n