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Stuart Sobel

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ssobel@siegfriedrivera.com
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(800) 737-1390

201 Alhambra Cir 11th Floor
Coral Gables, Florida 33134

 

Stuart Sobel is a member of the firm’s Construction Litigation Practice Group. He is Board Certified in Construction Law by the Florida Bar.

Primary Focus and Experience

Mr. Sobel has been trying and arbitrating construction and commercial disputes all over the country for more than 40 years. His substantial experience in the construction sector derives from his representation, over the decades, of the full spectrum of construction professionals: from developers and construction managers to general contractors, subcontractors, and material suppliers. Understanding that construction disputes are often technical and complex, Mr. Sobel focuses on assisting clients with innovative problem-solving strategies to resolve disputes efficiently and has developed recognized expertise representing structural steel fabricators and erectors.

Mr. Sobel has tried and arbitrated scores of cases to verdict, judgment, and award, which, over the years have included tort claims, civil rights actions, and common law unfair competition. His broad trial experience, coupled with his more than ten years as a Florida Supreme Court certified mediator and more than 30 years as an American Arbitration Association neutral arbitrator, enables him to counsel his clients at every stage of a dispute, guiding them toward the best possible resolution. Because he prepares to take disputes through trial or arbitration, he is often able to obtain favorable settlements of his clients’ claims, resulting in a cost efficient yet fair resolution

Though he specializes and limits his practice primarily to construction- related disputes, Mr. Sobel prides himself in serving the full range of his clients’ needs, including commercial disputes, which are often encountered in the context of complex construction projects. He has been privileged to participate in the resolution of disputes arising out of the most recognizable, most challenging construction projects in the United States.

Recent Significant Results
  • Recovered favorable judgments for clients involving the Philadelphia Airport, Universal Studios Islands of Adventure, Port of Miami Tunnel and US Courthouse in Islip, New York.
  • Obtained favorable settlements related to the construction of the Brightline Miami Station, the improvements to the Hard Rock Stadium, the reconstruction of the World Trade Center in New York and construction of Federal Courthouses in New York and Florida, a coal burning electrification plant in Texas, the Miami International Airport, the Memphis Convention Center and Pittsburgh Convention Center, as well as for Miami Dade College in connection with the collapse, during construction, of its West Campus Parking Garage.
  • Recovered favorable judgments and settlements for several high rise condominiums for the repair of construction defects, including roofing, glazing, post tension systems, waterproofing, building envelope systems and fire safety systems.
  • Successfully defended claims against condominium developers and converters, recovering on pass-through claims of contractors and subcontractors.
  • Recovered favorable judgments, arbitration awards and settlements in favor of high end restaurant contractors, including recovery on construction liens and contract disputes.
  • Recovered favorable judgments and settlements in favor of electrical subcontractor, including recovery on construction liens and contract disputes.
  • Obtained an arbitration award in favor of his client, the builder of veterinary college in St. Kitts, including recovering all attorney fees, costs and expenses incurred by his client in prosecution of the claim.
  • Obtained a jury verdict for the full measure of his client’s losses in connection with the defective repair of his client’s yacht.
  • Obtained a jury verdict for the full measure of his client’s losses in connection with a boat built for his client’s commercial dive business in the Cayman Islands.
  • Obtained an arbitration award in favor of his client, a professional soccer league, in a dispute with one of the league’s franchised teams, including recovering all attorney fees, costs and expenses incurred by his client in defense of the claim.
  • Successfully defended bid protests in connection with public utility and wastewater projects.
Recognition & Involvement

Mr. Sobel is a Florida Bar Board Certified Construction Lawyer and a Circuit/Civil Mediator, certified by the Florida Supreme Court. He is on the Panel of Neutrals of the American Arbitration Association, qualified for Large and Complex Cases. He is a fellow of the American College of Construction Lawyers and maintains an “AV” rating from Martindale-Hubbell. He is listed in Chambers USA and was designated as a top-rated “Band 1” attorney in 2021, a significant achievement given to select highly-regarded attorneys. Mr. Sobel was also listed in the South Florida Legal Guide as one of the top construction litigation lawyers. He is also recognized as a “Best Lawyer in America” and as a “Super Lawyer.” In 2020, Mr. Sobel was further recognized in the Top 100: 2020 Florida Super Lawyer List.

Mr. Sobel served on the Bal Harbour Residential Advisory Committee from July 2011 to July 2014. He also served as the Bal Harbour Civic Association president from 2007 to 2011 and as vice president from 2019 to 2021.

Publications
  • New Dispute Resolution Strategies for Construction Industry Clients Chapter in Book: Inside the Minds: Construction Dispute Resolution (Pages 107-120), Aspatore Books 2014 ed.
  • The Electronic Courtroom and the Paperless Trial, Construct!, ABA Section of Litigation, Fall/Winter 2006, Vol. 16 No. 1
  • The Modified Total Cost Method of Determining Damages, Construction Lawyer, Fall 2001
  • Risk Allocation Between the Design-Builder and the Trade Contractor (with Stanley Sklar) - (chapter 3.01 in Design Build Contracting Handbook 2d, Wiley Law, 2001)
  • Risk Allocation Between the Design-builder and the Trade Contractor-ABA Forum Committee Breakfast - April 27, 2001
  • Construction Work for the Government After Miorelli – Has Anything Really Changed? February, 1999
  • Construction Law for Attorneys in Florida - Seminar Lecture Materials May, 1999 Fla.St. §713.245 Conditional Payment Bonds - Panacea or Pandora? Florida Bar Journal, Volume LXXII, No. 9, October, 1998
  • Arbitration in the Construction Industry (Chapter 9 of Florida Construction Law, Liens and Bonds, Professional Education Systems, Inc. 1997)
  • Betting the Farm? – Three Rules in Construction Disputes (with H. Hugh McConnell) (Siegfried, Rivera, Lerner, DeLaTorre & Sobel Newsletter)
Speaking Engagements
  • American Bar Association – Forum on the Construction Law – Zoom Presentation - March 2022 – Navigating Jury Selection in a Construction Case
  • International Council of Shopping Centers United States Law Conference, San Francisco, California – November 2021 – “You Agreed to What? – Critical Provisions in Construction Contracts
  • University of Kentucky Construction Law Institute – November 2020 – Trial of Complex Construction Cases
  • The Seminar Group, Miami, Florida – May 2019 – Preventing or Minimizing Construction Defect Litigation
  • American College of Construction Lawyers, St. Petersburg, Florida – February 2019 – Ethical Issues in Joint Venture Representation and Damages Presentation
  • American Bar Association – Forum on the Construction Law - Fort Myers, Florida January 2018 –Subcontractors, Subconsultants, Suppliers – Practicum on Orders of Proof
  • Florida Construction Law Institute, Orlando, Florida – March 2015 – Expert Opinion Testimony in Florida – Navigating the Mine Field”
  • American College of Construction Lawyers, Scottsdale, Arizona – February 2014 – Hot Tips
  • Greater Miami Risk Management Society – Miami, Florida, November 2011 – How Business and Property Owners Can Protect Themselves from Property and Business Losses Arising Out of Construction Related Activities
  • American Bar Association – Forum on the Construction Industry, Atlanta, Georgia – October 2011 – Forum Matters Considerations in Choosing Whether and How to Litigate (Jury or Non-Jury) or Arbitrate Construction Disputes
  • Daily Business Review Seminar – November 2009 – Mediation and Arbitration of Construction Disputes
  • International Council of Shopping Centers United States Law Conference, Hollywood, Florida – October 2008 – Coordinating the Coordinators – Keeping the Construction Project Team Orchestra Playing in the Same Key
  • Lorman Education Services - May 2008 - Construction Delay Claims
  • American Bar Association – Forum on the Construction Industry, La Quinta, California – April 2008 – Pass Through Claims – Up, Down and Sideways
  • International Council of Shopping Centers United States Law Conference, San Diego, California – January 2008 – Negotiating the New AIA – What Really Matters
  • American College of Construction Lawyers, Sanibel, Florida – February 2007 –Hot Tips
  • International Council of Shopping Centers United States Law Conference, Orlando, Florida – October 2006 – Selected Issues of Construction Contracting
  • American Bar Association – Forum on the Construction Industry, San Diego, California – May 2006 – Electronic Courtroom and the Paperless Trial
  • American College of Construction Lawyers, Sanibel, Florida – February 2006 – Hot Tips
  • International Council of Shopping Centers United States Law Conference, Hollywood, Florida – October 2004 – Construction War Stories II
  • Florida Construction Law, Professional Educational Systems, Inc. Tampa, Florida – March 2004 – Scheduling and Time Related Contract Claim/Problems, Schedules & Claims Analysis
  • American Bar Association – Forum on the Construction Industry/TIPS
  • Fidelity and Surety Law Conference, San Francisco, California – January 2004 – A Consideration of Procedural Aspects of Arbitration
  • Florida Construction Law, Professional Educational Systems, Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Florida – November 2003
  • International Council of Shopping Centers United States Law Conference, Palm Desert, California - October 2003 – What to Do Before the Wheels Come Off
  • Florida Construction Law, Professional Educational Systems, Inc., Tampa, Florida - March 2003
  • International Council of Shopping Centers Centerbuild Conference, Scottsdale, AZ - December 2002
  • International Council of Shopping Centers United States Law Conference, Boca Raton, Fla. - October 2002
  • International Council of Shopping Centers Law for Non-Lawyer Seminar Tampa, Fla. - March 2002
  • International Council of Shopping Centers Centerbuild Conference, Scottsdale, AZ - December 2001
  • American Bar Association - Forum on the Construction Industry Annual Reception, San Francisco, CA - April 2001
  • International Council of Shopping Centers Florida Law Conference - Orlando, FL - October 2000 - Construction Contracts and Architectural Agreements International Council of Shopping Centers - Florida Retail Lease Symposium - June 2000 - Drafting and Negotiating Construction Contracts for Leases – Protecting the Landlord or Tenant in their Dealings with Contractors and Architects
  • International Council of Shopping Centers Florida Law Conference, October 1 1999 - Balancing Competing Interests: How a Contractor Gets Paid for Tenant Improvements vs. How an Owner Avoids Getting Stuck When Its Tenant Does Not Pay Its Contractor for Improving Its Space
  • Lorman Education Services - May 1999 - Construction Law for Attorneys in Florida
  • International Council of Shopping Centers ICSC Centerbuild Conference December, 1998 - A Comparative Analysis of the 1997 Changes to the AIA General Conditions to the Contract for Construction
Education

J.D., University of Miami School of Law, 1978
Cum Laude

B.A., Economics, Brown University, 1975

Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice Florida
Georgia (Inactive)
United States District Court for Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Florida
United States Circuit Courts for Third, Fifth and Eleventh Circuits
United States Supreme Court
United States Court of Federal Claims