Newmeyer & Dillion LLP

A Real Estate and Business Law Firm with Heart and Soul, Where Clients Stay for a Lifetime of Service

Newmeyer & Dillion LLP is ranked as one of the fastest growing and most successful firms in California, with more than 50 attorneys in its Newport Beach and Walnut Creek offices. Now in its 23rd year, this prominent, full-service business and real estate law firm is the fifth largest indigenous law firm in Orange County and is growing quickly in Northern California.

"The top priority at Newmeyer & Dillion is to provide high-quality and appropriately tailored services for our clients," says Jan Gruen, a 20-year veteran, the Managing Partner of the firm's Northern California Walnut Creek office. "We do not shy away from litigation where needed, but we stress good risk-management policies and outside-the-box thinking to address and resolve difficult issues. These policies help generate a positive public image of our clients and protect them from drawn-out and costly court battles."

Tom Newmeyer and Greg Dillion founded the firm in 1984, fashioned with a unique mix of values, culture and ideals &mdash a vision that earned them a stellar reputation as one of Orange County's top firms. "We are not a spin-off, not a merger, not an amalgamation," emphasizes Dillion. "We built this firm and our culture from the ground up."

"Refugees" from separate large national law firms, Newmeyer and Dillion joined a small firm in Orange County that was soon "gobbled up" by another national behemoth. "Having interviewed widely, we determined we could do things as well as, if not better than, the people with whom we'd spoken. We wanted to build a high quality, but congenial full-service business law firm where employees, lawyers and clients would stay for a lifetime. That's just what we have done. We still represent our very first client," says Dillion.

As the startup worked to find its persona and focus during its first few years, an overriding expertise in real estate law and the building industry emerged as a signature interest. "Real estate pervades our lives &mdash financing, construction, investment and ownership; it drives the economy and where and how we live," says Dillion.

Newmeyer & Dillion represents its clients during all aspects of a project, from inception through completion and sale &mdash and even after if need be. Their transactional lawyers guide clients through land acquisitions, entitlements, environmental and subdivision issues, financing, construction and sale. Their trial lawyers handle any disputes that arise either along the way or after project completion. "These include a wide variety of real estate litigation cases from large-scale land acquisition deals gone bad to complex construction defect claims and insurance-based issues that turn into lawsuits," comments Gruen. Newmeyer & Dillion is known for such landmark decisions as Aas vs. Superior Court, Presley Homes vs. American States and KB Home vs. Consolidated, all of which were decided in favor of real estate developers.

The firm's client base ranges from small developers to large developers and also includes Fortune 500 companies. "We tailor our representation to the needs of our clients, large and small," says senior partner John O'Hara. "As lawyers, we have to be an extension of our clients' customer service programs in order to fulfill their needs. This means taking a lead role in drafting the covenants, conditions and restrictions of newly forming homeowners' associations in master plan communities and large mixed-use projects. It also includes drafting the warranties and homeowner manuals that will govern the ongoing relationships between the builder and homeowner. We work with builders and their customers to address concerns and reach resolution," he concludes. "The best thing we can do is help our clients avoid problems before they become problems. I like to think we focus on dispute resolution rather than litigation. While our role is to litigate a case all the way through to trial and appeal, in reality, our goal is to resolve disputes favorably for our clients in the most efficient and economical manner possible."

"We are facilitators and deal makers," says Jane Samson, one of Newmeyer & Dillion's transactional partners. "We're there to make sure the deal gets done and is properly documented &mdash not to provide roadblocks." Dillion points out that the litigation department is comprised of trial lawyers and not just litigators. "All partners in our litigation department are first-chair trial lawyers. You get a different type of representation and a better result from someone who's comfortable in the courtroom as opposed to someone who's never been there."

Having developed secure relationships with most of the state's major builders and a reputation for partnering with their clients to get optimal results, this is a firm that doesn't just focus on the bottom line. "We build a trust and partnering relationship with our clients and address their needs, whether it's buying a piece of property, handling labor or insurance problems, or settling a homeowner dispute," says newcomer Alan Packer, whose legal skills and reputation made him a natural addition to the Walnut Creek office. Packer left a prestigious Bay Area firm to join Newmeyer & Dillion as a partner.

From the outset, the founding partners have been committed to building a firm of superior legal expertise. "We hire from the top law schools and pick the top students, but we hire only those who have heart, who care and who rapidly pick up the firm's culture and show the characteristics needed to sustain the decades-long relationships and friendships we have with our clients," says partner Mark Himmelstein, who does both transactional and trial work. "I think we've created the best workplace culture. We've worked hard on this and it's paid off. We treat people with dignity at every level &mdash from file clerks to founding partners &mdash and require courtesy, common decency and the respect of everyone. I'm extremely proud of the legal work we do, but I'm equally proud that we've created a firm people want to be a part of."

Accolades and professional recognition are abundant at Newmeyer & Dillion. Gruen was recently named one of the "Top 50 Female Super Lawyers in Northern California" &mdash not to mention that she has also received the coveted Super Lawyer designation four years running. In addition, she is currently serving as President of the Women's Council of the Home Builders' Association of Northern California.

Recognition for other outstanding achievements has been given to eight attorneys from the Newport Beach offices of Newmeyer & Dillion who were listed in the Southern California Super Lawyers' fourth annual peer-review survey published in Los Angeles magazine last February, including both co-founders, Newmeyer and Dillion. Dillion was also named one of the "Top 50 lawyers in Orange County" by Southern California Super Lawyers, a level of recognition that not only considers superior legal services, but high levels of pro bono community service as well.

"In terms of real estate, we have the depth, skill and expertise of the largest firms in California. Our commitment to our builders makes us even better," says Gruen. "I am truly proud to be a part of this firm."

The Northern California office of Newmeyer & Dillion LLP is located at 1333 N. California Blvd., Suite 440, in Walnut Creek, CA 94596. For more information, please contact Jan Gruen, Managing Partner, at (925) 988-3200, or jan.gruen@ndlf.com, or visit the firm's website at ndlf.com.

September 2007 Builder Architect Edition Issue

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