With extensive in-house counsel and private practice experience, Mike brings valuable dual perspectives to guide companies developing and constructing large projects.
Mike has more than four decades of experience serving as General Counsel for major construction companies, including Kokosing Construction Company and most recently at Westpatrick Corp., the owner of C.J. Mahan Construction Company and Prestress Services Industries. This distinctive background includes working on a diverse array of heavy civil and industrial projects—from billion-dollar bridge projects like the $11 billion Brent Spence Bridge replacement to the construction of steel mills, water and waste treatment plants, power generation facilities (hydro-electric, steam, solar, and ethanol), corporate campuses, high-rise buildings, highways and other infrastructure, manufacturing operations, maritime construction, and projects with the United States Army Corps of Engineers. This breadth of work provides him with invaluable insight into the legal and logistical realities project developers and construction companies face as they plan, construct, and complete projects.
Mike represents owners, contractors, subcontractors, architects, engineers, suppliers, and sureties throughout the construction process. Clients rely on his sage guidance to select, structure, and negotiate agreements across project delivery methods—including lump sum, cost-plus, guaranteed maximum price (GMP), line-item GMP, EPC, joint venture, and public-private partnership agreements—to facilitate the best outcome based on the stakeholders involved and the nature of the project.
He also brings robust experience litigating and using ADR to resolve disputes that arise during and after construction, including several state supreme court cases that established important legal precedents on bid protests, economic loss, and how to calculate home office overhead.
In addition to Mike’s senior executive roles at Westpatrick Corp. and Kokosing Construction Co., he previously was a partner at Thompson Hine LLP, head of its construction litigation practice group, and a member of the firm’s executive committee. Mike also founded and served as principal of Currie & Associates LLC.