Surety

When bonded individuals or companies don't perform as contracted, sureties are required to secure performance or self-perform. We offer the full range of surety bond counsel and advocacy to insurance and surety companies, delivering the support, problem-solving, negotiation and litigation skills they need to resolve claims, minimize their risk and assist principals to fulfill their obligations.

Our surety attorneys, who have as many as 20 years of experience, have handled hundreds of surety matters over the last several years that involved everything from simple fixes to highly complex issues. We resolve claims in and before any and every kind of forum, from courts to administrative bodies to local governments and agencies. Because surety claims are extremely varied and nuanced, we listen carefully to our clients to understand their goals and the unique details of each matter to develop a customized approach and strategy.

We advise and represent clients in many states and throughout the Southeast in probate, construction and fidelity bond issues, as well as claims involving a range of other types of bonds.These often involve an array of legal disciplines, including probate and fiduciary law, contract surety and construction defect law, public official obligations, contract negotiations, commercial litigation and collections. Because we have substantial practices in all of these areas, we can offer our clients concierge service as we work through their surety matters.

Our vast experience with surety claims and their related legal issues has given us a variety of tools for developing creative and innovative resolutions — along with the wisdom to know how and when to use each of them. Sometimes our focus is problem-solving; other times, we work with the principal to rectify the issue. We also will aggressively litigate disputes when the principal is not responsible for the problem or negotiate new contracts when they are the best option for moving a dispute forward.

Our work in these matters also often includes educating the various parties involved. At times we help principals understand their obligations and duties, guide them in best practices to reduce risk, or instruct them on how to comply with a court or obligee’s requirements. In other cases, we build bridges to reduce our clients' risk by articulating for stakeholders and decision-makers the surety's obligations and defenses. Regardless of our role, we bring diplomacy and sensitivity to all of these situations, particularly when we need to preserve business relationships between parties while we resolve their disputes.