William R. Joseph

Bill Joseph leads the firm’s Construction and Design Team and is also a member of the firm’s Litigation Team and Mediation and Arbitration Team. His practice emphasizes serving as outside general counsel for construction industry clients who either do not employ their own in-house attorneys or who need counsel in areas outside their usual expertise.

Bill advises developers, general contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, real estate professionals, as well as product manufacturers and suppliers regarding matters ranging from entity formation and administration, insurance and bonding, bidding and contracting, project administration and workouts, as well as liens and collections. Bill also has significant litigation and dispute resolution experience including successful representation of clients in mediation, arbitration, court trials and appeals. Bill also serves as an arbitrator through the Multnomah County Circuit Court’s Mandatory Arbitration Program and the Arbitration Service of Portland.

Bill has litigated and tried construction and real estate-related disputes, including breaches of contract, construction defects, lien foreclosures, bond actions, adverse possession claims, encroachments, subsidence and other real estate disputes, unlawful trade practices and breaches of fiduciary duty claims, corporate and partnership disputes, statutory violations, negligence and other general tort matters.

Bill is also adept at handling transactional matters that clients regularly encounter in any general construction practice, including business formation and administration, contract drafting; real estate transactions, employment matters, and other construction and design-related issues.

Bill uses a holistic approach to problem solving, encouraging clients to look beyond the issue at hand and address larger structural or operational issues when possible. He finds this is the most effective way to help clients prevent future–and often more costly–legal problems.

When Bill isn’t practicing law, he is an avid guitar and ukulele player. Bill plays all kinds of guitar music, but his true love is jazz.