Danielle's practice focuses on advising and representing general contractors, large subcontractors, and owners in a variety of matters related to the construction process. She serves as outside general counsel and outside corporate counsel to several general contractors who perform work throughout the U.S. and abroad. Her clients include companies that range in size from those with annual revenues of approximately 80MM to several billion and include contractors ranked among the best, nationally and in the Southeast, by Engineering News-Record. Danielle's practice activities include the negotiation and drafting of various contract documents; providing counsel and guidance to clients throughout the course of a project and in connection with the multitude of related issues involved in the business of construction; and, representation of clients in complex litigation, mediation and arbitration proceedings. Danielle has extensive experience handling and successfully resolving a wide variety of construction claims, including, but not limited to, those related to contract terms and conditions, construction/design defect, indemnity, delay, acceleration and termination.
Danielle is the current Chair of the Construction Law Section of the Atlanta Bar Association and is actively involved in various leadership roles with the American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry. Her work with the Forum includes her appointment by the Forum's Governing Committee to the Diversity and Marketing Committees, her service on the Steering Committee of Division 8 (International Construction) and related activities as Co-Chair of a subcommittee to develop relationships with construction practitioners outside the U.S. and as liaison to the Forum's Membership Committee, prior service on the Steering Committee of Division 5 (Contract Negotiation, Administration and Performance), serving on the Forum's Women and Minority Fellowship Committee, and her participation as a frequent contributor to various Forum programs, including serving as Co-Chair of the Forum's 2010 Fall Meeting in Miami, Florida. She is also a member of the Litigation and Construction Litigation Sections of the American Bar Association.
In addition to her bar related construction activities, Danielle is actively involved in various organizations which serve the construction industry at large. She is a member of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) and served on the Board of Directors for the Atlanta Chapter from 2008-2010. Danielle is also involved with the local chapters of the Associated General Contractors of America, Associated Builders and Contractors of America, and the Design-Build Institute of America.
For the past three years, Danielle has been identified by her peers as a Georgia "Super Lawyer" in the field of Construction Litigation. She was one of only two female attorneys who received this honor in Georgia in 2010 and 2011. Prior to that, in 2009, Danielle was identified as a "Super Lawyer - Rising Star" in Georgia for Construction Litigation. She has authored several papers and is a frequent speaker on a wide variety of issues related to both the construction industry and construction law at both the national and local level. Danielle is a member of the Georgia Bar and Missouri Bar, and has been admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, Georgia Supreme Court, and the Georgia Court of Appeals.
Danielle received her J.D. in 1994 from Washburn University School of Law. She earned her B.A. in Communications/Theatre in 1991 from the University of Missouri.
Selected Publications/ Presentations
· You Told Our JV Partner What!?! Ethical Issues in Creating, Maintaining, and Operating Joint Ventures, American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry, Houston, Texas, February 2012
· We Won't Get Fooled Again: Lessons Learned from the Economic Downturn, Program Co-Chair, American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry, Miami, Florida, September 2010
· Selecting Outside Counsel, Co-Author with John W. O'Neil, Jr. of Western Construction Group, Inc., American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 2009
· Bond Rights and Claims Under the Miller Act and Georgia Little Miller Act, Client Seminar, Atlanta, Georgia, October 2009
· Public Contracting with State and Federal Agencies: Opportunities for Qualifying Businesses Meeting Diversity Requirements, Associated Builders and Contractors of Georgia 2009 State Convention, Hilton Head, South Carolina, July 2009
· The Construction Glossary Book, contributing author, book currently in preparation. American Bar Association, New York
· Domestication and Collection of Judgments from Abroad in the United States, Division 8 of the American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry, New Orleans, Louisiana, April 2009
· Marketing Yourself and Meeting the Challenges of Legal Employment, American Bar Association Law Student Division Spring Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, February 2009
· Issues Arising in Connection with a Surety's Efforts/Ability to Settle Bond Claims Without Involving (or Consulting With) the Contractor/Principal, Moderator, Division 5 of the American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry, Bonita Springs, Florida, January 2009
· Bid Errors: How Do You Spell Relief?, Moderator, Teleconference of the American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry, August 2008
· Sticks and Bricks: A Practical Guide to Construction Systems and Technology, City Coordinator, American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry, Atlanta, Georgia, November 2007
· Proving and Disproving Construction Damages at Trial, Construction Law for the General Practitioner Institute of Continuing Legal Education Seminar in Georgia, September 2007
· Lessons Learned in Arbitration: If I Knew Then What I Know Now, Division 5 of the American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry, San Juan, Puerto Rico, April 2007
Memberships & Bar Associations
Atlanta Bar Association
Chair, Construction Law Section
Member, Litigation Section
American Bar Association
Member, Forum on the Construction Industry
Member, Litigation Section
Member, Construction Litigation Section
State Bar of Georgia
Missouri Bar
Publications and Articles
Crane Safety Gets a Lift, Construction Today, August 2009
Selecting Outside Counsel