Stephanie Himel-Nelson
Practice Focus:
Public Contracts
Construction
Litigation
Contact Information
Norfolk Office
500 World Trade Center
Norfolk, Virginia 23510
(757) 446-8623
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Stephanie is an attorney with Vandeventer Black and concentrates her law practice in government contracts, construction and litigation.
In the area of government/public contracts, Stephanie’s experience includes representing clients in bid protests before the Court of Federal Claims and working with clients to request, litigate, and appeal claims under the Freedom of Information Act. She litigated a Freedom of Information Act suit against the United States Postal Service before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Her construction practice focuses on litigation. Some of her more notable cases include representing a national transportation system owner in claims arising out of electrification of a rail line, representing an owner and general contractor in mechanic’s lien litigation related to construction of a bottling facility and associated utilities, representing a surety in the appeal of a construction dispute before the U.S. District Court for D.C. and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and representing a subcontractor in disputes related to construction of a major sports stadium.
Stephanie’s general commercial law experience includes advising clients regarding the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; bankruptcy, surety, contract and copyright disputes; as well as drafting lease and contract agreements.
Her publications include 2004 Annual Supplement, Keyes, Government Contracts under the Federal Acquisition Regulations, 3rd Ed., West Publishing, October 2004, co-author; Recovery of Legal Expenses as Costs of Government Contract Administration, The Procurement Lawyer, American Bar Association Section of Public Contract Law, Vol. 37, No. 1 (Fall 2001); and AGC Document No. 510: Standard Form of Construction Management Agreement Between Owner and Construction Manager, co-author, Chapter 8, AGC Contract Documents Handbook (Aspen Publishers, Inc. 2003). She is also a regular contributor to the Construction Claims Online newsletter.
Stephanie received a B.A. in Psychology (cum laude) from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a J.D. from George Washington University, where she served as executive notes editor of The International Law Review.
Stephanie is a former law clerk of the Office of the Chief Attorney for the Department of the Army, handling government contract and Freedom of Information Act Disputes. Prior to joining Vandeventer Black, Stephanie practiced law at Wickwire Gavin, P.C. in northern Virginia.