WKWilburn
Attorneys at Law
A Professional Corporation
WILLIAM KARL WILBURN
I. LITIGATION
(Examples only; for confidentiality reasons, not a complete listing)
A. Federal Courts and Boards
Mazza Consulting Group, Inc. v. Canam Steel Corporation et al. (2007-present): U.S. District Court for Eastern District of New York. Defense of steel fabricator in breach of contract action brought by consultant arising from $7 million subcontract on NYSDOT bridge project.
Appeal of Fru-Con Construction Corporation (2003 - 2007): Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, Falls Church, VA. Nos. 55197 and 55248. Represented U.S. subsidiary of German general contractor in its Request for Equitable Adjustment alleging delay and other damages arising from installation of eight roller gates at Robert C. Byrd Lock and Dam on Ohio River.
Dr. Herbert Schmellenkamp v. Winthrop Investment Group, Inc. (2002): U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division. Represented German investor in action to recover damages from U.S. real estate property venture.
Charles Valdez v. Office of Defense Administration USA & Canada d/b/a German Armed Forces USA/Canada, Federal Republic of Germany (2003): U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Pecos Division. Plaintiff employee brought suit against Federal Republic of Germany Armed Forces for worksite accident at base in Texas. Settled.
Renzi v. Connelly School of the Holy Child, 61 F. Supp. 2d 440 (D. Md. 1999), rev'd, 224 F. 3d 283 (4th Cir. 2000), cert. denied, 531 U.S. 1192 (2001). On First Amendment Establishment Clause grounds, neighbor sued Catholic private school that sought exemption under county zoning ordinance for religious schools. Argued case on behalf of school in District Court, which struck down ordinance and granted plaintiff’s injunction against school. The Fourth Circuit reversed and the Supreme Court denied appellee’s request for certiorari review.
OMEGA v. Noell, Inc. (2001-2003): U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Ohio utility company sued U.S. subsidiary of German general contractor for delay and defects in construction of power plant. Settled.
McCoy Land & Cattle Company v. German Air Force and United States (1999): U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Pecos Division. Ranchers brought environmental and other claims against German Air Force for damages arising from low-level training flights. Court granted defendant’s summary judgment motion under Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act, 28 U.S.C.A. §§1602-1611.
Shreveland Construction, Inc. v. Tarmac USA, Inc. (1993): U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division. Concrete subcontractor sued U.K.-owned client concrete supplier, seeking damages for owner’s rejection of concrete on a large residential housing project. Successfully defended supplier Tarmac from allegations that its concrete batching was defective. Jury trial.
B. State Courts
Canam Steel Corporation v. Suffolk Construction Company, Inc. et al., Superior Court, Middlesezx County, MA. Mechanic’s lien action arising from $20 million residential housing project.
Cosentini Associates, Inc. v. Midtown Baltimore LLC. (2006): Circuit Court for Baltimore City. Prepared and filed mechanics’ lien action against owner on Baltimore Inner Harbor project.
Stuart B. Sibel DPM v. Professional Full Remodeling, Inc. (2004): Circuit Court for Montgomery County, Maryland. Represented multi-unit apartment building owner in suit against general contractor for defective workmanship that caused extensive flooding and water damage. Successful post-judgment execution proceedings.
Hess Constr. Co. v. Bd. of Educ. of Prince George’s County, 102 Md. App. 736, 651 A. 2d 446 (Md. App. 1995), cert. granted, 339 Md. 39, 660 A. 2d 431 (Md. 1995), aff'd. 341 Md. 155, 669 A. 2d 1352 (Md. 1996). Successful bid protest of award of $7 million school construction project. Trial court denied motion for attorney’s fees for successful mandamus action. An issue of first impression in Maryland, appellate courts rejected arguments that attorney’s fees were recoverable in actions for mandamus.
AWM Enterprises, Inc. v. Noell, Inc. (1996): Circuit Court for Fairfax County, VA. Steel supplier claimed damages against client, a German-owned U.S. general contractor. Following two-day bench trial, judgment granted plus attorney’s fees.
Deyerl v. Cohen (1995): Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD. Represented plaintiffs in motor vehicle personal injury claim. After two-day jury trial, verdict for plaintiffs.
Noell, Inc. v. Northern California Power Agency (1994): U.S. subsidiary of German general contractor successfully protested intended agency contract award to another bidder for $27 million power utility project. Bid protest proceedings were in Sacramento, CA.
II. ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION
(Examples only; for confidentiality reasons, not a complete listing)
A. Arbitration
International Chamber of Commerce, London
· (2003-2007) Assisted in arbitrations arising from construction projects in Venezuela, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
American Arbitration Association:
· (2005-2006): International Centre for Dispute Resolution. Chaired three-arbitrator panel in substantial contract claim arising from the Asian Games project in Qatar.
· (1999-present): Arbitrator in over 25 construction and government contract-related claims in Mid-Atlantic states.
B. Mediation
Court-certified Mediator (Maryland)
III. PUBLICATIONS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES
A. Professional Articles
International Construction Law, American Arbitration Association (Spring 2008); subchapter X.E. Arbitration.
Germany's New Procurement Law: A Five-Year Assessment, 20 Int’l Constr. L. Rev. 291 (July 2004) (Eng).
The American Arbitration Association’s New International Arbitration Rules (2001), 20 Int’l Constr. L. Rev. 209 (April 2003) (Eng.).
New AAA Arbitration Procedures for Consumer Construction Claims, 22 Constr. Lawyer 40 (ABA, Fall 2002).
Recent Cases on Design-Build, 21 Constr. Lawyer 12 (ABA, Winter 2001).
Germany Adopts New Procurement Code, 17 Int’l Constr. L. Rev. 130 (Jan. 2000) (with Dr. Ingrid Reichling).
Old World New Order, Tips for U.S. Lawyers in Eastern Europe, 78 A.B.A. J. 64 (1992).
Filing of U.S. Property Claims in Eastern Germany, 25 Int’l Law. 649 (ABA, 1991).
Strangers in Paradise: An Overview of Maryland State Law Dealing with Noncitizens, 21 U. Balt. L. Rev. 87 (1991).
Unified Germany to Accept Claims for Property Losses in Eastern Germany, 20 Int’l Law News 3 (ABA, Winter 1991).
Partnership, Limited Partnership or Corporation?, State of Md. European Business Report, May 1983, at 1.
A Maryland Lawyer in Germany: Some Comparative Thoughts, Md. B. J., October 1982, at 8.
B. Op-Ed Articles
Eine Hose und das amerikanische Rechtssystem [Trousers and the American Legal System], Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (F.R.G.), August 30, 2007 at 12.
Das Gericht befindet auch über Amerikas Ansehen [The Supreme Court Also Determines America’s Reputation], Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (F.R.G.), January 30, 2006, at 12.
Der Oberste Gerichtshof muβ entscheiden [The Supreme Court Must Decide], Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (F.R.G.), April 16, 2004, at 12(i).
Reunification Lifts Germany’s Pride, Dallas Times Herald, August 7, 1990, at A-11.
Press Should Respect the Fifth’s Shield, Wall Street J., January 9, 1987, at 20.
Could the Bay, Crabs, Oysters Become a Memory?, Balt. Sun, June 27, 1976, at K2.
Does an Airport Have the Right to Ban the SST?, Balt. Sun, March 28, 1976, at K2.
C. Speeches
FIDIC International Standard Forms, Ctr. for Int’l Studies (Austria) (January 17, 2000).
Lessons Learned from International Contracting, ABA Forum on the Constr. Indus. (Plenary Meeting) (May 26, 1999).
Workshop on Bidding, Associated Builders and Contractors of Metro. Washington, D.C. (February 19, 1997).
Locating Construction Work in Germany, ABA Forum on the Constr. Indus. Conference (September 28-29, 1995).
Penalties for Prior Political Association, Amer. Soc. of Int’l Law (March 31-April 3, 1993), in Proceedings of 87th Annual Meeting, at 177.
Challenges to International Governance, Amer. Soc. of Int’l Law, 87th Annual Meeting (March 31, 1999).
D. Articles and Speeches in German
(See articles for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung under B. Op-Ed Articles, above)
Deutsches und Amerikanisches Vergaberecht: Ein Vergleich [German and U.S. Procurement Law: A Comparison], German Embassy, Washington, D.C. (November 17, 2000).
Neue Entwicklungen in U.S. Vergaberecht [Recent Developments in U.S. Procurement Law], Ctr. for European Policy Studies (Belg.) (2 February 2000).
U.S. Vergabewesen [U.S. Procurement Law], German Fed’n of Indus. (F.R.G.) (November 12, 1997).
Die Loyalitätspflicht des “Board of Directors” einer US Corporation gegenüber Darlehensgebern [Duty of Loyalty of a Board of Directors of a U.S. Corporation to Lenders], Recht der Internationalen Wirtschaft, (October 1992) (with Dr. Peter Heidenberger), at 850.
Wiedervorlage des Gesetzes zur Produkthaftung im US-Kongreß [Product Liability Legislation in U.S. Congress], 46 Versicherungswirtschaft 9, 549 (May 1, 1991) (F.R.G.).
Die üblichen amerikanischen Handelsgesellschaften: Eine Kurze Erläuterung für den Ausländischen Investor Oder Kaufmann [Common American Business Organizations: A Brief Guide for the Foreign Investor or Merchant] (Bay Publishing 1982).
IV. POSITIONS HELD
Partner: Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Washington D.C. (1991-2007). Construction and Government Contracts Practice Groups.
Adjunct Professor, International Contracts: Georgetown University Law Center (2001-2003), University of Baltimore School of Law (1997-2000)
Partner: Watt, Tieder, Killian & Hoffar, McLean, VA (1986-1991)
Associate: Clapp, Somerville, Honemann & Beach; Baltimore, MD (1980-1985)
Assistant Attorney General: Maryland Attorney General’s Office (1978-1980)
Law Clerk: Judge Alan M. Wilner, Maryland Court of Special Appeals (1977-1978)
Staff Revisor: Maryland Code Revision Commission (1975-1977)
V. EDUCATION
DAAD Federal Republic of Germany Law Grant; Tübingen, Düsseldorf (1980-1981)
J.D. University of Baltimore (1977)
· Law Review (1976-1977)
A.B. Johns Hopkins University (1970)
H.S. Gymnasium Neubeuern am Inn, Germany (1963-1965)
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