Hill, Farrer & Burrill LLP

The firm’s construction litigators have many years of experience representing owners, lenders, contractors and subcontractors in lawsuits and arbitrations encompassing the full spectrum of disputes that may arise from residential and commercial construction. This includes large multi-party lawsuits and class actions involving construction defects and/or conditions, covenants and restrictions in condominium, planned development and other multiple unit housing projects, single family residences, commercial office buildings and shopping centers. We also regularly try, arbitrate and compromise claims for interpretation or breach of construction contracts and subcontracts, construction loans, indemnity agreements, liability insurance coverage, and mechanic’s liens.

Representative Matters

• Represented general contractor against commercial building owner and construction lender in claims for non-payment, and defended general contractor against related subcontractor claims. 
• Successfully obtained dismissal, via sustained demurrer, of trade libel cross-claims against individual property owner arising out of construction defect action against general contractor. Thereafter, obtained favorable settlement obtained for property owner, including payments by general contractor to property owner for breach of contract and construction defects claims. 
• Represented lessor in construction defect case, and obtained favorable pre-litigation settlement requiring contractor to immediately perform corrective work, and grant extensive indemnification obligations to property owner for any further defective work. 
• In the area of construction defect matters, representation of a variety of pest control operators, general contractors and subcontractors in breach of contract and negligence claims. Successfully defended numerous different trades in large, multi-party actions involving construction projects of more than ten million dollars. 
• Defended a general contractor in an arbitration against a property owner charging breach of contract, fraud, construction defects and bodily injury. Defeated claims exceeding $4 million and limited contractor’s liability to $60,000. 
• On behalf of the owners of a custom estate home, successfully arbitrated a construction defect action against the home builder and its subcontractors, obtaining all claimed damages and attorneys fees, totaling more than $1 million.

It is the Firm’s policy to recognize and promote diversity in its business dealings with clients, staff, and the greater legal community.  We are committed to enhancing the opportunities of women, people of color, and others who have been traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession to participate meaningfully in the practice of law and management of the firm.  We view our commitment to diversity as an ongoing, important, and worthwhile initiative that is consistent with our being a major  law firm in such a culturally diverse region as Los Angeles County.

Our dedication to diversity begins with the law schools at which we recruit, and extends to the hiring of staff and the selection of qualified partners and firm managers to run the day-to-day affairs of the firm.   We maintain a strong Equal Employment Policy and are proud of our long history of operating a law practice in which attorneys and staff feel welcomed and appreciated.  We intend to continue demonstrating the importance of diversity to the firm by sponsoring continuing education programs devoted to expanding opportunities for women and minorities in the legal field, participating in bar activities that recognize and promote diversity, and engaging in other activities in the community which foster and recognize the importance of diversity in our society.