03 Feb Joel McKie

Joel is an experienced civil litigator, focusing his current litigation practice primarily on issues in food and agriculture, real estate, energy and utilities, and construction. Joel regularly represents clients in proceedings arising out of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (“PACA”). Joel has handled cliams for individuals and companies arising out of food adulteration, seed warranties, farm partitions, farm foreclosures, indemnities, and contract disputes.  Joel has experience representing contractors, subcontractors, developers, and insurance companies in various construction design and defect, delay, change orders and extra work, systems engineering, contract compliance, insurance coverage, personal injury, and property damage matters.

Joel drafts and negotiates a variety of agreements, including:  asset purchase agreements, supply contracts, product guaranties and indemnities, hunting and farmland leases, commercial leases, cold storage agreements, water sharing agreements, and arbitration provisions.  Joel prides himself on first understanding the business objectives of the transaction and then tailoring a solution that protects the interest of his client in the manner most likely to ensure successful completion of the deal.

A portion of Joel’s practice involves the representation of energy and telecommunication clients. He regularly provides transactional and regulatory compliance counsel to an energy service provider in the drafting of customer terms and conditions and other end-user contracts.  Joel has represented clients with matters before the Georgia Public Service Commission, the Georgia Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and the United States Department of Agriculture.

Working with others in the firm’s government affairs groups, Joel represents the Georgia Vocational Agricultural Teachers Association before the Georgia General Assembly. Joel also provides subject matter expertise and strategic counsel to the HBS’s government affairs team on a variety of agricultural and energy related matters.

Joel has assisted clients in the acquisition and divestiture of farmland and timberland, packing and processing facilities, livestock operations, storage warehouses, and other commercial properties. Acting both as local and lead counsel, Joel has drafted and negotiated purchase and sale agreements for diverse types of real properties, both in rural and suburban areas.  Joel assembles the right team of HBS subject matter experts and leads that group through due diligence (including title, survey, zoning, and environmental matters), closing, and integration. Joel has also litigated matters involving partition suits and real estate transactions, including one of the leading cases on wrongful farmland foreclosure in Georgia:  Clark v. AgGeorgia Farm Credit ACA, 333 Ga. App. 73 (2015).