Attorneys

Richard J. Wittbrodt

Managing Partner

1880 Century Park East, 12th Floor
Los Angeles, California 90067-1621

Phone:	(310) 552-3400
Fax:	(310) 552-0805
Email:	rwittbrodt@ggltsw.com

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Richard J. Wittbrodt Full Bio (Print)

Richard J. Wittbrodt vCard

Professional Experience:

Richard J. Wittbrodt is the Managing Partner of the firm. Mr. Wittbrodt's primary emphasis is in construction and real estate litigation, including prosecuting and defending claims of delay, disruption, defective construction, mechanic's lien and stop notice foreclosure actions, for both public and private projects. He is one of the few attorneys in California to be a LEED AP (U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional). In the commercial practice area, he has substantial experience in securing and defending preliminary remedies (including writs of attachment, possession, and injunctions) and secured transactions. He is also a frequent lecturer to many construction and commercial industry associations.

Published Opinion:
MW Erectors, Inc. v. Niederhauser Ornamental and Metal Works Company Inc., et al. (2006) 36 Cal.4th 412, 30 Cal.Rptr.3d 755.

Practice Areas:

Construction Law
Real Estate
Commercial Law
Business Litigation

Education:

Pepperdine University School of Law (J.D., cum laude), Malibu, CA, 1988

Honors: Law Review: Pepperdine University Law Review, 1986-1988;

Lead Articles Editor, 1987-1988

Golden Gate University (M.B.A., Tax), Los Angeles, CA, 1984

University of Michigan (B.B.A., with distinction, Accounting), Flint, MI, 1980

ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, Member, 2010 - Present

- Division 12 Steering Committee Appointed Member, 2012

State Bar of California, 1988 - Present
Los Angeles County Bar Association, 1988

Speaking Engagements:

Speaker, GGLTS 18th Annual Review Preview Construction Law Seminar (January 2012); Topic: Statutory Remedy Revisions - A Panel Presentation on What You Need to Know About the Changes Affecting Public Entities, Private Owners, Contractors, and Material Suppliers.

Moderator, GGLTS 17th Annual Review Preview Construction Law Seminar (January 2010); Topic: Anger Management: 3% Withholding Tax on Payments to General Contractors

Speaker, Moss Adams LLP Construction Roundtable (December 2010)

Topic: Construction Law Discussion

Speaker, ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, Pre and Post Judgment Collection Remedies:Show me the money!

2010 Annual Meeting, Austin Texas (April 2010)

Speaker, Legislative and Case Law Update, Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA), Los Angles and Orange County Chapter Meetings Los Angeles and Anaheim, CA (November, 2009)

Speaker, Mechanic's Liens and Bonded Stop Notices and Their Uses in Tough Economic Times, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Real Property Section, April 28, 2009.

Bar Admissions:

California, 1988
U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1988
U.S. District Court Eastern District of California, 1988
U.S. District Court Northern District of California, 1988
U.S. District Court Southern District of California, 1988

Certifications/Specialties:

LEED AP, 2009
Certified Public Accountant, Michigan, 1983
Certified Public Accountant, California, 1983

Publications:

R. Wittbrodt & B. Gragg, Construction Divorce: Protect Your Client’s Claim Before It Is Too Late (Parts 1 and 2), CEB (Continuing Education of the California Bar) Real Property Law Reporter, (Part 1) September 2011 and (Part 2) November 2011.

K. Gibbs & R. Wittbrodt, Chapter 12, “Bankruptcy in the Construction Industry,” California Construction Law, 17th Ed. (Aspen Publisher 2011)

J. Acret & R. Wittbrodt, Co-Author and Update Author, Chapter Five, Private Works Contracts: Disputes, Remedies for Breach of Contract, CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS, DEFECTS AND LITIGATION (Cal. CEB 2009, 2010 and 2011)

R. Wittbrodt, Prejudgment Remedies and Collection For Owners or Contractors on a Construction Project, Written Materials, Digitally Published Program Materials, The Age of Turbulence: Managing Money Issues in Construction Presented in Cooperation with the State Bar of Texas Construction Law Section and the ABA Construction Committee of the Section of Litigation, 2010 ABA Forum on the Construction Industry Annual Meeting, April 24, 2010.

R. Wittbrodt & L. Eaton, Understanding Contractual Suspension Terms: A Risk Management Tool for Owners and Contractors CEB (Continuing Education of the California Bar) Real Property Law Reporter, September, 2010.

R. Wittbrodt & L. Eaton, Understanding Contractor Rights & Risks, CFMA Building Profits Magazine for Construction Financial Professionals, March-April 2010 by Richard J. Wittbrodt, Esq. and Lynsey M. Eaton, Esq.

R. Wittbrodt & L. Eaton, Project Suspension: What Owners And Contractors Need To Know- NOW!, Article/White Paper, CMAA Southern California Chapter Newsletter, Summer 2009 (www.cmaasc.org)

R. Wittbrodt, Chapter Eleven, Termination, and Chapter Twelve, Project Closeout, CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION LAW (HLK Global Communications, Inc., 2007).

Representative Clients:

Schuff Steel Company
Layton Construction, Inc.
Mitsui & Co. (USA), Inc.
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co., Inc.
Turner Industries Group, LLC
Lydig Construction, Inc.
Climate Building technologies Group

Honors and Awards:

LEGUS, an International Network of Law Firms, Advisory Board Member, 2008 - Present

ABA, Forum on the Construction Industry, Division 12 Steering Committee Appointee, 2012

Richard J. Wittbrodt, interviewed and quoted by Ameera Butt and Stephanie Vatz, Daily Journal Staff Writers, Mechanics’ Lien law changes go into effect, Article, Los Angeles Daily Journal, June 29, 2012.

Richard J. Wittbrodt is recommended in The Legal 500 United States 2011 editorial under the U.S. Real Estate and Construction-Construction section (including Construction Litigation).

Richard J. Wittbrodt, interviewed and quoted by Jason W. Armstrong, Daily Journal Staff Writer, More California Lawyers Get Green Credentials, Article, Real Estate Supplement to Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal, July 28, 2010.

2004 Southern California Super Lawyers (First Year Awarded)

Guest Speaker before Arizona House of Representatives, Subcommittee on proposed amendments to Arizona’s Statutory Remedies for the Construction Industry (December 4, 1997).

Recipient, American Jurisprudence Awards in Corporations; Creditors Rights and Bankruptcy.

Practice Areas:

Construction Law
Real Estate
Commercial Law
Business Litigation

Education:

Pepperdine University School of Law (J.D., cum laude), Malibu, CA, 1988
Honors: Law Review: Pepperdine University Law Review, 1986-1988; Lead Articles Editor, 1987-1988

Golden Gate University (M.B.A., Tax), Los Angeles, CA, 1984

University of Michigan (B.B.A., with distinction, Accounting), Flint, MI, 1980

Professional Memberships:

Advisory Board Member, LEGUS, an International Network of Law Firms, 2008-Present

Construction Finance Management Association (CFMA), 2007-Present;
Co- President, Los Angeles Chapter, 2009-2011

US Green Building Council (USGBC) Los Angeles Chapter, 2009

Southern California Development Forum (SCDF), 2009 - Present

ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, Member, 2010 - Present
- Division 12 Steering Committee Appointed Member, 2012

State Bar of California, 1988 - Present

Los Angeles County Bar Association, 1988

Certification

LEED AP, 2009
Certified Public Accountant, Michigan, 1983
Certified Public Accountant, California, 1983

Publications:

R. Wittbrodt & B. Gragg, Construction Divorce: Protect Your Client’s Claim Before It Is Too Late (Parts 1 and 2), CEB (Continuing Education of the California Bar) Real Property Law Reporter, (Part 1) September 2011 and (Part 2) November 2011.

K. Gibbs & R. Wittbrodt, Chapter 12, “Bankruptcy in the Construction Industry,” California Construction Law, 17th Ed. (Aspen Publisher 2011)

J. Acret & R. Wittbrodt, Co-Author and Update Author, Chapter Five, "Private Works Contracts: Disputes, Remedies for Breach of Contract", CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS, DEFECTS AND LITIGATION (Cal. CEB 2009, 2010 and 2011)

R. Wittbrodt, Prejudgment Remedies and Collection For Owners or Contractors on a Construction Project, Written Materials, Digitally Published Program Materials, The Age of Turbulence: Managing Money Issues in Construction Presented in Cooperation with the State Bar of Texas Construction Law Section and the ABA Construction Committee of the Section of Litigation, ABA Forum, April 24, 2010.

Representative Clients:

Schuff Steel Company
Layton Construction, Inc.
Mitsui & Co. (USA), Inc.
Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co., Inc.
Turner Industries Group, LLC
Lydig Construction, Inc.
Climate Building technologies Group

Recent Classes/Seminars Taught:

Legislative and Case Law Update
Construction Financial Management Association
CFMA Los Angles and Orange County Chapter Meetings

Los Angeles and Anaheim, CA (November, 2009)

Speaker: Richard J. Wittbrodt, Esq., LEED AP

Mechanic's Liens and Bonded Stop Notices and Their Uses in Tough Economic Times, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Real Property Section, April 28, 2009

Mr. Wittbrodt is a frequent speaker at numerous construction associations and organizations. He provides seminars on California construction law topics to various groups representing owners, developers, architects, engineeers, contractors, sub-contractors, material suppliers and his representative clients. (1989 - Present)

Honors and Awards:

LEGUS, an International Network of Law Firms, Advisory Board member, 2008-present

ABA, Forum on the Construction Industry, Division 12 Steering Committee Appointee, 2012

Richard J. Wittbrodt, interviewed and quoted by Ameera Butt and Stephanie Vatz, Daily Journal Staff Writers, "Mechanics’ Lien law changes go into effect...", Article, Los Angeles Daily Journal, June 29, 2012.

Richard J. Wittbrodt is recommended in The Legal 500 United States 2011 editorial under the U.S. Real Estate and Construction-Construction section (including Construction Litigation).

Richard J. Wittbrodt, interviewed and quoted by Jason W. Armstrong, Daily Journal Staff Writer, "More California Lawyers Get Green Credentials", Article, Real Estate Supplement to Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal, July 28, 2010.

2004 Southern California Super Lawyers (First Year Awarded)

For more see full bio.

Published Opinions:

MW Erectors, Inc. v. Niederhauser Ornamental and Metal Works Company Inc., et al. (2006) 36 Cal.4th 412, 30 Cal.Rptr.3d 755.

Speaking Engagements:

Speaker, GGLTS 18th Annual Review Preview Construction Law Seminar (January 2012); Topic: Statutory Remedy Revisions - A Panel Presentation on What You Need to Know About the Changes Affecting Public Entities, Private Owners, Contractors, and Material Suppliers.

Moderator, GGLTS 17th Annual Review Preview Construction Law Seminar (January 2010); Topic: Anger Management: 3% Withholding Tax on Payments to General Contractors

Speaker, Moss Adams LLP Construction Roundtable (December 2010)
Topic: Construction Law Discussion

Speaker, ABA Forum on the Construction Industry, Pre and Post Judgment Collection Remedies: Show me the money!; 2010 Annual Meeting, Austin Texas (April 2010)

Speaker, Legislative and Case Law Update, Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) Los Angles and Orange County Chapter Meetings, Los Angeles and Anaheim, CA (November, 2009)

For more see full bio.

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