Joseph M. Goldstein

Joseph M. Goldstein is the Managing Partner of the Fort Lauderdale office of Shutts & Bowen LLP, where he is a member of the Business Litigation Practice Group. Joseph also practices out of the Tallahassee office.

A Martindale-Hubbell AV® rated attorney, Joseph is among the less than one percent of attorneys who are Florida Bar Board Certified in Business Litigation. He is also a Florida Supreme Court Certified Civil Circuit Mediator. Joseph has been recognized as a “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers in America ®, listed as a “Power Leader” by South Florida Business Journal as well as the “Top Lawyers in South Florida” by South Florida Legal Guide.

Businesses involved in disputes or government bid protests rely on his expertise, trial experience and government background. Joseph regularly represents defense companies, technology firms, construction firms and government service providers in their business disputes and government bid protests. His practice focuses on business litigation; government contracts, including bid protests; litigation involving non-competition agreements; and real estate related disputes.

Representative Cases

• As the result of a bid protest trial, Joe 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.

• Joe acted as lead special counsel for the State of Florida, Agency of Healthcare Administration (AHCA), for multi-billion dollar Statewide Managed Medicaid Care procurement and bid protests.

• He led and managed efforts before the Supervisor of Elections and the Canvassing Board in Broward County during historic 2018 recounts in three election contests (Senate, Governor, and Agriculture Secretary) for the National Republican Senatorial Committee and related parties.

• He successfully defended a business in a dispute involving alleged theft of proprietary materials and noncompete agreements. This was done through prosecution of an evidentiary hearing and settlement negotiations, including overturning an injunction prohibiting competition.

Background

A former Assistant General Counsel for the federal government, Joseph has 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 for bid protests and debarment hearings under the Broward County Procurement Code. He is a former member of the City of Plantation Planning & Zoning Board. The American Bar Association’s Public Contract Law Section appointed Joseph to Vice-Chair of the State and Local Procurement Division.

After graduating from law school, Joseph served as a law clerk to Judge Patricia Fawsett on the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida. Following his clerkship, he 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 Accountability 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 left the Air Force as a Captain and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal.

Joseph is the former Chair and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Broward Public Library Foundation and current Board Member of the Broward Workshop, and former Chair of the Board of the Leadership Broward Foundation.