Case Manager: Eve Thorstens
With 40 years of experience in construction litigation and dispute resolution, John D. Hanover, Esq. is a seasoned construction law expert. His litigation practice focused on counseling clients in all roles of the building process for private and public works. His experience includes representing clients in complex, high-value disputes in hundreds of jury and nonjury trials, arbitrations, and mediations in matters involving contract disputes, delay claims, unforeseen site conditions, payment remedies, and claims of defective work.
Mr. Hanover is known as a neutral for his pragmatic and solutions-driven approach, with clients often describing him as “fair, calm, and smart”, “professional”, “practical”, and “relentless”. His deep understanding of construction law, combined with his strong negotiation skills and calm demeanor under pressure, make him an ideal neutral for construction law disputes.
Mr. Hanover’s prior experience includes serving as Leader of the Construction & Government Contracts practice group at Alston & Bird and as Managing Partner of Peckar & Abramson’s three West Coast offices. He also held the role of outside general counsel for an international engineering, project management, and construction services firm, where he managed high-profile U.S. litigation matters.
In 2020, Mr. Hanover was named a “Client Service All-Star” by BTI Consulting Group, as well as one of the “Top Litigators & Trial Lawyers” in Los Angeles by Los Angeles Business Journal. He is honored to be named by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business as only one of three distinguished “Senior Statespersons” in California Construction and ranked Band 2 in International Arbitration: Construction USA. He also is identified as a Thought Leader in construction law in the Lexology Index, is listed in The Best Lawyers of America® for Construction Law and Construction Litigation, is a Fellow of the Construction Lawyers Society of America, and is a member of the Society of Construction Law – North America.
Mr. Hanover holds a B.A., summa cum laude, from Tufts University and a J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law. He is admitted to practice in California, Colorado, Nevada, and Tennessee and is an active member of the American Bar Association’s Forum on Construction Law and the Los Angeles County Bar Association, where he served as Chair of the Construction Law Subsection of the Real Property Section.
“John was excellent. Comprehensive knowledge of the case, facts, law et set. Ably discussed strengths and weaknesses, took into account certain practical considerations and ultimately circulated a mediators proposal which resolved a difficult case. Will use in in the future and recommend him if asked for construction related matters.”
“I very much enjoyed working with Mr. Hanover. He was prepared for the mediation and understood the issues and impediments to settlement. He offered constructive input that moved the negotiations forward and he also ultimately made a mediator’s proposal which was accepted by all sides. He maintained a pleasant and highly professional demeanor throughout the proceedings.”
“We had a very positive experience mediating with Mr. Hanover. He was professional, thoughtful, and effective throughout the process, and we settled during the mediation. We appreciate his efforts and would certainly use him again in the future.”
“If the case doesn’t resolve in one day, he’ll give you homework. And then he will make phone calls and get after everybody and get you to a spot where at least you’re going to get a really good offer, and you’re going to have something to evaluate. … John’s going to stay after everybody, and he’s relentlessly going to pursue the resolution.”
“I sat in a lot of Zoom meetings with him and all the other parties, and he has a very soft touch and an affable nature he uses to connect with people with all sorts of different personalities. Lawyers run the gamut, and I sat in meetings with him along with everybody on this case, and he’s able to connect with everybody.”
“All I do is construction litigation … and I’ve been practicing over 50 years. If your case is a construction litigation, he’s the man. He’s fair, he’s calm, he’s smart. He’s the guy to use. He’s the guy I would recommend literally to anybody in the industry.”
“He understands – no pun intended – the nuts and bolts of construction, but he also, really importantly, understands the ins and outs of insurance coverage and how to speak with attorneys and insurance carriers. Those two aspects – both the actual construction and the insurance that’s involved – you have to have a good working knowledge of both to handle cases like this, and he really does.”
“Construction cases have a lot of unique issues. They’ll have technical issues, design issues, delay issues, and in many cases, there are insurance products that come into play in the construction arena that have novel coverage issues. …And John has a lot of experience on all those issues. So at least when I’m talking to him, he understands where I’m coming from.”
“One of the best we have used. This was a very difficult case to settle (and other, very experienced mediators failed to do so for over 5 years). I had dinner last night with two folks on the ACCL, and recommended John.”
“Mr. Hanover was an excellent mediator. He was calm and clear throughout the process. He never over or undersold positions and exhibited diligence when trying to get a complex construction defect case to the finish line. I’d use him again.”
“John did an amazing job getting this case settled! My firm also used him on another matter and was very impressed by him. Great addition for ADR Services, Inc.!”
“When commendation is truly warranted, it should be expressed clearly and without reservation. This is such an occasion. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation for the exceptional diligence and professionalism Mr. Hanover brought to this matter. His command of the facts reflected the significant time and care he devoted to reviewing the briefs and developing a comprehensive understanding of every aspect of the case. His preparation was both thorough and thoughtful. Mr. Hanover’s patience in listening attentively to our entire team—allowing us the time and space to fully present Plaintiff’s views—demonstrated both fairness and respect for the process. In addition, his deep understanding of the complex insurance landscape and the related legal issues was highly impressive. Although the path forward was challenging, his map was clear. His clarity, guidance, and steady leadership made the process very productive. Mr. Hanover, thank you for your outstanding work and unwavering commitment.”
“John is fantastic. John was able to accomplish a settlement that evaded the parties and other mediators despite years of efforts. We are very grateful for John’s effort and will definitely engage him again!”
“John Hanover was one of the best mediators that I have ever encountered. He was fair, balanced, professional and put all parties at ease….as well, he was fully prepared for a multi-party complex litigation. Our case settled due in very large part to his efforts. I would recommend him to anyone.”
“John kept on this case day after day and month after month to push it across the finish line. Will definitely use him again.”
“Mr. Hanover is a top notch mediator. I would rate him very high as a mediator, he was a able to get the parties to a settlement in a very short period, even though both parties were highly entrenched in their respective positions. I will recommend Mr. Hanover to my colleagues if asked.”
“John was terrific. He was communicative, dogged, and resolved a case that I thought was never going to settle. I have already recommended him to multiple other attorneys.”
“Mr. Hanover did an excellent job. He settled our case within the 3-hours allotted. He was able to put the right amount of pressure on each of the parties to get them to back off from their position and concede a little. His knowledge of construction sites and general negligence litigation was obvious.”
“John was fantastic, as expected. We will definitely use John again. ”
“We had a wonderful experience with Mr. Hanover. He managed to help us settle a very tough case with tough clients.”
“John Hanover is a top-notch construction litigator. He is brilliant and also reasonable in his approach, and understands the value of time and money invested in dispute resolution. He acts in a way that is commercial.”
“John fulfills and exceeds all expectations.”
“I very much respect John; he is one of the most polite people I’ve worked with. He is very practical, low-key and not easily fazed in any respect.”
“John is a very good attorney and knows the California market.”
