Biography

Joel Long is special counsel in Sedgwick’s San Francisco office where he is part of the firm’s Construction Practices Group and Commercial Practices Division.  Mr. Long represents and advises owners, contractors, and sureties in construction-related matters including:  contract drafting and negotiation; bid protests; claim investigation, analysis, prosecution and defense; default termination; takeover and completion of troubled projects; dispute resolution; litigation; and bankruptcy.  Mr. Long has substantial experience counseling clients during the construction process and, when disputes arise, prosecuting and defending claims before federal and state courts, administrative tribunals, arbitrators, and mediators.  Mr. Long also represents clients in a variety of other business and commercial transactions, disputes, and litigation.

Affiliations, Activities and Accomplishments

Mr. Long is a member of the bars of the State of California, the District of Columbia, and the State of Maryland, as well as the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Northern Districts of California. In addition, he has been admitted pro hac vice to handle matters in the State of Florida and before the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Representative Matters

• Counsel for owner prosecuting contract and tort claims against contractors for damages resulting from a catastrophic power outage during a project to upgrade a data center’s electrical systems.
• Represented general contractor’s performance and payment bond surety in litigation with owner, architect, construction manager, and subcontractors involving the design and construction of a major airport expansion project.
• Counsel for general contractor prosecuting claims for delay, impact, and consequential damages for wrongful contract termination against a public agency in connection with the construction of a new industrial facility.
• Represented contractor in a bid protest concerning a public entity owner’s interpretation and enforcement of Small Business Enterprise requirements applicable to bidders on a project for the construction of a new community college district campus.
• Counsel for general contractor and surety prosecuting claims for equitable adjustment in connection with a cooling tower installation project at a large military base.
• Represented heavy civil contractor’s performance and payment bond surety in the investigation and resolution of owner, contractor, and supplier claims on public infrastructure and environmental remediation projects throughout Northern California, including the re-letting and completion of work on several of the same projects.
• Counsel for contractors and sureties in connection with wage and hour matters under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the California Labor Code, including the defense of proceedings before the California Department of Labor Standards Enforcement.