Balch & Bingham LLP

Construction

Partner

Joe Leavens focuses his practice in two niche areas: construction law and joint use and pole attachment law. Joe is a litigator by training but takes great pride in having a business-first approach for all clients.

Joe has negotiated millions of dollars in construction contracts on projects of all sizes and types across the country for owners, general contractors and subcontractors and is regularly involved in strategic project development for owners and real estate developers. Joe has extensive experience handling mid-project and post-completion legal matters including payment claims, liens, bond claims, construction defect claims, warranty claims and delay analyses in both the courtroom and in arbitration. His focus is always on getting the best business result for clients, whether that means litigating to a final judgment or finding a resolution with one eye on the bottom-line and one-eye on the next project.

Joe’s joint use and pole attachment practice focuses on representation of electric utilities navigating FCC and non-FCC pole attachment regulations. He has appeared before numerous trial courts, the Eleventh Circuit and the Federal Communications Commission in pole attachment complaint proceedings, rulemaking proceedings, and contract and tort-based pole attachment matters. His expertise and experience with pole attachment matters also fostered a growing practice in public and private wi-fi and retail broadband projects, including extensive experience in local and state level small cell attachment legislation.

Defense Research Institute, Young Lawyers Steering Committee

Alabama Defense Lawyers Association

Birmingham Inns of Court

Birmingham Young Lawyers Association

Washington University in St. Louis, School of Law, J.D., 2011

University of Virginia, B.A., Religious Studies, 2007