Practice Areas & Industries: Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP

A condemnation action resolves the differences between the property owner and the public agency over how much should be paid as just compensation. Both the owner and the public agency are entitled to request a jury trial to determine just compensation. The costs of the condemnation procedure (such as filing fees, jury fees, process service fees) are required to be paid by the public agency; however, the property owner is required to pay his or her own attorney's fees and other litigation costs. Under some circumstances, when the court determines that the public agency's pretrial offer of just compensation was unreasonable and the property owner's demand was reasonable, the court has discretion to order the public agency to pay all or part of the property owner's attorneys fees and litigation costs.

Eminent domain and inverse condemnation cases have evolved into complex proceedings rarely limited to the single issue of just compensation. Luce Forward possesses one of California's leading eminent domain and inverse condemnation practices. The firm combines the talents and expertise of attorneys whose practices are devoted almost exclusively to eminent domain, inverse condemnation, real property, and land use law. Our attorneys have been hired by hundreds of residential, commercial and agricultural property owners to protect their property and business rights throughout California. Our attorneys also have been hired by numerous governmental agencies to assist in ascertaining the just compensation of particular properties. The firm's representation of both property owners and public agencies in eminent domain and inverse condemnation actions distinguishes Luce Forward.