Attorneys

Joseph C. StaakPartner

JOSEPH C. STAAK is a partner with Smith, Currie & Hancock LLC practicing construction and government contracts law.  Joe joined the firm in 1981 after graduating cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law.

For over 28 years Joe has been involved in legal matters involving the construction industry.  He has participated in numerous hearings and trials in state and federal courts, before federal boards of contract appeals, and in arbitrations. Joe has extensive experience in mediation, DRBs, alternative dispute resolution, procurement protests, contractor and engineering licensing issues, latent defects, errors and omissions, insurance issues, and claims identification and resolution.

Joe has represented owners, engineers, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, insurers, and sureties.  Construction projects Joe has been involved in range from complex multi-million dollar industrial plants to residential construction.  He is familiar with construction scheduling, construction management, project cost control, design-build construction,  geotechnical and foundations, roadway and pavements, bridge design and construction, concrete and structural steel, stucco and plaster, roofs, moisture and moisture intrusion problems, clean room construction, industrial and paper mills, power plants, instrumentation and control wiring, electrical, and mechanical work.

Upon graduating in 1974 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 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 and twelve remote radar sites.  His duties also included evaluating contractor claims and providing technical advice to the contracting officer.   Upon leaving the Air Force, Joe entered law school where he served as Research Editor on the Georgia Law Review.

Joe frequently lectures on issues of interest to the construction community.  He is co-author of numerous articles and publications, including Georgia Construction Lien and Public Contract Bond Law; Georgia Construction Law; Practical Construction Law for Florida Contractors; and Government Construction Contracting Law:  Federal and State Perspectives.  Joe also is a contributing author to Smith Currie’s Common Sense Construction Law 4^th Ed. (2009) textbook and to Alternative Clauses to Standard Construction Contracts 3^rd Ed. (2009).  Joe is admitted to practice in Georgia, Florida, Alabama and the District of Columbia.  Joe was a member of the initial group of Florida lawyers to be certified by the Florida Bar in Construction Law.

Articles & Publications

• Alternative Clauses To Standard Construction Contracts, Third Edition, contributing author, Aspen Publishers, 2009.
• "The Gaps That Bite: Missing Terms in Contracts Can Come Back to Haunt You," Florida HomeBuilder, July 2008.
• "Practical Construction Law for Florida Contractors," 2004, 2006, 2008.
• "Government Construction Contracting Law:  Federal and State Perspectives," 2000.
• "Georgia Construction Law," 1998.
• "Georgia Construction Lien and Public Contract Bond Law", co-author, Lorman Education Services, 1993.

Classes & Seminars Taught

• Lecturer on construction claims for various professional groups, seminars and workshops.