The RegistryCounty Record · California
Construction Lawyers in Santa Clara County, California
Searching for a construction attorney in Santa Clara County? Counsel for the build: defects, liens, delays, and contractor disputes. This page indexes the county's construction coverage from the State Bar of California's official roll, with identity-verification markers where available.
The heart of Silicon Valley; its superior court's complex civil division hears many of the technology industry's trade secret, employment, and corporate disputes. Venue for most construction matters arising in the county lies with the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, seated at San Jose.
Before comparing counsel, note the clock. Under Cal. Civ. Code § 8412, the governing period is mechanics liens: record within 90 days of completion (60/30 days after a notice of completion). Suit to foreclose the lien must follow within 90 days of recording (Cal. Civ. Code § 8460). Defect claims run four years for patent defects (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 337.1) and ten for latent (§ 337.15).
This page is the Santa Clara County chapter of the registry's statewide record · Construction Attorneys in California collects all 58 counties.
The clock & the court
Mechanics liens: record within 90 days of completion (60/30 days after a notice of completion).
Cal. Civ. Code § 8412
Suit to foreclose the lien must follow within 90 days of recording (Cal. Civ. Code § 8460). Defect claims run four years for patent defects (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 337.1) and ten for latent (§ 337.15).
Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara.
County seat: San Jose
Official court information, locations, and filing rules: santaclara.courts.ca.gov
Construction · Santa Clara County roster
152 attorneys on the official State Bar of California roll list construction among their practice areas with an address of record in Santa Clara County.
151 of them hold an active licence; the remainder are recorded as inactive and are not currently eligible to practise.
The roster concentrates in San Jose (80), Los Gatos (16), Palo Alto (15) and Santa Clara (10).
1 hold a State Bar Certified Legal Specialist designation, a certification issued by the State Bar's Board of Legal Specialization, and not a rating or a ranking.
8 are recorded as taking client work in a language other than English.
Admission years on this roster run from 1971 to 2025.
The employers most represented here are Lathrop GPM LLP (6), Sweeney Mason LLP (6) and Lathrop GPM (3).
The full Santa Clara County roster · 151 attorneys with an active license and a construction practice area: is listed by surname in the 1 sections below.
Construction matters in Santa Clara County
The matters this field covers, as Californians search for them. Each attorney's own profile states which of these they take.
- construction defects
- mechanics liens and stop notices
- contractor payment disputes
- unlicensed contractor claims
- delay and change order disputes
- home improvement contract disputes
- construction site injuries
- CSLB licensing complaints
- subcontractor disputes
- bond claims
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Construction questions, cited
How do mechanics lien deadlines work in California?
Most subcontractors and suppliers must serve a 20-day preliminary notice to preserve lien rights (Cal. Civ. Code § 8204). Liens must then be recorded within 90 days of project completion, shortened to 60 days for direct contractors and 30 for others when a notice of completion is recorded (Civ. Code §§ 8412, 8414). A foreclosure suit must follow within 90 days of recording (§ 8460), or the lien expires.
How long do I have to sue for construction defects in California?
Four years for patent (obvious) defects (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 337.1) and ten years for latent defects (§ 337.15), both running from substantial completion. New residential construction sold after 2003 runs through the Right to Repair Act (Cal. Civ. Code § 895 et seq.), which sets building standards and requires a pre-litigation notice-and-repair process (§ 910) before most defect suits.
Can an unlicensed contractor sue me for payment in California?
No: Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7031(a) bars anyone required to be licensed from suing to collect compensation for unlicensed work, regardless of the work's quality. More strikingly, § 7031(b) lets the customer sue to disgorge all compensation already paid to an unlicensed contractor. Licensing status is verifiable through the Contractors State License Board.
What should be in a California home improvement contract?
Home improvement contracts over $500 must be in writing and include statutory content: a described scope, total price, approximate start and completion dates, and required notices (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 7159). Down payments are capped at $1,000 or 10% of the price, whichever is less (§ 7159.5). Violations are disciplinary offenses and can be misdemeanors, and they shape later disputes.
What is a stop payment notice?
A remedy that intercepts construction funds rather than the property: a subcontractor or supplier serves the owner (or construction lender) with a stop payment notice, obligating them to withhold the claimed amount from the contractor (Cal. Civ. Code § 8502 et seq.). On public works (where mechanics liens are unavailable) stop payment notices and payment bond claims (Civ. Code § 9100 et seq.) are the principal collection tools.
Legal information, not legal advice.
From the answer files
Every construction attorney in Santa Clara County, by surname
Construction by city in Santa Clara County
Related counsel in Santa Clara County
Construction in nearby counties
Source: Cal. Civ. Code § 8412 · State Bar of California licensee records · Checked: · Maintained by the California Attorney Registry from official State Bar of California records. Legal information, not legal advice.
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