David A. Rutherford, Of Counsel
Email: drutherford@hobgoodbass.com
Mr. Rutherford is a former member of the firm but continues a close, regular, professional relationship with firm as Of Counsel. He has broad business experience, with particular interests in engineering and construction. Mr. Rutherford has represented clients ranging from owners such as large retailers, international minerals and mining entities, multi-use and shopping center developers, to general contractors, specialty subcontractors and entrepreneurs.
Mr. Rutherford obtained a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from Auburn University in 1979. He worked as an engineer with Texaco U.S.A. in Morgan City, LA handling the construction, installation and maintenance of offshore oil and gas facilities in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1981, he joined Texaco, Inc.’s Central Offshore Engineering Department in New Orleans, LA. As a part of that group, he provided conceptual and detailed engineering, design and construction project management services for the development of offshore oil and gas facilities for Texaco’s domestic and international operators. David worked on projects in the arctic, North Sea (Danish, German and UK sectors), West Africa, Caribbean, U.S.-Pacific, Korea, Japan, China and South China Sea. Projects included frontier field developments with design parameters which included sea ice interaction, seismic, morphological instabilities, and extreme wave events. Projects included complex critical path scheduling and management of worldwide logistics and coordination of multiple international contractors on projects in excess of $1 billion. While at Texaco he was a co-inventor of a U.S. patent.
Mr. Rutherford graduated from Emory University School of Law in 1990. He was awarded the James C. Pratt Best Brief award in 1988, and he competed and served on Emory’s Moot Court team during 1988 – 1990. Following graduation, Mr. Rutherford worked for 7 years with a construction litigation boutique firm in downtown Atlanta representing owners, contractors, subcontractor and engineers in construction and real estate related disputes. In 1997, Mr. Rutherford joined Home Depot’s Legal Department as its first commercial litigator. He went on to start and develop Home Depot’s Commercial Litigation Department and was that company’s first Vice President – Litigation. In that capacity he oversaw and was responsible for the management of all of Home Depot’s commercial litigation, including but not limited to vendor disputes, premises liability, customer disputes, class actions, products liability, insurance disputes, contractor and service disputes, and real estate disputes. He represented Home Depot in litigations, arbitrations and mediations in matters ranging from multi-billion dollar commercial disputes to wrongful deaths to customer complaints.
In 2005, he joined Tucker Hobgood and the two formed Hobgood & Rutherford LLC. Mr. Rutherford represents a variety of clients, including Home Depot, in handling their commercial contracts and disputes. He is a member of the American Arbitration Association’s Construction Panel, and he regularly serves as an arbitrator in AAA disputes. He is a board certified mediator in Georgia. He is a member of the Georgia and Florida Bars, and has argued cases before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.
David A. Rutherford, Of Counsel
Email: drutherford@hobgoodbass.com
Mr. Rutherford is a former member of the firm but continues a close, regular, professional relationship with firm as Of Counsel. He has broad business experience, with particular interests in engineering and construction. Mr. Rutherford has represented clients ranging from owners such as large retailers, international minerals and mining entities, multi-use and shopping center developers, to general contractors, specialty subcontractors and entrepreneurs.
Mr. Rutherford obtained a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from Auburn University in 1979. He worked as an engineer with Texaco U.S.A. in Morgan City, LA handling the construction, installation and maintenance of offshore oil and gas facilities in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1981, he joined Texaco, Inc.’s Central Offshore Engineering Department in New Orleans, LA. As a part of that group, he provided conceptual and detailed engineering, design and construction project management services for the development of offshore oil and gas facilities for Texaco’s domestic and international operators. David worked on projects in the arctic, North Sea (Danish, German and UK sectors), West Africa, Caribbean, U.S.-Pacific, Korea, Japan, China and South China Sea. Projects included frontier field developments with design parameters which included sea ice interaction, seismic, morphological instabilities, and extreme wave events. Projects included complex critical path scheduling and management of worldwide logistics and coordination of multiple international contractors on projects in excess of $1 billion. While at Texaco he was a co-inventor of a U.S. patent.
Mr. Rutherford graduated from Emory University School of Law in 1990. He was awarded the James C. Pratt Best Brief award in 1988, and he competed and served on Emory’s Moot Court team during 1988 – 1990. Following graduation, Mr. Rutherford worked for 7 years with a construction litigation boutique firm in downtown Atlanta representing owners, contractors, subcontractor and engineers in construction and real estate related disputes. In 1997, Mr. Rutherford joined Home Depot’s Legal Department as its first commercial litigator. He went on to start and develop Home Depot’s Commercial Litigation Department and was that company’s first Vice President – Litigation. In that capacity he oversaw and was responsible for the management of all of Home Depot’s commercial litigation, including but not limited to vendor disputes, premises liability, customer disputes, class actions, products liability, insurance disputes, contractor and service disputes, and real estate disputes. He represented Home Depot in litigations, arbitrations and mediations in matters ranging from multi-billion dollar commercial disputes to wrongful deaths to customer complaints.
In 2005, he joined Tucker Hobgood and the two formed Hobgood & Rutherford LLC. Mr. Rutherford represents a variety of clients, including Home Depot, in handling their commercial contracts and disputes. He is a member of the American Arbitration Association’s Construction Panel, and he regularly serves as an arbitrator in AAA disputes. He is a board certified mediator in Georgia. He is a member of the Georgia and Florida Bars, and has argued cases before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.
Education
Juris Doctor, Emory University School of Law, Atlanta, GA 1990
Bachelor of Civil Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 1979
Professional Development
Home Depot Executive Leadership Program, 2002
Honors
- Order of the Barrister, Emory University, School of Law
- James C. Pratt Best Brief Award, Emory University, School of Law
- Chi Epsilon, Auburn University
Associations
- Member of the State Bars of Georgia and Florida
- Admitted to practice before multiple Federal District Courts and Circuit Courts of Appeal
- Registered mediator – Georgia
- Professional Civil Engineer – Louisiana
- Member American Society Civil Engineers
- Panelist American Arbitration Association Construction Industry Arbitrators
- Co-Inventor U.S.P. No. 4,527,928 “Protective Riser – Conductor for Offshore Structures”