Joseph C. Kovars

Bar Admissions

• District of Columbia
• Maryland

Court Admissions

• Court of Appeals of Maryland
• Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia
• United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
• United States District Court for the District of Columbia
• United States District Court for the District of Maryland

Education

• George Washington University Law School (J.D., with honors, 1978)
  • Government Contracts Office, Legal Assistant
• Boston University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1975)

Joseph C. Kovars

Experience

Joseph C. Kovars is the co-chair of Ober|Kaler’s Construction Group. An experienced civil litigator, Joe concentrates his practice in construction and public contracts law. He represents contractors, subcontractors, sureties and owners in contract formation and construction disputes involving many types of construction projects, including hospitals, schools, telecom, process plants, power plants, multifamily housing projects, commercial buildings, highway and bridge construction and site development.

Joe’s experience as first chair litigator in large and complex cases includes appearances before federal and state courts, trial and appellate levels, boards of contract appeals and the comptroller general.

He has extensive experience with contract interpretation disputes, delay and impact claims, contract terminations, bid protests, mechanics' liens, bond claims and injunctions. Joe has participated in approximately 60 arbitrations as an arbitrator and as an attorney.

Joe is the author of numerous articles and papers on construction law topics. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America construction category since 2003.

As chair of Ober|Kaler’s Community Grant Program, Joe has helped award grants to non-profits that assist children at risk in the cities of Baltimore and Washington. To date, the program has awarded $265,000 in grants. Joe has also organized volunteer efforts by the firm with several of these worthy charities.

Professional Memberships

• American Bar Association
  • Forum on the Construction Industry
    • Chair, Division 9
    • Contributing Editor, The Construction Lawyer
    • Co-Chair, Fundamentals of Construction Law Program (5 sites)
  • Section on Public Contract Law
  • Litigation Section, Construction Cases Committee
• Certified by the American Arbitration Association as Construction Industry Arbitrator, Advanced Training
• District of Columbia Bar Association
  • Section on Government Contracts
• Maryland State Bar Association
  • Construction Law Committee
  • Public Contracts Law Committee
    • Past Co-chair
  • Past Member, Section Council, State and Local Government

Honoraries

• American Bar Foundation, Fellow
• Listed in Maryland Super Lawyers, Construction Litigation, 2007-2012
• Listed since 2003 in The Best Lawyers in America, Construction and Litigation Construction Categories (Woodward/White, Inc.)
• AV Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

Professional Background

• Appointed, Task Force on State Procurement Efficiency
  • Chair, Disputes Resolution Committee
• Partner, Blum, Yumkas, Mailman, Gutman & Denick, P.A.
• Associate and Partner, Braude & Margulies
• Law Clerk, Honorable John P. Wiese, Judge, U.S. Court of Claims