Business and Corporate Law

• Corporate Law
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Business Formation
• Business Transactions
  Mr. Massafra has 40 years' experience and focuses his law practice on serving as general counsel to a number of privately-held companies, business owners and entrepreneurs. He works closely with business clients to provide counseling and representation with respect to commercial transactions and civil litigation. Representative clients include architectural firms, forensic accountants, commercial landlords, contractors, public housing authorities and restaurant franchisees.

Employment Law

• Employment Contract
  Mr. Gropp has over twenty years’ experience as a construction attorney representing subcontractors, general contractors, project owners, developers, architects, engineers, surveyors, sureties, consultants, real estate professionals, property managers and other businesses in breach of contract claims, construction defect claims, payment disputes, extra work claims, contract interpretation matters, errors and omissions claims, bond claims, claims regarding employment agreements, lien perfection matters, state and federal wage & hour disputes, and project delay/acceleration claims. Mr. Gropp also serves an arbitrator of construction claims and disputes.
• Non-compete Agreement
  Mr. Gropp routinely engages in the preparation, editing and negotiation of contract documents pertaining to a wide variety of construction projects, and further assists his clients with the preparation and filing of business formation documents, shareholder agreements, employment agreements, resolutions, mergers, joint-venture agreements, non-compete agreements and other corporate/company documents relative to their respective businesses.

Property Law

• Premises Liability
• Construction Litigation
  Mr. Harris, as a founding member of WSH, has significant experience as a construction attorney representing contractors, subcontractors, sureties, owners, architects and engineers in all facets of construction law, including Federal, State and Local Government contract issues. Prior to becoming an attorney, Mr. Harris’ personal background commenced with an emphasis in mechanical design and construction, including four years’ design experience in HVAC and plumbing design and construction supervision. Substantial construction work experience was gained on major construction projects, including Watergate, HUD Headquarters and Veterans Administration Hospital, Washington, D.C. Mr. Harris’ experience as a construction attorney includes the design and construction of airports, automobile assembly plants, ethanol plants, chemical plants, shopping centers, hotels, parking decks (including design and construction of bonded post tensioning), wastewater treatment plants, water treatment plants, roller coasters, electric power plants, refineries, highways, port facilities, high rise office and hotel projects, condominiums and waste paper recycling plants. Major arbitration and litigation cases include the New Orleans SuperDome; Georgia World Congress Center; Tennessee Valley Authority Office of Power, Chattanooga Tennessee; Corvette Automobile Assembly Plant, Bowling Green, Kentucky; New Orleans World Fair. Cases have involved breach of contract, delays, inefficiencies and acceleration claims, as well as professional architectural and engineering malpractice claims, with many cases involving mechanical, civil, electrical and structural engineering issues. Mr. Harris’ current practice is primarily focused on representation of architects and engineers in professional liability defense matters, but he also represents and advises project owners and contractors.
• Real Estate Transactions
  Mr. James has over thirty four years’ experience as a construction attorney representing contractors, subcontractors, architects, engineers, insurance companies, owner/developers, sureties, consultants and suppliers involving contract claims, construction defect claims, professional liability claims, personal injury claims, payment disputes, extra work claims, contract interpretation, lien/bond claims, CPM scheduling and delay/acceleration claims. Mr. James has been involved in multi-million dollar claims relating to excavation, grading, paving, concrete and related civil site work for commercial buildings, highway systems and airport projects; construction and design defects for windows/roofing, masonry, stucco, drywall, curtain wall, steel erection and concrete construction for low-rise and high-rise condominiums, commercial and public buildings; plumbing, piping and equipment installation for commercial and industrial projects; scheduling, design, delay and extra work claims for highway, airport runway, low-rise and high-rise commercial buildings and multi-family residential projects. Mr. James also routinely drafts and edits contracts, files claims of lien and handles corporate matters for his clients, including corporate creation, corporate resolutions, employment agreements, leases, real estate purchase and sale agreements, and private company corporate mergers and acquisitions in the form of stock purchase/asset purchase agreements.

Health Law

• Personal Injury
  Commercial transaction experience includes contract drafting and negotiation, corporate organization and restructuring, and asset sales and acquisitions. Mr. Massafra’s litigation experience includes representing clients in actions involving shareholder disputes, restrictive covenants, premises liability, errors and omissions defense, personal injury claims, collections, fraudulent transfer claims, commercial leases and a variety of complex tort and contract issues. Mr. Massafra also has represented a number of Georgia public housing authorities in defense of fair housing claims and employment-related issues.