Ms. Andersen is an experienced
attorney specializing in community association representation. With a focus on
corporate governance, operational matters, transactions, and civil litigation,
she offers comprehensive legal services to community associations.
In her association governance
practice, Ms. Andersen diligently evaluates compliance with the Davis-Stirling
Common Interest Development Act. She skillfully analyzes and interprets
governing documents, making recommendations for necessary rewrites and amendments.
Ms. Andersen ensures smooth election and secret ballot processes and adeptly
negotiates and drafts recorded agreements impacting real property.
Taking a risk management
perspective, Ms. Andersen addresses enforcement disputes promptly, efficiently,
and with creative solutions to avoid costly legal proceedings. She strictly
adheres to the association's self-help, discipline, dispute resolution, and
enforcement procedures, providing members with a transparent process for
resolving violations quickly and economically. When a member chooses to delay
compliance, Ms. Andersen provides aggressive representation of the association
and actively pursues the recovery of related expenses.
With her expertise in contract
negotiations and drafting, Ms. Andersen handles a wide range of vendor
agreements, including maintenance, reserve study, accounting, parking and
towing, security, and communications contracts. She also possesses extensive
knowledge in writing construction and repair contracts. Drawing on her comprehensive
understanding of the design and construction process, construction scheduling,
payment terms, liability issues, and insurance claims, Ms. Andersen provides
invaluable guidance to her clients.
Ms. Andersen boasts over nineteen
years of experience litigating various issues, such as insurance coverage, real
estate fraud and disclosure, contract interpretation and compliance, complex
construction defects, condominium conversions, free speech, and enforcement of
covenants, conditions, and restrictions. She has successfully defended
associations, directors, and officers against claims related to Fair Housing
and disability laws, failure to maintain association property, Open Meeting Act
violations, member election statute non-compliance, infliction of emotional
distress, and breach of fiduciary duty. In uncertain litigation situations, Ms.
Andersen utilizes her experience-based wisdom to guide associations through the
legal process and achieve excellent results.
Ms. Andersen's expertise extends to
complex construction defect matters. She represents homeowner associations,
commercial real estate owners, and multi-family apartment house owners,
providing guidance on property investigations, alternatives to defect
litigation, repair budgeting, dispute resolution, and formal litigation.
Successfully mediating settlements
for claims involving water intrusion, exterior cladding systems, roofing
systems, windows, balconies, decks, stairways, entry landings, mechanical
systems, structural systems, foundation systems, electrical systems, acoustical
systems, and civil infrastructure, Ms. Andersen's expertise is highly regarded.
Ms. Andersen has also excelled in
managing condominium conversion claims through settlement and trial. She
skillfully evaluates developer compliance with relevant conversion laws,
assesses the sufficiency of operating and reserve budgets prepared by
developers, examines the adequacy of disclosures to associations and members,
and investigates converters' construction practices.
In the realm of insurance, Ms.
Andersen handles both prosecution and defense of community associations in
insurance coverage matters. She has litigated policy provisions relating to
coverage triggers, duties to defend and indemnify, named versus other insureds,
separation of insureds, policy exclusions, and endorsements. Ms. Andersen has
successfully defended against insurers' claims for rescission based on
incomplete policy applications and fraud. In some cases, she has secured policy
rights assignments from developers involved in underlying construction cases,
enabling her to effectively prosecute bad faith claims against insurers.
Ms. Andersen's impressive
educational background includes magna cum laude graduation from Bowdoin College
in Brunswick, Maine, and the completion of her law degree at U.C. Davis, King
Hall School of Law. She is admitted to practice before all courts in the State
of California, the United States District Court for the Central, Eastern,
Northern, and Southern Districts in California, and the United States Court of
Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Currently, Ms. Andersen serves as a
Legislative Co-Chair on the Executive Committee of CAI's California Legislative
Action Committee. Her commitment to professional excellence is recognized with
an AV-Preeminent rating by Martindale-Hubbell.
Admissions:
State Bar of California, 2002
U.S. District Court, Central
District
U.S. District Court, Eastern
District
U.S. District Court, Northern
District
U.S. District Court, Southern
District
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
Education:
Bowdoin College (magna cum laude)
U.C. Davis, King Hall School of Law
