History

announcement

When Maynard Smith, Overton Currie, and Reg Hancock mailed this announcement about the founding of Smith, Currie & Hancock on October 1, 1965, who could have known that their collaboration would result in of one of the nation’s most recognized construction law and government contract practices. Initially formed as a labor and employment practice, the firm operated out of the Fulton National Bank Building in downtown Atlanta. Soon thereafter, these founding partners identified a lack of legal services tailored to meet the unique needs of individuals in the construction and government contract industries. It was this foresight that resulted in Smith Currie becoming a “boutique” law firm in these practice areas long before the term became commonplace.

Pictured above, from left to right, are Luther House, Overton Currie, Maynard Smith and Reg Hancock at our 10th Anniversary party in 1975. Maynard Smith was the first of only five managing partners in the firm’s history, serving in that role from 1965 to 1972. In 1970, Smith Currie conducted its first construction law update seminar to educate clients on recent developments and trends in the law for that industry. The initial program was a tremendous success and is now an annual two-day event held each spring in Atlanta. That annual update seminar is one of many dozens where Smith Currie’s attorneys speak each year.

Luther House took over the firm’s leadership in 1973 and, incredibly, served as the managing partner for the next 23 years. Early in his long tenure, Smith Currie’s rapid growth required a move from the Fulton National Bank Building to the Harris Tower in Peachtree Center in 1977. In 1987, the firm began publication of a quarterly newsletter, Common Sense Contracting. Now, in our fourth decade of that publication, our clients and friends in the construction industry have received updates and alerts on well over 500 important decisions, regulatory changes, and other news of note, and will continue receiving important updates.

In 1997, Tom Kelleher became our third managing partner and remained in that role for the next decade. In 1997, we also published Common Sense Construction Law, one of the first legal treatises dedicated solely to construction law. Publication of Common Sense Construction Law is just one example of Smith Currie’s attorneys’ commitment to the industries we serve. This book is now used as a textbook in many construction management programs at universities across the nation.

Another first came in 1999, when the firm opened an office in Charlotte, North Carolina — its first office outside of Atlanta. This was the first of several steps Smith Currie took over the last two decades to make sure its national practices had a true national footprint. In January 2001, the Atlanta-based law firm of Smith & Fleming joined Smith Currie to further expand its construction and government contracting practices. That same month, the Florida-based law firm of Cummings & Snyder, P.A. joined Smith Currie, bringing with it an office in Fort Lauderdale. The firm concluded 2001 with the publishing of the 2nd edition of Common Sense Construction Law.

In 2005, Smith Currie moved its Atlanta office to its current location on the 26th and 27th floors of the Marquis One Tower in Peachtree Center. Later that same year, Smith Currie published the 3rd edition of Common Sense Construction Law.

On January 1, 2007, Bob Chambers became the firm’s fourth managing partner and admirably held the position from 2006-2020. In 2007, we also opened our Washington, D.C. office to better serve our clients’ growing need for federal contracting counsel in the nation’s capital. In 2008, the firm published a second hardback publication, this one dedicated to government contracting, titled Federal Government Construction Contracts.

We published the fourth edition of Common Sense Construction Law in 2009. To assist the industry in understanding the seismic changes brought on by the recession and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the firm published the 2nd edition of Federal Government Construction Contracts in 2010 — a publication that earned the endorsement of the AGC of America.

On October 1, 2011, the law firm of Ernest Brown and Company (with offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles) joined Smith Currie, thereby completing the firm’s reach to the West Coast. This addition gave the firm a wealth of construction knowledge and experience, particularly in the areas of public works projects, contract management, and related litigation. Smith Currie began 2012 with another expansion when the Washington, D.C. firm of Saltman & Stevens P.C. joined our ranks, expanding our existing government contracts practice by adding specialized experience in the areas of concessioner contracts, timber contracts, and environmental law. We also increased the scope of our newsletters by producing and providing content applicable to clients in the timber and concessionaire industries to keep these individuals apprised of changes important to them. Also in 2012 we increased our footprint in the Carolinas when we added a Raleigh office. We published the fifth edition of Common Sense Construction Law in December 2014, just in time to celebrate the firm’s 50th anniversary in 2015. On January 1, 2016, Dan McLennon and the McLennon Law Corporation joined Smith Currie’s San Francisco office. In January 2019, Smith Currie merged with Briglia McLaughlin PLLC, a construction, government contracts, and surety law firm based in Tysons, Virginia.  In July 2019, the firm further strengthened its presence in the Carolinas and added its eighth office by joining forces with Matthew Cox in Columbia, South Carolina. In June 2023, the firm joined forces with Oles Morrison Rinker & Baker LLP, a established and well known construction and federal government contracts law firm in Seattle, strengthening and enhancing the firm’s overall practice and presence on the west coast.

In early 2020, we published our sixth edition of Common Sense Construction Law. This kicked off a remarkable year where we celebrated our 55th anniversary headlined by our participation in more than 60 service projects throughout the country (#55for55). And, while we navigated successfully our legal practice during a worldwide pandemic, we still kept our clients and colleagues informed with timely updated information on the pandemic’s impacts on the construction industry through our COVID-19 task force.  In January 2021, Eric Nelson became the firm’s fifth managing partner, and the firm is excited about continued growth opportunities and continuing to expand our educational resources that benefit our clients and colleagues.

Despite our continued growth and change, each succeeding generation of Smith Currie attorneys has remained steadfast in our commitment to unparalleled client service and knowledge of the ever-changing laws that govern our core practice areas.