WILLIAM L. BAGGETT, JR. is a partner with Smith, Currie & Hancock LLP. He received his A.B. degree, magna cum laude from Dartmouth College and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.  He received his J.D. degree from Vanderbilt University in 1987 where he was Articles Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review.  Following graduation from law school, Bill was a law clerk to the Honorable Albert J. Henderson, Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.  From 1988 until 1995, Bill maintained a commercial litigation practice in Nashville, Tennessee with a large firm. He joined Smith, Currie & Hancock in March 1995. Bill has represented general contractors, subcontractors, construction managers, owners, developers, design professionals, sureties, and design/build firms throughout the country.  He also writes and lectures frequently on construction law topics. 

Bill has handled a variety of construction claims and disputes involving commercial and industrial projects.  These cases have involved the design and construction of power plants, steel mills, high-rise office towers, hospitals, high-rise condominiums, hospitals, military housing, student housing, multi-family apartment developments, hotels and casinos.  Bill has significant litigation experience in trials and hearings, including jury trials in federal and state courts.  He has also prosecuted and defended multi-million dollar claims in arbitration.  While the bulk of his practice involves the adversarial arenas of litigation and arbitration, Bill also recognizes that avoiding such proceedings is frequently in his clients' best interest.  As a result, he frequently participates in mediations, and other structured settlement procedures.  He also devotes a significant amount of time negotiating and advising clients on contractual matters before projects begin.