Bill Purdy was a partner when he retired at Bradley. For nearly 40 years, Bill focused his practice on construction claims and disputes and on federal procurement law.
In recognition of his legal achievements, Bill was named the 2014 Mississippi Lawyer of the Year, a peer-review award given by the Mississippi Business Journal. He was also selected based upon independent international criteria and surveys of lawyers worldwide for listing in Who’s Who Legal: Construction for 2015. Bill was one of only two Mississippi attorneys to receive this recognition.
Bill was the first of only two Mississippi lawyers ever invited to be a Fellow in the select American College of Construction Lawyers, which includes only the most skilled and accomplished construction lawyers in the United States and abroad.
Bill was among only a handful of lawyers in the country to be both an ACCL Fellow and also to be elected by his peers as a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, which is limited to the top one percent of the best courtroom lawyers in the country. He was believed to be the only lawyer in the country to be a Fellow in the International Society of Barristers, as well as the ACCL and ACTL.
Bill was one of only three Mississippi lawyers with a “Band 1” (highest) rating for construction litigation in Chambers USA, the authoritative legal guide, which referred to him as the “dean of the state’s construction lawyers."
Bill was a Master of the Bench (highest rating) and served as president of the Central Mississippi Chapter of the American Inns of Court. Bill was honored by a unanimous Joint Resolution of the Mississippi House and Senate as an “Outstanding Mississippian," and was consistently rated by Mid-South Super Lawyers as one of the “Top 50” Mississippi lawyers, without regard to practice specialty.
Before law school, Bill served with the Marines in Vietnam as an infantry company commander. He was awarded the Bronze Star for valor in combat, the Purple Heart medal, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.
American College of Construction Lawyers, Fellow American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow International Society of Barristers, Fellow Mississippi Bar Foundation, Fellow 2014 Mississippi Lawyer of the Year Listed in Who's Who Legal, Construction, 2015-2023 Listed in Best of the U.S. Lawyers, Construction Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® Construction Law, 2003-2024 "Lawyer of the Year," Jackson, Construction Law, 2016, 2019 Listed in Chambers USA Construction, 2020-2023 Litigation: Construction, 2006-2019 Litigation: General Commercial, 2009-2011 Listed in Marquis Who's Who in the World Listed in Marquis Who's Who in American Law Listed in Mid-South Super Lawyers Construction Litigation, 2007-2024 "Top 50," Mississippi, 2016-2020, 2022-2024 Listed in Super Lawyers, "Top 50 Mississippi Super Lawyers," Construction Litigation and Government Contracts, 2012-2013, 2015 Listed in Outstanding Lawyers in America Appeal of Tripod, Inc., ASBCA No. 25,104, 89-1 BCA 21, 305 (1989) Recovery of damages for over-inspection and extra work for services contractor. Appeal of W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Company, ASBCA No. 49,398; 01-02 BCA 31428; 2001 WL 576900 (2001) Recovery of extra work and delay damages for construction contractor. Bagwell Coatings, Inc. v. Middle South Energy, Inc., 797 F.2d 1298 (5th Cir. 1986) Recovery of breach of contract damages for extra work. Carothers Construction, Inc. v. United States, 20 Cl. Ct. 556 (1990) Recovery of damages for ambiguous and defective specifications. CFC Fabrication, Inc. v. Dunn Construction Co., Inc., 917 F.2d 1385 (5th Cir. 1990) Defeat supplier’s claim for rental charges and for missing form materials. Hewlett-Methvin, Inc. v. United States, 703 F.2d 585 (Ct. Cl. 1982) Successful appeal and recovery on changes claim for services contractor. McKinnon v. Batte, 485 So. 2d 295 (Miss. 1986) Defense verdict on negligence claim sustained on appeal. Remza Drywall, Inc. v. W.G. Yates & Sons Constr. Co., 2007 WL 2033047 (S.D. Miss. 2007) Enforcement of contractual arbitration provision and motion to compel arbitration. The Clark Construction Co., Inc. v. United States, No. 97-749c (U.S. Claims Court 1997) Successful defense against bid protest for White Construction Company. U.S. ex rel Shannon v. Federal Insurance Company, 251 Fed. Appx. 269, 2007 WL 2493666 (5th Cir. 2007) Defeated employment and Miller Act claims by manager for general contractor. Design-Build Contracts Authored contracts for design-builders with Owners, with design professionals, and with subcontractors having design responsibilities. Ethics Codes Prepared ethics codes for over 10 federal government contractors. Miss. Code Ann. §§85-7-189, 85-7-191, 85-7-193 Contributed to and edited revisions to Miss. private work bond statutes. Mississippi private works bond form Authored bond form in most prevalent use on Mississippi private projects. Sale of business with structured buyout Handled sale of accounting firm with structured buyout. Standard subcontracts, purchase orders, and related documents Prepared standard subcontracts, purchase orders, and related documents for over 15 of largest Mississippi prime contractors. Statute Update: Miss. Code Ann. §31-3-1 Authored update of Contractor’s Board statute.
