Hon. James Lambden

California Court of Appeal, (Ret.)

First District, Division Two

​​Mediator • Arbitrator • Discovery Referee • Appellate Consultant

Justice James Lambden brings to his ADR practice nearly four decades of experience as a trial lawyer, trial court judge and Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal.

Construction & Land Use

Representative Cases

• Construction contract dispute involving $100 million in design defect and professional negligence claims relating to construction of operating rooms at University Hospital was successfully mediated prior to scheduled seven-week trial.
  
  

• Disputed claims regarding Construction of corporate headquarters resulted in 185 day arbitration involving allegations of changes of scope of work, suspension of performance and consolidation hundreds of subcontractor claims.
  
  

• Construction dispute involving custom computer room in top secret Navy facility. Contractor refused to pay for specially manufactured access panels required by design.
  
  

• Construction defect dispute between county and property owner over design of a split level building and whether sprinkler system was adequate under state building code for a "high-rise" structure.
  
  

• Insured general contractor’s successor-in-interest disputed liability insurer's refusal to pay expenses incurred in resolving a third-party portion of multi-party construction litigation.
  
  

• School district brought action against construction management contractors and project architects, relating to cost overruns for school project, and architects brought cross-complaint against managers for indemnification and negligence.
  
  

• School district brought action against construction management contractors and project architects relating to cost overruns for school project. Architects brought cross-complaint against managers for indemnification and negligence.
  
  

• Claims arising from major landscape, remodel, and seismic upgrade of hillside homes.
  
  

• Claims between owners, contractors and professionals arising from oceanfront construction that impinged on protected land.
  
  

• Multi-million dollar claims that tree removal on upslope lot resulted in destabilized hillside threatening destruction of downslope home.
  
  

• Claimed abandonment of driveway easement in the elaborate garden between two mansions.
  
  

• Nuisance and easement suit brought by HOA against last family farm in a rapidly gentrifying area.
  
  

• Weeklong arbitration of dispute $1 million over failure to design and install emergency generator system for hospital.