Attorneys
Bradley S. Copenhaver
Brad is a Shareholder in the firm’s Tallahassee office, and his practice is focused on representing contractors on transportation and other heavy civil construction projects throughout Florida, Alabama, and the rest of the southeastern United States.
He has extensive experience in P-3 and design-build procurement methods and works with contractors pre-bid in preparing and negotiating joint venture, subcontract, and designer agreements. He also works proactively with contractors during construction to review issues as they arise with the goal to minimize disputes, resolve those disputes that cannot be avoided, and best position the contractor for future dispute resolution proceedings.
Brad prosecutes and defends construction litigation matters in both federal and state courts and in arbitration. He frequently lectures on topics relating to construction law and is called upon often for presentations regarding FDOT’s Byzantine claim specifications.
Brad moved to Florida after law school and has spent his career working in the field of construction law. He and his wife, Joanna, have three sons and a daughter. He enjoys watching and playing basketball, football and golf.
Relevant Experience and Representative Cases
- Represented the prime contractor against a subcontractor’s surety in litigation arising out of the subcontractor’s default on a major I-95 transportation project
- Represented the prime contractor against a drilled shaft subcontractor’s claim on an interstate bridge project in Arkansas
- Represented a toll-by-plate integrator in litigation arising out of a Miami–Dade public owner’s wrongful termination of the design–build–operate contract
- Represented design–build contractors in professional negligence litigation against the engineer of record throughout Florida
- Represented the prime contractor and one of its major subcontractors in connection with the construction of a new $100 million airport in northwest Florida
- Represented six of the major subcontractors in connection with the I-595 Corridor Roadway Improvement Project, a $1.2 billion P-3 project in south Florida
- Represented the prime contractor in connection with a $100 million bridge construction project in eastern North Carolina
- Represented the prime contractor in connection with the construction of a hot ammo load facility at Ft. Bliss in El Paso, Texas
Education
- University of Alabama (J.D., magna cum laude, 1997)
- Editorial Board, Alabama Law Review
- Spring Hill College (B.A., 1993)
Bar Admissions
- Florida, 1999
- Alabama, 1997
Court Admissions
- United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
- United States District Court, Southern, Middle, and Northern Districts of Florida and Alabama
- United States Court of Federal Claims
Speaking Engagements
- “Design-Build Risk Allocation and Legal Lessons Learned,” 2013 DBIA Central Florida Chapter
- 2011, 2012 FDOT/FTBA Construction Conference – Assisted with Presentation on FDOT’s Construction Claims Specifications
- “FDOT’s Construction Claims Specifications & Florida’s Construction Lien Law,” 2010-2013 Various Construction Clients
Honor Awards
- The Best Lawyers in America© (Construction Law), 2007 – 2014, 2018 – 2024
- Chambers USA – Recommended in Construction, 2023
- Florida Super Lawyers, 2023 (Construction Litigation, Surety/Business Litigation), 2015 – 2020 (Construction Litigation), 2018 (Top Rated Construction Litigation Attorney in Tallahassee, Florida, 2012 – 2014 (Surety/Business Litigation)
- Florida Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2009, 2011
- Florida Trend’s Legal Elite, 2011, 2018
- Florida Super Lawyers Rising Stars (Construction Litigation/Surety), 2009, 2011
Memberships
- Construction Law Committee of the Florida Bar