Construction SuperConference 2017

Joseph Portela
General Counsel & Senior Vice President
Dragados USA, Inc.


Joseph Portela currently serves as General Counsel for Dragados USA, Inc. In his career, he has had responsibility for management of corporate Legal Departments, negotiating contracts for company projects, resolving disputes, finalizing trade contracts, analyzing and settling claims, and counseling executive/senior management and project staff. In addition, Mr. Portela supervises and manages in-house counsel as well as outside attorneys retained to represent the corporation and operating entities on a national basis. Mr. Portela has been a practicing attorney since 1987. Prior to joining Dragados, Mr. Portela gained a varied experience in construction law by working in both the public and private sectors. Mr. Portela served as General Counsel for Bovis Lend Lease/Americas, as an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of New York and as an associate with national and New York/New Jersey based construction law firms (including the national practice of Thelen, Marrin, Johnson & Bridges), representing public and private clients involved in all phases of building construction, including construction managers, general contractors, owners, real estate developers, subcontractors, suppliers, sureties and insurance companies. During such time, Mr. Portela gained extensive experience litigating major construction claims, including trial work in the State and Federal courts as well as arbitration hearings. His assignments also required frequent consultation with clients on a variety of contractual questions.

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