Case Manager: Eve Thorstens
2012 – 2013 – Daily Journal “Top 50 Neutrals”
2012 – 2015 – Superlawyer
Well known and respected in the ADR profession, Robert Mann has successfully mediated over 2,000 complex real estate, construction and business cases at ADR Services, Inc. and the American Arbitration Association. Mr. Mann has a special expertise in real estate non-disclosure and real estate broker malfeasance/negligence/breach of fiduciary duty cases, having mediated and resolved hundreds of such disputes. He has arbitrated many construction and real estate disputes involving tens of millions of dollars and has served as Umpire on numerous insurance appraisal matters involving water and fire losses.
With a keen and quick comprehension of complex construction, real estate, and business issues earned after decades of litigation and ADR experience, Mr. Mann is particularly adept at resolving high-value, high-stakes, complicated and hotly contested matters.
Representative cases include public works (Los Angeles Metro Rail); LAUSD construction disputes; numerous multi-family disputes in California, Nevada and Idaho with settlement value in the tens of millions of dollars; luxury single family home disputes; commercial lease disputes. Mr. Mann has successfully mediated numerous multi-party construction disputes in California and Nevada involving residential, commercial and public works projects.
As an Arbitrator, Mr. Mann has handled cases involving commercial breach of lease, breach of contract, delay, disruption and construction defect in construction of a middle school (25 day arbitration); breach of contract in construction of a single family residence; specific performance of commercial purchase and sale agreement; commercial breach of contract for purchase of real property; construction defect single family residence claims.
Mr. Mann has thirty years of experience in construction, real estate and business litigation. Nearly 100% of his practice was devoted to construction law matters, including representation of owners, developers, general contractors, subcontractors, specialty contractors, architects, and engineers.
Mr. Mann served as special litigation counsel for bankruptcy Trustee of bankruptcy estate of the original owner/developer of Shutters Hotel in Santa Monica and obtained an award in excess of $90 million (the largest construction defect arbitration award in California history); obtained other multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements in various business, construction and real estate matters; defended major institutional clients in complex construction cases having over $35 million in exposure; has two published appellate decisions; served as expert witness in construction disputes; was retained by the Court as Special Master to oversee construction of a single family home to accommodate the needs of a disabled owner who suffered catastrophic injuries.
His experience includes all aspects of construction disputes, including construction defect, delay, disruption, mechanic’s liens, change orders, private and public works, multi-family, multi-party, residential and commercial. He has substantial technical expertise in building, including a thorough understanding of infrastructure (including dry and wet underground utilities), sewer systems, septic systems, soils and geotechnical issues, foundations, framing, fenestration, electrical, mechanical, plumbing, exterior plaster systems, roofing, waterproofing, civil engineering and mold.
He also served as an expert witness regarding the reasonableness of attorney’s fees and standard of care in construction defect disputes, and is an author and lecturer on construction and construction mediation issues. He is the author of an important technical book on construction Defect-Free Buildings published by McGraw Hill in 2007. He has published more than 50 articles on mediation and arbitration.
Complex Construction Defect, Business/Commercial, Real Estate, Failure to Disclose, HOA disputes, Landlord/Tenant, Class Action, Complex Litigation, Entertainment, Environmental, Insurance, Defamation, Government/Public Agency, Unfair Competition, Professional Liability, Design Professionals.
“The Architects Responsibility During Construction Administration,” Construction Law Seminar, Construction Specifications Institute/AIA, September 29, 2007; “Effective Case Preparation for Commercial/Construction Mediation,” The Absolute Mediator, Pepperdine University, November 5, 2005; 3rd Annual Avoiding and Resolving Construction Claims, West Coast Casualty (2014, 2015); Insurance Issues in Construction Litigation
