Joseph M. Goldstein

Mr. Goldstein is among the less than one percent of attorneys who are board certified in business litigation by the Florida Bar. His qualifications in this area enhance his practice, which focuses on commercial litigation; government contracts, including bid protests; employment litigation, especially involving noncompetition agreements; and real estate disputes. He generally represents defense companies, technology firms, construction firms and government service providers.

Background

A former Assistant General Counsel for the federal government, Mr. Goldstein has a broad range of experience in government contracting law and is well known within local and state procurement divisions. He has also been a part-time hearing officer for Broward County, presiding over bid protests and debarment hearings under the Broward County Procurement Code. He is a member of the City of Plantation Planning & Zoning Board as well.

Within the American Bar Association, he is the Florida State Co-Chairman for the Section of Public Contract Law, State and Local Contracting Division. He also acts as Vice-Chairman of the ABA’s State and Local Procurement Division, as well as its State and Local Division Bid Protest Committee. The ABA State Law Database Coordination Committee is another group for which he is Co-Chairman.

After graduating from law school, Mr. Goldstein served from 1989 to 1991 as a law clerk for Judge Patricia Fawsett on the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida. Following his clerkship, Mr. Goldstein fulfilled his military commitment arising from his ROTC scholarship. He was selected to serve in the Air Force General Counsel's Honors Program at the Pentagon, where he served on active duty from 1991 until 1994. There he represented the Air Force in more than 150 bid protests before the General Services Board of Contract Appeals and the General Accounting Office. He conducted legal reviews and negotiations with major defense contractors and assisted the Department of Justice in prosecuting fraud and qui tam suits. He later retired as a Captain and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.

Mr. Goldstein is a member of Leadership Broward and a member of its Board of Directors.  He also formerly served as a Manager for the Plantation Eagles Soccer Club Athletic League. He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell and was named a top lawyer by the South Florida Legal Guide in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Representative Cases

• As the result of a bid protest trial, Mr. Goldstein successfully helped a technology company receive a government contract after its proposal was initially rejected.
• He reversed a potential debarment from government contracting for a construction services company that was under allegations of improper conduct.
• He successfully defended a business in a dispute involving alleged theft of proprietary materials and noncompete agreements. This was done through prosecution of evidentiary hearing and settlement negotiations, including overturning an injunction prohibiting competition.