Stites & Harbison, PLLC

Stephen M. Reams is a Member with the firm located in the Atlanta office. His practice covers all aspects of the construction industry, including litigating construction disputes on behalf of owners, contractors and subcontractors; and, drafting and negotiating construction, design, project management and design-build contracts.

Recent Speaking Engagements and Publications

• National Instructor, Design-Build Institute of America Design-Build Contract and Risk Management
• Contributing Author, "The Construction Contracts Book: How to Find Common Ground in Negotiating Design and Construction Contract Clauses," American Bar Association, 2d ed., 2008
• Key Teaching Assignments: U.S. Army National Guard, Puerto Rico; Panama Canal Authority, Panama City, Panama; Hawaii Department of Education, Honolulu, Hawaii; National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado
• Lecturer, Project Finance Transactions in the Post-NAFTA World, Services in NAFTA: A Decade Later, Tri-Lateral Symposium, Universidad Panamericana, Guadalajara, Mexico, November 2004
• Instructor, "Five Things Every Real Estate Attorney Should Know About Construction Law," Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia, 26th Annual Real Property Law Institute, Amelia Island, Fla., May 2004
• Instructor, "Fundamentals of Construction Law in Georgia, The Construction Contract - An Ounce of Prevention," Sterling Education Services, LLC, Atlanta, Ga., February 2004
• Lecturer, "Defending and Avoiding Lien Claims," Avoiding Construction Claims Seminar, Atlanta, Ga., 2000 and 2002, and Washington, D.C., 2003

Before Stites & Harbison

Prior to joining Stites & Harbison, Steve was an Associate with the law firm of Alston & Bird LLP in Atlanta and prior to that, an Associate with Carlton Fields in Tampa, Fla.

More Than Stites & Harbison

Mr. Reams serves as a national instructor for the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA). He teaches the Design-Build Contract and Risk Management course, which is a required part of DBIA's formal certification process. The course highlights the advantages of design-build project delivery and equips the students to manage the unique contractual, insurance and bonding risks associated with design-build. Steve has taught this course at locations throughout the United States and Puerto Rico to design and construction professionals from the private, public and military sectors. He recently taught the course to the Panama Canal Authority in connection with the planned expansion of the canal and to the Hawaii Department of Education who is expanding their use of design-build. In addition, Steve serves on a voluntary basis as Church Legal Counsel and Deacon Chairman for the Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Atlanta.

Besides Stites & Harbison

Steve has completed three years of German language study through the Goethe Institute and speaks, reads and writes German proficiently.