Berding | Weil offers a unique approach to the practice of community association, construction defect, and real estate law. A firm of seasoned, highly skilled condominium attorneys, we bring a thorough understanding of the people who underpin our clients.

It is not enough today for condominium lawyers to just know the law. A good condo attorney must also appreciate the social and economic needs of his community association clients and know a little psychology as well. For example, while homeowner association law is well established by California's Davis-Stirling Act and a condominium association's governing documents, it cannot be applied in a vacuum. Owners are individuals and a good homeowners association lawyer must be able to distinguish between someone who will respond to an offer to mediate, for example, and one who will reject such offers and require a more aggressive approach.

Similarly, there are developers of common interest developments who will accept the invitation of the homeowners association attorney to negotiate a condo construction defect problem with a real intent to resolve the issue. And then there are developers who will simply use such gestures as a cover for delay. The construction defect lawyer who cannot tell the difference, or who does not know how to find out, will often waste her client's time and money.

Berding | takes pride in the realistic and considered approach taken by its attorneys, whether the issue is a defective building, a board of directors election, or the enforcement of CCRs. A thoughtful strategy and a thorough understanding of the specific facts will trump a “one size fits all” approach every time. With our depth of experience and a commitment to professional excellence, we will deliver:

From complicated amendment of condominium governing documents; multi-property transactions; contesting government regulations; commercial, industrial or office transactions on behalf of tenants or landlords; to negotiating condominium association reconstruction contracts, we have the skill and experience to bring these transactions to a conclusion favorable to our clients. The condominium lawyer who works to negotiate a solution to your construction defect problem will also be skilled at drafting the necessary settlement documents. The community association attorney who amends your governing documents will have created that document many times before.

We tailor the fees of our homeowners association lawyers to the needs of the client by staffing each project to efficiently provide the service needed. We offer special fee arrangements for major litigation and work with our clients to match our fee structure to the clients' budget and cash flow needs.

Berding | Weil has some of the most respected construction defect litigators in our community. Our construction defect lawyers represent plaintiffs in large, complex construction failure cases. Our litigation groups also represent owners of major real estate projects, both residential planned development and commercial; classes of plaintiffs in national building product class actions; and businesses of all types in a wide range of legal disputes. The construction defect attorney who handles your case will be able to draw on the many years of this firm's extensive experience resolving construction defect disputes involving every type of building and structure from condos to shopping centers.

Our construction defect attorneys are often asked by clients to assist in other areas of the country due to our reputation in our core practice areas. While our home office is in the San Francisco Bay Area, we handle matters in many states using our own attorneys and associated local counsel in locations from California to Hawaii to Nevada to Florida. You will find us representing homeowner's associations and commercial property owners in complex construction cases in the following cities and states:

San Francisco, San Jose, San Mateo, Alameda, Berkeley, Oakland, Concord, Walnut Creek, Danville, Alamo, San Ramon, Dublin Pittsburg, Antioch, Brentwood, Pleasanton, Livermore, Burlingame, Cupertino, Daly City, Foster City, Fremont, Hayward, San Leandro, Menlo Park, South San Francisco, Millbrae, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Carlos, San Rafael, and Marin county.

Sacramento, Fairfield, Vacaville, Stockton, Roseville, Woodland, Davis, Modesto, Fresno, Placerville, Auburn, Colfax, Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Sonoma, Santa Rosa, and other portions of Sacramento, Yolo, Solano, Nevada, Placer, San Joaquin, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Mendocino, and Monterey counties.

Los Angeles, Orange County, Ventura County, Santa Barbara

Reno, Lake Tahoe, and Las Vegas.

Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tucson

Honolulu, Maui, Lanai, The Big Island

Miami, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach

There are a few things about the way Berding | Weil conducts the practice of law that are in fact unique, not in the assertion, but in the actual execution.

• It is our policy to return every telephone call every day.
• We are accustomed to urgent demands on our time; we have production capacity in our support staff so that the most exacting requirements of our clients can be satisfied.
• Access to the condominium lawyer handling your matter is available on a continuous basis and each attorney is fully supported by dedicated and skilled staff.

When you establish a relationship with Berding | Weil, you not only employ a law firm, you also gain a personal relationship with a lawyer whom you can trust. In the world of complex construction defect litigation for example, it is easy for a client or board member to feel lost among all of the parties, lawyers, experts and staff who are involved in the matter. Your lawyer will be an experienced construction defect attorney who has spent many years with exactly that type of case. He or she will be your contact and will always be available to answer your questions. Your attorney will be a well-qualified construction defect lawyer who lives and works in your community and is available to meet with you in our office or at your community association. If you need advice on homeowner association matters, you will meet and work with an experienced community association lawyer with whom you can talk and who will be available by telephone, email, or in person to deal with whatever problem you or your homeowners association may have. This HOA lawyer will have years of experience with very similar problems. It may be an old saying, but we truly have "seen it all before".

Attorneys who have many years of experience in commercial real estate law staff our commercial real estate practice. Your commercial real estate lawyer will have seen the problem that you are having with your project before and will be available for consultation and advice to fit your schedule.

Berding | Weil has been awarded an "av" rating by Martindale-Hubble, a national attorney rating service. This is the highest rating given in any area of practice. Four of our attorneys have been recognized as "Northern California Superlawyers". The firm has helped shape California community association law. In addition to an active role in the courts (including California Courts of Appeal and the State Supreme Court), the firm has advised legislators on dozens of existing and proposed statutes governing community associations; building products liability and construction defect issues. It has also assisted in writing much of the law on alternative dispute resolution in construction defect litigation and common interest developments found in California statutes today.

Berding | Weil actively participates in regional, statewide and national industry trade groups. Partners in the firm take leading roles in organizations created to serve the commercial real estate and community association industries. The firm is a member of: the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), the Executive Council of Homeowners (ECHO), Community Associations Institute (CAI), The Rental Housing Association (RHA), and the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM). At any given time, our attorneys serve on various Task Forces, committees and board positions for these organizations.