ANAHEIM CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION EXPERT WITNESS
DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES

PSA: Be Sure to Document (Even When Time is Short)

April 14, 2026 — Christopher G. Hill - Construction Law Musings
Written change orders are a big deal. Almost all construction contracts (at least the well drafted ones) require written contracts. Written change orders are even important enough that Virginia law requires these provisions in residential construction contracts. Why are they so important? Because they are a “mini-contract” of sorts. They set the expectations, price, time, and work to be performed; work that was not included in the original price or scope for the project. Without this in writing, there will be no record of what the parties agreed to do. Does this sound familiar? Sound like its own contract? It should. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of The Law Office of Christopher G. Hill
Mr. Hill may be contacted at chrisghill@constructionlawva.com

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White and Williams LLP Recognized on the List of Largest Law Firms in Greater Philadelphia

March 03, 2026 — White and Williams LLP
White and Williams LLP was recently recognized on the list of Largest Law Firms in Greater Philadelphia by the Philadelphia Business Journal. The Firm is ranked #10 among the largest law firms in the Greater Philadelphia area. This listing ranks over 500 law firms in the counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, or Philadelphia in Pennsylvania; Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, or Gloucester in New Jersey, and Kent or New Castle in Delaware. White and Williams has been named on the list since 2023. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of White and Williams LLP

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The Deadline to File Suit on a Public Works Payment Payment Bond is Triggered by a Claimant’s Work on a Project Not by a Claimant’s Work Under a Contract

June 02, 2026 — Garret D. Murai - California Construction Law Blog
California law requires that prime contractors furnish a payment bond – providing for payment to lower-tiered subcontractors and suppliers – on state and local public works projects with a value in excess of $25,000. There are three conditions that must be satisfied when a claimant makes a claim against a payment bond on a public works project in California:

1. First, generally, the claimant must have served a preliminary notice, unless the claimant is a first-tier subcontractor or supplier;
2. The claimant must have “ceased to provide work” on the project; and
3. The claimant must file suit against the payment bond no later than six (6) months after the period in which a stop payment notice must be given or, in other words, the earlier of 270 days after completion of the public works project or 210 days after a notice of completion or cessation was recorded on a public works project.

In Tarlton & Sons, Inc. v. Great American Insurance Company, 111 Cal.App.5th 376 (2025), the 2nd District Court of Appeal examined whether a subcontractor timely filed a claim against a payment bond when a prime contractor was terminated and replaced by another prime contractor who the subcontractor continued to perform work for. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Garret D. Murai, Nomos LLP
Mr. Murai may be contacted at gmurai@nomosllp.com

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How to Fireproof a Neighborhood

March 17, 2026 — Linda Poon - Bloomberg
As builders in fire-prone areas like California race to reimagine homes for a more fiery future, one developer is zooming out to build entire fire-resilient neighborhoods. KB Home’s developments tackle an issue that’s hard for any individual homeowner to overcome: “You can do your home perfectly, but if your neighbor didn’t, you still have a fire risk,” said Roy Wright, chief executive officer of the research nonprofit Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety. In other words, to slow the spread of urban fires it takes a village. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Linda Poon, Bloomberg

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Balancing the Right to Repair With Evidence Preservation in Construction Defect Litigation

April 20, 2026 — Benton Wheatley & Anna Spicer - Construction Executive
Every major construction project comes with risk, whether it’s a warehouse build, a multifamily development or a major renovation. Parties tend to be aligned when things are proceeding as planned. But when something goes wrong—cracked concrete, water intrusion, systems that don’t perform as expected—those interests can quickly diverge. Property owners are often caught in the middle when construction defects surface. They’re expected to act quickly to limit damage and costs. But they also have legal obligations to preserve evidence and allow potentially responsible parties, such as contractors or designers, to observe testing, demolition and repairs. Additionally, owners often have duties to lenders and investors to fix problems promptly and pursue claims against those responsible. Meanwhile, contractors and other parties have obligations of their own—not to interfere with repairs and not to delay mitigation efforts while investigations are underway. What follows will examine how those competing responsibilities play out in construction defect disputes. Reprinted courtesy of Benton Wheatley & Anna Spicer, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved. Read the full story...

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Cross-Office Team Secures Litigation Stay and Order of Arbitration on Behalf of Hotel Developer

February 17, 2026 — Lewis Brisbois Newsroom
New York Partner Minyao Wang, Chicago Partner Bryan Sugar, and Denver/Washington, D.C. Partner Christopher Wood secured a victory on behalf of Lewis Brisbois’ client, a hotel developer, when the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois granted the client’s motion to dismiss and ordered the parties to proceed to arbitration. In this matter, the 39 plaintiffs, represented by a New York based law firm that focuses on EB-5 litigation against high-end real estate developers, were foreign nationals living in China or Taiwan who were seeking EB-5 visas and invested in a lending company. The lending company loaned money to entities that were managing a project that involved renovating a hotel and constructing a mixed-use tower in downtown Chicago. Disputes developed among the parties. The foreign investors organized informally and ultimately filed suit against Lewis Brisbois’ client, alleging claims of breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, conversion, and conspiracy, as well as aiding and abetting conversion. The defendants faced exposure of at least $20 million. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Lewis Brisbois

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HHMR Honored as a 2026 Denver Business Journal Best Places to Work Recipient

March 10, 2026 — David McLain - Colorado Construction Litigation Blog
We are pleased to share that Higgins, Hopkins, McLain & Roswell has been named a 2026 Denver Business Journal Best Places to Work honoree, a recognition grounded entirely in direct feedback from our own team members. The Denver Business Journal Best Places to Work program, in partnership with Quantum Workplace, ranks organizations based on anonymous employee engagement survey results that measure culture, leadership, communication, trust, team dynamics, and satisfaction. This year’s list includes 65 companies across the Denver metropolitan area, judged by the people who know these workplaces best: their employees. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of David McLain, Higgins, Hopkins, McLain & Roswell
Mr. McLain may be contacted at mclain@hhmrlaw.com

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Structuring Water Resilience for Data Center Development: Water Rights, Reuse Incentives, and Emerging Disclosure Risk

March 10, 2026 — Ashleigh Myers, Jillian Marullo & Jason Drogin Atwood - Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real Estate Law Blog
As AI-driven data center development accelerates, developers, communities and regulators are increasingly focused on water demand—both the volume required and the sources from which that water will be drawn. While industry attention has largely centered on electricity procurement and grid impacts, the availability and legal entitlement to a firm water supply has become equally material to siting, permitting and community acceptance. Particularly as surface and groundwater supplies become increasingly constrained and new projects are sited in regions experiencing tighter hydrologic conditions or growth-related supply constraints, project teams are increasingly integrating water supply analysis into early-stage development to address issues that can materially affect schedule, financing and long-term operations. Reprinted courtesy of Ashleigh Myers, Pillsbury, Jillian Marullo, Pillsbury and Jason Drogin Atwood, Pillsbury Ms. Myers may be contacted at ashleigh.myers@pillsburylaw.com Ms. Marullo may be contacted at jillian.marullo@pillsburylaw.com Mr. Atwood may be contacted at jason.atwood@pillsburylaw.com Read the full story...

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