Joel M. Howard, III
Phone:
518-320-3402 (office); 518-365-8459 (cell)
Email:
jhoward@couchwhite.com
Practice Areas: Construction,Commercial and Complex Litigation,
Education
St. Lawrence University, A.B., 1968; Albany Law School of Union University, J.D., 1971
Joel represents contractors, subcontractors, material-men, owners, sureties and design professionals in all manner of construction-focused contract development, negotiation and administration, as well as mediation, arbitration and litigation of the full spectrum of construction and commercial litigation before state and federal courts and administrative agencies.
Admissions
- New York State Courts
- Florida State Courts
- Vermont State Courts
- District of Columbia
- United States District Court for the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of New York
- United States District Court, District of Vermont
- United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
- United States Claims Court
- United States Supreme Court
Professional Experience
- Representing contractor clients in construction claims and other disputes in litigation and arbitration with many tried to verdict or arbitration award.
- Extensive experience in Lien Law and surety matters.
- Extensive appeals practice in construction matters.
- Counseling government contractors in procurement matters with New York State.
- Assisting clients with public procurement issues, including DBE, MBE and WBE certification, utilization and waivers.
- Defending construction clients in construction-based False Claims Act matters.
- Representing construction clients in review preparation and negotiation of complex construction contract documents.
- Representing clients in construction labor relations matters include organizing, elections, collective bargaining, arbitrations, double-breasted operations, picketing and labor violence.
- Counseling clients with construction industry labor matters before the National Labor Relations Board and federal courts.
- Assisting clients in prevailing wage matters involving the New York State Department of Labor.
- Participating in the Forum ABA Committee on the Construction Industry and Associated General Contractors of America, Labor and Employment Law Council.
- General Counsel for Associated General Contractors of New York State, LLC.
News
Memberships
- Albany County Bar Association
- New York State Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Northern District of New York Federal Bar Association
- ABA Forum Committee on the Construction Industry
- Associated General Contractors of America Labor and Employment Law Council
- Listed in Martindale Hubbell AV preeminent peer review rating
- Named to Best Lawyers in America 2025 in the practice area of Commercial Litigation
- Rated by Super Lawyers in the Upstate New York Edition for Construction Litigation