Michael L. "Mike" Sterling
Mike serves as the Managing Partner of the law firm and is located in the Firm’s Norfolk office. He has also served on the Executive Board and Chaired the firm's Construction and Government Contracts Department, Practice Management Committee, and Dispute Resolution Services.
Mike’s practice is concentrated on complex projects and disputes for international, national and local clients with particular focus on compliance and other regulatory issues.
He is experienced in a wide range of project delivery methods including design-build and public-private-partnerships; projects included co-generation and processing plants, wind tunnels, cable stay bridges, highways, stadiums, hotels, courthouses, hospitals, water and wastewater treatment plants, parking garages, high-rise condominiums, environmental site restoration, demolition and large scale residential developments as well as ship construction and repair; represented general contractors, subcontractors, vendors, manufacturers and design professionals, as well as private and public owners; experienced with the Federal Acquisition Regulations, related agency regulations and statutes applicable to federal government funded contracts and grants; appeared before federal and state courts, boards of contract appeals, GAO, agency administrative judges and arbitration panels; and prevailed at the United States Supreme Court.
Mike also manages the law firm’s Dispute Resolution Services; serves as an arbitrator and mediator for the American Arbitration Association (AAA), various Courts and by private appointment.
Construction matters have ranged from claims of defective workmanship to incomplete work to other performance and payment related problems; non-construction matters have included securities fraud, creditor-debtor, joint venture and governance, disputes, employer-employee disputes and other commercial matters; mediated attorney-client fee disputes for the Virginia State Bar; also served as a Hearing Officer for the Supreme Court of Virginia presiding over various state and local employee grievances and professional licensing disputes; represented construction clients in numerous alternative dispute resolution proceedings including AAA arbitration, mediation, early neutral evaluation and partnering sessions; founded the Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association ADR Committee that prepared a standing order for court-sponsored ADR; and conducted various presentations on ADR including as a guest lecturer at William & Mary School of Law.
Mike recognizes the importance of public and professional service and serves on the Board of Directors of Eggleston Services. Mike has served on the Boards of the Red Cross of Southeastern Virginia, and the Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association, and he has been Chairman of the Virginia Bar Association Construction and Public Contract Law Executive Council and the Vandeventer Black Foundation.
- Best Lawyers in America®, "Lawyer of the Year" - Construction Law (2017)
- Listed in Best Lawyers in America®: Construction Law (2013-17)
- Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating
- Virginia Business, "Legal Elite"
- Thomson Reuters, "Virginia Super Lawyers" - Government Contracts (2016)
- A Top Virginia Attorney - Corporate Litigation: Construction
- A Virginia Top Rated Lawyer - Construction
- American Arbitration Association Mediator and Arbitrator
Norfolk, Virginia 23510
