Construction

The Firm's attorneys work with developers, contractors, architects, engineers, public entities and major construction managers in connection with contracts for the construction of commercial and office buildings. We assist clients in their goal to ensure that construction projects: (1) commence in a timely and cost-effective manner; (2) are run in a way that maximizes the chances of an on-budget and on-time completion while protecting against liability from contractor claims; and (3) are best positioned for unwarranted change order claims and the unfortunate trend in public works contracts of contractors' end of project claims for an "equitable adjustment." Our experience has included such high-profile projects as the Water Garden in Santa Monica, The Promenade at Howard Hughes Center in Los Angeles, and the River at Rancho Mirage in Rancho Mirage.

The Firm's construction team is available to work with public and private owners, their consultants and construction managers to organize a databasing system on the front-end of a single or series of construction projects. That front-end organization is where the implementation will be most cost-effective, provides the most management control, and ultimately, by tracking construction issues as they arise, serves as a disincentive to contractors to bring unwarranted claims.

If, despite all best efforts, litigation does occur, the Firm has developed the infrastructure to successfully manage construction litigation involving millions of pages of documents, myriad and diverse expert witnesses and complex legal and factual issues, while at the same time minimizing process costs. This infrastructure consists of two parts: first, highly trained and experienced attorneys and paralegals dedicated to achieving the most cost-effective result for the client; and, second, a very substantial investment in the state-of-the-art image enabled database technology necessary to manage the information required to support these efforts, including the digital imaging, databasing and automated coding of documents and records. While it is never possible to have a truly "paperless" office, the use of such technology to image, store, code and sort the millions of pages of records generated on large construction projects provides the most cost-effective way to both manage such construction and to efficiently and effectively handle any ensuing litigation.

For over a quarter of a century, the Firm has represented public and private entities in numerous major construction-related cases, including construction contract, construction defect and landslide litigation for residential, commercial, retail and public works contracts. The Firm's construction lawyers have litigated many of the largest construction disputes for public entities in Southern California over the last several years.