Leslie Steven Marks
Leslie Steven Marks
Arbitrator, Mediator, Referee, Special Master
Mr. Marks is a senior litigation partner with the law firm of Wolf, Rifkin, Shapiro, Schulman & Rabkin LLP and manages the litigation department. For almost 40 years, Mr. Marks has devoted his practice to construction, real estate, homeowner association, business and insurance litigation. He serves as an arbitrator and mediator on numerous panels including the American Arbitration Association, the Los Angeles Superior Court ADR Program and the Contractors' State License Board. He has served as an arbitrator, panelist or panel chair in more than 150 cases, mediator in approximately 100 cases, and participating counsel (resulting in settlements through IDR and ADR) in well over 1,000 cases involving multimillion-dollar private and public works construction disputes, real estate, homeowner association and business matters. His broad experience and people skills enable him to achieve creative solutions to difficult disputes.
ORGANIZATIONS & ACHIEVEMENTS
- AV Rated Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell since 2000; named as a Superlawyer in Construction from 2012-2016, 2018-2019
- Fellow, Construction Lawyers Society of America; Member, Los Angeles County and Santa Monica Bar Associations
- Published numerous articles on construction and real estate in Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine and Lawyers World
- Frequently lectures on real estate and construction law to the CSLB and numerous trade and non-profit organizations.
PRACTICE AREAS
Construction, Real Estate, Homeowners Association, Business, InsuranceCONFLICT RESOLUTION EXPERIENCE
Mr. Marks' experience includes litigating (both prosecution and defense), arbitrating and mediating numerous:- Construction (Public and Private Works): Multi-million-dollar construction defect matters and insurance bad faith construction claims involving multi-unit condominiums, single-family homes, high-rise buildings, luxury homes, commercial and industrial properties, public schools, government facilities, golf resorts, gas stations and restaurants. Complex, multi-milliondollar public and private works disputes involving construction defects, mechanic’s liens, prompt payment penalties, delay and disruption claims (critical path), performance and payment bond disputes, bidding disputes, change order disputes, extra work claims, design errors and omissions claims, and claims made under the California False Claims Act.
- Homeowner Association (HOA) Disputes: Homeowner vs. HOA disputes including claims for injunctive relief, mismanagement of association affairs, board negligence/breach of fiduciary duty, board failure to maintain and repair common areas, election disputes, HOA/ vendor disputes and construction related disputes.
- Buyer, Seller, Broker Disputes: Disputes between buyers, sellers and brokers involving residential, commercial and industrial real estate transactions, claims of breach of the California Residential Purchase Agreement, claims of non-disclosure of material facts in the sale of real estate, and broker malpractice.
- Real Estate: Real estate matters including boundary/neighbor disputes, easements, condemnation, title insurance and surety claims.
- Business/Contract: Business and contract disputes involving corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships and sole proprietorships.
- Insurance Coverage: Insurance coverage disputes involving construction, homeowner, errors and omissions, title, surety, and liability insurance.
EDUCATION & TRAINING
J.D. (1980), Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, CA; Dean's Honor ListB.A. in Political Science (1977), University of California, Los Angeles, CA; Summa Cum Laude; Phi Beta Kappa
Mr. Marks is available nationwide.
