ANAHEIM CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION EXPERT WITNESS
DIRECTORY AND CAPABILITIES

Snell & Wilmer Recognized With Top Honor in Ranking Arizona: Top Law Firms for 2026

June 22, 2026 — Snell & Wilmer
PHOENIX – Snell & Wilmer is pleased to announce that the firm has been voted as the top law firm in Arizona for the 17th consecutive year in the 2026 edition of AZ Big Media’s Ranking Arizona: The Best of Arizona Business. The firm was again recognized in the category of “Top 10 large law firms in Arizona” which looked at firms with 39 attorneys or more. “We are honored to receive this award recognizing our team’s ongoing commitment to excellence in service of our clients, our community, and each other,” said Firm Chair Barbara J. Dawson. “We are proud to play a meaningful role in supporting the strength and growth of Arizona’s vibrant business environment amid a rapidly changing global economy.” Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Snell & Wilmer

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ACEC Supports BUILD America 250 Act as Important First Step on Surface Reauthorization

May 26, 2026 — The American Council of Engineering Companies
WASHINGTON -- The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the business voice of America’s engineering and design services industry released the following statement on the BUILD America 250 Act: "Chairman Graves and Ranking Member Larsen have taken an important bipartisan step toward reauthorizing the federal surface transportation programs that are critical to economic growth in every state. The BUILD America 250 Act provides five years of stability in funding road and transit projects, raises new revenues to address the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund, and includes meaningful provisions to strengthen project delivery, advance digital infrastructure, and improve the contracting framework that engineering firms rely on every day. ACEC will continue to advocate for investment levels that keep pace with the country's growing infrastructure needs, and we urge the Committee to keep this process moving forward." The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) is the business association of America’s engineering industry, representing more than 5,500 independent engineering firms and more than 650,000 professionals throughout the United States engaged in the development of America’s transportation, water, and energy infrastructure, along with environmental, industrial, and other public and private facilities. Founded in 1906 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., ACEC is a national federation of 51 state and regional organizations.

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LA Scores Major Victory in a High-Exposure Premises Liability Action

July 06, 2026 — Dolores Montoya - Bremer Whyte Brown & O'Meara LLP
Our firm is proud to announce a decisive defense victory obtained by Partner Daniel Crespo and Associate Lauren Landau for our client in a high-exposure premises liability action arising from a 2022 incident at an active school construction site in Perris, California. On March 10, 2026, the Riverside County Superior Court granted Summary Judgment in full for our client, dismissing all claims brought by Plaintiff, who alleged she tripped and fell over a curb while picking up her daughter from school and sustained ankle and wrist injuries as a result. Through meticulous preparation and the strategic use of construction plans, contractual documents, and onsite surveillance video evidence, our team demonstrated that our client had no ownership, possession, or control over the portion of the existing sidewalk where the incident occurred, with construction plans unambiguously designating the area as pre-existing concrete outside our client’s scope of work, and the Construction Services Agreement expressly reserving control over all existing site improvements to the school district. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Bremer Whyte Brown & O'Meara LLP

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Risk Reset: Concerns Top of Mind for Top Construction Law Firms

September 28, 2026 — David McMillin - Construction Executive
In the summer of 2025, contractors were consumed by one major issue: tariffs. Owners, builders and suppliers were trying to understand how shifting trade policy would affect bid pricing and ongoing projects. While those concerns have eased after a Supreme Court ruling, some of the industry’s top legal experts—all of whom practice at some of CE’s Top 50 Construction Law Firms—point to a different set of worries that are keeping their clients up at night and keeping their offices busy. Inflation is not fading away, creating continued price challenges. Artificial intelligence is moving at a breakneck pace, offering potential time-saving benefits paired with major liability concerns. The federal government continues to make surprising policy changes, and contractors remain focused on managing financial risk across increasingly complex projects. Reprinted courtesy of David McMillin, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved. Read the full story...

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Ball Janik LLP Strengthens Miami Construction Defect Team with Litigator Nicolas Aixala

October 26, 2026 — Ball Janik LLP
MIAMI, FL, October 22, 2026 — Ball Janik LLP has added Nicolas Aixala to its Construction Defect Practice Group as an associate in the firm's Miami office. Aixala brings experience in construction and civil litigation, along with a perspective many litigators don't have: a view from the public side of development, gained researching land use and zoning matters for the City of Miami. "Construction disputes in South Florida rarely stay inside the four walls of a building. Zoning, permitting, and local regulation are often part of the story," said James C. Prichard, Managing Partner of Ball Janik LLP. "Nicolas has seen that landscape from the city's side of the table, and he pairs it with solid litigation training. That combination helps us quickly size up the development and regulatory issues our clients face. We're glad to have him on our Miami team." Before joining Ball Janik, Aixala clerked at Miami-area law firms, supporting attorneys in construction litigation and a range of civil matters through legal research, motion practice, discovery, deposition preparation, and trial preparation. He also interned with the City of Miami, assisting with legal research and opinions on land use and zoning matters, including the City of Miami Zoning Code, known as Miami 21. That work gave him a close look at how local policy shapes development, and how it affects the neighborhoods and property owners who live with the results. "A building is one of the biggest investments a property owner will ever make, and when construction goes wrong, they need advocates who understand both the courtroom and the local landscape," said Aixala. "Ball Janik handles complex construction litigation with a practical, client-focused approach. I'm excited to bring my litigation experience and local knowledge to this team and to the property owners it serves across South Florida." Aixala earned his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law, where he was a member of the Yvette Ostolaza Mock Trial Team and the Cuban American Bar Association. He received his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida, with a minor in Legal Studies and a certificate in Entrepreneurship. About Ball Janik LLP Ball Janik LLP is a Florida-based law firm offering construction defect, construction law, insurance recovery, and commercial litigation counsel, to its local and national clients. The firm was founded in 1982 and has expanded its capabilities, professionals, and geographic footprint. What started as a small firm focused on real property, land use, and litigation (known then as Ball Janik & Novack) has grown to a team of 70-plus attorneys and paralegals in five offices in Florida, with centuries of combined experience and capabilities. The firm has been recognized by Chambers USA, including for its construction law capabilities in Florida, U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers®, The Best Lawyers in America©, Super Lawyers, and Corporate International. Read more at www.balljanik.com.

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GRSM Secures Complete Judgment for Defense in Years-Long Dispute Spanning Multiple Venues

June 22, 2026 — Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani’s Hartford, Connecticut, and Dallas offices recently secured a complete defense judgment and recovery of attorney’s fees and costs in an arbitration on behalf of a longtime client, concluding a dispute that lasted several years and traversed multiple jurisdictions. The dispute initially arose in Texas state court, and almost immediately, the claimant began pursuing the matter aggressively, a pattern that continued until the day judgment was entered in GRSM’s client’s favor. GRSM’s team mounted a strong defense, achieving an early success in compelling mandatory arbitration. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

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The Great Escape: Non-Invalidation Clauses and Property Damage Claims

October 20, 2026 — Abigail Smith & Kaarthiga Manimaran - SDV Fenchurch
At their core, non-invalidation clauses (“NICs”) recognise an important commercial reality: an insured cannot control everything that happens at its premises. In the event that an insured finds itself in breach of a condition or warranty owing to events that have increased the risk of damage to its property, but which were outside its authority, knowledge or beyond its control, a NIC may prevent the insurer from avoiding the claim. For that reason, they’re an important tool in an insured’s coverage arsenal. Although there is relatively little caselaw on NICs, their purpose was recognised in The Seashell of Lisson Grove Ltd v Aviva Insurance Ltd [2011] EWHC 1761 (Comm) (on which we wrote a previous article – The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: #26 The Good: The Seashell of Lisson Grove Ltd v Aviva) Reprinted courtesy of Abigail Smith, SDV Fenchurch and Kaarthiga Manimaran, SDV Fenchurch Ms. Smith may be contacted at abigail.smith@sdvfenchurch.uk Ms. Manimaran may be contacted at kaarthiga.manimaran@sdvfenchurch.uk Read the full story...

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Wisconsin Supreme Court Finds Coverage Under Ensuing Loss Provisions

September 29, 2026 — Tred R. Eyerly - Insurance Law Hawaii
Reversing the trial court’s grant of summary judgment to the insurer, the Wisconsin Supreme Court determined that genuine issues of material fact existed on whether ensuing losses as defined in the policy were covered. Cincinnati Ins. Co. v. Ropicky, 2026 Wisc. LEXIS 302 (Wis. July 7, 2026). The insured suffered damage during a storm on May 11, 2018, when rainwater poured into the home. The insureds gave notice to their insurer, Cincinnati. Upon inspection, Cincinnati determined that water intrusion resulted from multiple construction defects in the home. In the front of the home, water entered through a gap in the stone veneer. The inspector also concluded that the damage from rainwater was not just from the May 11, 2018, storm, but damage had occurred from prior storm events. Read the full story...
Reprinted courtesy of Tred R. Eyerly, Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert
Mr. Eyerly may be contacted at te@hawaiilawyer.com

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