Fielder Martin, senior counsel in the Atlanta office, is a member of the Firm's Construction Group. Mr. Martin is a strong advocate of "Preventive Law" and a leader in Alternative Dispute Resolution. For more than 30 years, he has resolved problems for owners, general contractors, sub-contractors, sureties, design professionals and their professional liability insurers. He has negotiated contracts and handled claims for projects ranging from simple one-story structures to complex projects including a $300 million luxury resort, high-rise commercial office buildings, airport terminals and utility infrastructure projects.
Mr. Martin is recognized as one of the early pioneers of Alternative Dispute Resolution and took an active role in lobbying for legislative changes to open greater opportunity for arbitration for the construction industry in Georgia. These efforts were recognized by the American Arbitration Association in 1984 when they presented him with the Whitney North Seymour, Sr. Arbitration Medal. Currently, he serves as an arbitrator and mediator for a variety of projects ranging from small disputes to complex conflicts with more than $250 million in dispute.
Staying abreast of construction-industry issues and educating clients, Mr. Martin takes an active role in the Georgia Branch of the Associated General Contractors (AGC), Georgia Utility Contractors Association (GUGA) and American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC/GA).
Nationally, Mr. Martin has served the American Bar Association on numerous committees including leadership positions with the Forum on The Construction Industry, Fidelity and Surety Law Committee, Construction Litigation Committee and chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee. Locally he has served as an elected member to the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Georgia continuously from 1972 through 2009, has chaired the Atlanta Bar Association's Construction Law Section and is a past president of the DeKalb Bar Association.
In recognition of his service to the construction industry, he was honored with induction as a Fellow into the American College of Construction Lawyers in 1999 and is currently serving on their Board of Directors. Mr. Martin frequently speaks on construction-related issues and has published numerous papers relating to avoiding problems and handling construction industry claims.
- "The New Concensus DOCS - An Overview," 2008 Spring Meeting, Georgia Chapter ASA, Atlanta, Georgia
- "Reducing Risks Through Contract Clauses, Insurance & Project Management," Georgia Utility Contractors Association Education Awareness Seminar, Atlanta, Georgia, December 17, 2007
- "Can Engineers Limit Liability?" The Georgia Engineer, October 2007
- "Price Escalations - Private Contracts or Who Is Left Holding the Bag?" Georgia Utility Contractors Association Annual Meeting, Amelia Island, Florida, June 15, 2007
- "Avoiding Claims, Disputes, and Their Costs," Managing Construction Project Costs Seminar sponsored by McDonough Bolyard Peck Construction Engineering, Atlanta, Georgia, November 2, 2006
- "Pursuing Insurance Coverage for Construction Defects," Construction Defects Conference sponsored by The Seminar Group, Atlanta, Georgia, July 15, 2005 and July 14, 2006
- Listed in Georgia Super Lawyers since 2004
- Listed in Best Lawyers in America® since 2003, Construction Law Specialty
- Listed in Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers in the area of Construction since 2010
- Recipient – Whitney North Seymour, Sr. Arbitration Medal from the American Arbitration Association, 1984
- Fellow – American College of Construction Lawyers (Board of Directors 2007 – 2010)
- Member – Society of Construction Law (U.K.)
- Member – American Arbitration Association; National Panel of Construction Industry Mediators and Arbitrators, including the Large Complex Case Panel
- American Bar Association
- Charter Member – Forum on The Construction Industry
- Member – Tort and Insurance Practice Section (Committee Vice Chair, Fidelity and Surety Law Committee; Past Chair, Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee)
- Member – Section of Litigation (Construction Litigation Committee)
- State Bar of Georgia (Board of Governors, 1972 – 2009)
- Atlanta Bar Association (Past Chair, Construction Law Section)
- DeKalb Bar Association (Past President)
- Member – Associated General Contractors, Georgia Branch, Legislative and Program Committees
- Member – Georgia Utility Contractors Association, Legislative and Program Committees
- Member – American Council of Engineering Companies
- The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers – Construction
- Georgia, 1963
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the North District of Georgia
- U.S. Court of Federal Claims
- Supreme Court of Georgia
- Georgia Court of Appeals
- Emory University School of Law, LL.B., 1963
- Emory University, Bachelor of Arts, 1960