Robert C. Field | Attorney

Experience

Full time neutral since 2001. General civil litigator1961-2000, primarily in commercial, construction, professional liabilityof architects/engineers, property damage, and real estate matters in trial and appellate courts. Eighty percent of practice was in construction law, property damage, and professional liability representing design professionals, owners, general contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers for both public and private works. Handled mechanic's liens and bond claims, design defects, and contract disputes such as delays, extras, and changed conditions. Also represented parties to disputes involving landslides and subsidence; real estate transactions; commercial leasing; and commercial transactions involving sales, commercial paper, letters of credit, documents of title and secured transactions.

Alternative Dispute Resolution Experience

Member of AAA California Advisory Counsel for Large Complex Case Program, Northern California Advisory Council, and Construction Advisory Committee. AAA commercial and construction arbitrator since 1969; mediator since 1984. Served as arbitrator, panel chair, or mediator in over 100 cases. Appointed as special master/referee in disputes by Alameda County and Contra Costa County Superior Court and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California. Served as counsel, in arbitration or mediation in a variety of cases including contracts, leases, partnerships, construction, professional liability, bond claims and public claims. Representative cases as a neutral include alleged breach of warranties and misrepresentation in sale of business; alleged violation of covenants, conditions, and restrictions in real estate; alleged failure to disclosure material defects on sale of improved real property; claims of additional compensation for extra work, delay, and disruption of construction; alleged design and construction defects in a major sports stadium; alleged defective design and fraud in construction of power plant; alleged breaches of contract and warranty in construction of cogeneration facility; determination of rights and obligations under law partnership dissolution agreement; alleged securities fraud in marketing of limited partnerships by broker; alleged violation of securities laws, fraud, and churning in discretionary brokerage accounts; and disputed enforcement of international standby letter of credit. AAA Northern California Commercial Arbitrator of the Year, 1988.

Alternative Dispute Resolution Training

Arbitration Training:  completion of AAA Basic & Advanced Arbitrator Training & specialized courses dealing with delay, drafting awards, case management, control of hearings,and acting as panel chair; served as faculty on 16 AAA arbitrator training courses and 2 National Institutes on Arbitration Advocacy;

Mediation Training:  completion of AAA Mediator Training and several mediation seminars; completion of Straus Institutre for Dispute Resolution courses of Advanced Mediation and Negotiation and Settlement Advocacy; attended 10 mediation seminars and served as faculty at 3 other mediation seminars..