Practice Areas: Construction Litigation, Government Contracts, Alternative Dispute Resolution; view more
Licensed in Georgia since: 1992
Education: Washington and Lee University School of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2019 - 2023 Details
Mark A. Cobb is an attorney and the founding partner of Cobb Law Group in Thomasville, Georgia. Mr. Cobb devotes his practice exclusively to construction law and serves clients throughout Georgia. His cases involve construction contracts, materialmen’s liens, Miller Act litigation, payment bond claims and surety law. He is an experienced construction law litigator, arbitrator and mediator.
Mr. Cobb has been a licensed attorney since 1992 and has more than 25 years of experience practicing construction law. He is admitted to practice in the state and supreme courts of Georgia and Alabama, and before the Court of Appeals of Georgia.
Active outside of his practice, Mr. Cobb regularly writes and lectures on construction law topics. He enjoys being involved in his community and has held leadership positions with the Southern Regional Technical College Foundation, the Thomasville Antique Show & Foundation and the Vashti Center.
A valued member of his legal community, Mr. Cobb is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, the Alabama State Bar Association, the Associated General Contractors of Georgia, the American Subcontractors Association and the Construction Suppliers Association. He also belongs to the American Bar Association and is active in the association’s construction law forum.
Mr. Cobb earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Berry College, received his law degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law and has additional credentials, including a certificate from the Institut de Francais. He is also a registered mediator. Following law school, he spent time working for an Atlanta based firm before opening Cobb Law Group.
Practice areas
Construction Litigation: Business, Government Contracts, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Legislative & Governmental AffairsFocus areas
Arbitration, Construction Defects, Mediation
- 60% Construction Litigation: Business
- 20% Government Contracts
- 10% Alternative Dispute Resolution
- 10% Legislative & Governmental Affairs
First Admitted: 1992, Georgia
Professional Webpage: http://cobblawgroup.net/who-we-are/meet-us/mark-a-cobb/
Bar/Professional Activity:
- State Bar of Georgia
- Georgia Court of Appeals
- United States Federal Court
- ABA Forum on Construction Law
- Construction Suppliers Association (CSA)
- Alabama Supreme Court
- American Bar Association (ABA)
- American Subcontractors Association (ASA)
- State Bar of Alabama
- Georgia Supreme Court
- United States Court of Appeals
- Associated General Contractors of Georgia (AGC-Georgia)
- Member in good standing, State Bar of Alabama, 1994
- member in good standing, State Bar of Georgia, 1992
- Mark has been an active member of the Construction Law Committee of the Solo and Small Firm Section of the American Bar Association., 2001
Pro bono/Community Service:
- Chairman, Board of Trustees of The Vashti Center; The Vashti Center is a ministry of the Methodist Church and offers a residential program to at-risk children and youth; in addition, it provides psychiatric, psychological and mental health programs from its two campuses and in clients' homes. As chairman, Mark oversay a $4M annual budget., 2010
- Treasure (former President) Thomasville - Tallahassee Chapter of the W&L Alumni Association; in addition to resurrecting an inactive chapter, Mark was instrumental in helping the chapter institute a dues system, provide a prize to local high-school students, and securing the chapter's number one place for the university's small chapter competition, 2009
- Vestryman, All Saints Episcopal Church, Thomasville, Georgia, 2012
- Treasurer, Southern Regional Technical College Foundation. This foundation oversees and administers all aspects of fundraising and disbursement of student assistance including scholarships, emergency funding, and faculty salaries., 2012
- Officer, Chairman, Thomasville Antique Show Foundation: As Treasurer and most recently as co-chairman (with his wife), Mark has helped raise over $1M for local children's charities. In fact, during the 2017 fund-raiser, more money was raised than in the Foundation's 28-year history., 2010
Other Outstanding Achievements:
- Construction Law Speaker: Mark has spoken innumerable times on construction law for many organizations including contractor-related groups such as the Associated General Contractors ("AGC") and Construction Supplier's Association ("CSA") and CLE programs such as "Advanced Issues of Construction Law" in 2016., 2011
Scholarly Lectures/Writings:
- For the fourth time, Mark presented at the 8th Annual Georgia Construction Law Seminar in Atlanta; his topic was called "Federal Contracting 101", and it included a discussion of the Federal Prompt Payment Act and the Miller Act/Payment Bond law., Presenter, 8th Annual Construction Law on Construction Law, Attorneys, Architects, Engineers, Contractors, 2019
- Mark presented a lenghty overview of the less commonly used AIA documents covering the following documents: AIA A105-2017 Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Contractor for a Residential or Small Commercial Project ;AIA A104-2017 (formerly A107-2007) Standard Abbreviated Form of Agreement Between Owner and Contractor;AIA B105-2017 Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Architect for a Residential or Small Commercial Project;AIA SP Series documents for Sustainable Projects; andAIA Series documents (Digital Practice Documents., Speaker/Presenter, AIA Documents for Design Professionals, Half Moon Seminars, Attorneys, Architects, Engineers, Contractors, 2016
- National publication on the emerging area of Subcontractor Law to be published by the American Bar Association in spring 2014, co-author, Subcontractor Law (working title), book, American Bar Association, 2014
- “50 State Lien Law Handbook”, Co-editor 2018 (American Bar Association, Forum on Construction Law)
- Payment Bonds — An Effective Way to Get Paid, Presenter for Advanced Issues for Construction Law, sponsored by The Seminar Group, November 3 – 4, 2016, Atlanta, Georgia
- Take a Victory Lap: Contract Terms that Put You in the Driver’s Seat, featured speaker at the 2016 Construction Supplier Association’s Annual Meeting & Expo, September 14 – 16, 2016, Biloxi, Mississippi
- 50-State Lien Law Guide, Contributing Editor, ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, anticipated publication 2018
- Anatomy of a “Claim of Lien, presenter for Georgia Construction Law, sponsored by The Seminar Group, October 1, 2015, Atlanta, Georgia
- 15 Free Things to Improve Your Construction Contracts, AGC of Georgia, 3rd Annual Construction Professionals Marketplace, presenter, April 2016
- Georgia Material Supplier Collection Handbook, Author, 2014
- Construction Subcontracting: A Comprehensive Practical and Legal Guide, Co-Author on Chapter 4, Subcontractor Payment, ABA Forum on the Construction Industry
- How to Effectively Use Georgia Mechanics and Materialman Lien Laws, AGC Georgia, Top Construction Issues, presenter, December 2013
- 2015 Shaken Not Stirred: Bond, Payment Bond. The Fundamentals of Federal, State & Municipal Payment Bonds, AGC of Georgia, 2nd Annual 2015 Construction Professionals Conference & Marketplace, presenter, April 2015
- Georgia Construction Law, Thomas University, Adjunct faculty, Spring term 2015
- Free Things You Can Do to Create Better Construction Contracts, Cabinet Makers Association webinar, Presenter, January 2015
- Georgia Construction Law Basics, Atlanta Business Radio, Co-presenter, January 2015
- Compare and Contrast, Georgia & Alabama’s Lien Laws, Construction Suppliers Association sponsored Roundtable, November 2014
- Contract Liabilities and Issues for Design Professionals, HalfMoon Education, Inc., August 2014
- Methods to Improve Collection: Using Georgia’s Lien and Bond Law to a Supplier’s Advantage, In-house presentation to clients and contacts, February 2015, co-presenter
- Best Practices for Construction Contracting, AGC of Georgia, 1st Annual 2014 Construction Professionals Conference & Marketplace, presenter, April 2014
- Mark co-authored the section on payment issues relating to subcontracts which included such diverse topics as paid-when-paid clauses, off-sets, mechanics liens, and related topics., Contributor, Attorney, American Bar Association, Construction, 2014
- This vital handbook offers summary of Georgia laws and practical tips for materialmen. Topics include credit qualification, Georgia's Statutory Construction Notice Scheme, Mechanics Liens, Payment Bond Claims, Miller Act Claims, enforcement of lien rights, and post-judgment collection issues., Author/Publisher, Georgia Material Supplier Collection Handbook, Building Material Suppliers & Manufacturers, 2015
- This article looks as Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) from the view of a subcontractors. It discusses the ability to lien the project, whether or not payment bonds are in place, the applicability of state and federal Prompt Payment Acts, and provides a checklist for ways to subcontractors can protect themselves., Author, Payment Issues in Public-Private Partnerships, The Contractor's Compass: The Official Educational Journal of the American Subcontractors Association), 2017
Transactions:
- We successfully negotiated a $12,000,000.00 construction contract on behalf of an owner/developer of a hotel.
- As an attorney focusing on construction contracts, materialmen's liens and payment bond claims, we settle and resolve claims almost daily. Our liens and payment bond successes run the gamut from $50,000 to $4,000,000., 2012
- Our client a material supplier was owed approximately $550,000 on two retirement community projects; we successfully negotiated a settlement of 96% within a very short period of time., 2016
Educational Background:
- B.A., Berry College, English and Political Science, 1988
- J.D., Washington and Lee University School of Law, 1991
Verdicts/Settlements:
- A large stadium project resolute in multiple payment issues to contractors working downstream; Mark represented a sub-subcontractor who was owed almost $1M for their work; unfortunately, there were questions about the subcontractor's work (the entity with whom our client contracted). Working with the surety, the project's owner, and the project's general contractor Mark was able to negotiate a settlement of 100% of the principal debt., 2018
Industry Groups:
- Design Professionals
- Developers
- General Contractors
- Material Suppliers
- Specialty Subcontractors
Selections
5 Years Super Lawyers
- Super Lawyers: 2019 - 2023
