George D. Calkins II, Esq.

George D. Calkins II, Esq. is a nationally recognized mediator and arbitrator with more than 35 years of legal experience, including two decades as a neutral. He has presided over thousands of complex ADR proceedings involving diverse legal and factual issues and partnered with the courts to resolve numerous complex cases.

Mr. Calkins is well respected for his knowledge and innovative settlement strategies in resolving business/commercial, engineering and construction, insurance coverage, partnerships, professional negligence, real estate, suretyship, and related disputes.

Read counsel comments about Mr. Calkin's skills and style as a neutral.

ADR Experience and Qualifications

• Business/Commercial: Numerous business disputes of all forms, including uniform commercial code disputes, corporate finance and corporate democracy matters; has experience assisting businesses of all kinds in resolving disputes relating to finance, corporate planning, corporate structure, securities, fair business practices, as well as sales, marketing, and shareholder participation disputes
• Public Work Projects: Mediated and arbitrated many complex public works projects involving diverse public agencies, as well as general contractors and subcontractors, their sureties, and design professionals and contractors who design and build public works projects; expert in resolving conflicts regarding closeout, delay, disruption, and extra work issues among public project participants
• Construction: Mediated and arbitrated numerous complex construction defect and workmanship disputes involving major public works, commercial, industrial and multi- and single-family residential projects, focuses on all aspects of such projects, including electrical, plumbing, framing, roofing, concrete, site drainage, and geotechnical issues
• Environmental: Resolved disputes involving individuals, private property owners, corporations, insurance carriers, and governmental agencies, including state and local regulatory agencies
• Partnership Disputes: Widely sought after mediator/arbitrator of complex partnership disputes involving written partnership engagements; understands the intricacies of partnership law and its impact upon participants in complex real estate transactions, involving profit and loss allocations and supplier disputes
• Product Liability: Extensive mediation and arbitration experience in product liability law and practice
• Professional Negligence: Developed and implemented strategies for resolving complex issues that arise in professional negligence disputes involving attorneys, accountants, engineers, architects, real estate brokers, healthcare, and other professionals; is familiar with specialized codes and regulations that impact the duties and responsibilities of professionals, including those impacting structural, electrical, or mechanical issues and conditions that can be hazardous to worker health and safety; extensive experience mediating design professional aspects of toxic and environmental claims, as well as disputes relating to alleged insurance broker and real estate broker malpractice
• Real Estate: Resolved numerous matters involving transactions and financing of commercial and public real-estate projects, including purchase and sale transaction issues, partnership disputes involving real estate, landlord-tenant disputes, and finance, transactional, and documentation disputes involving real estate projects of all kinds; as well as disputes involving office buildings, commercial projects, and retail projects throughout California and the West
• Surety: George Calkins is among the most experienced mediators/arbitrators in suretyship practice and litigation today; has extensive experience resolving complex suretyship-based disputes involving performance bonds, payment bonds, and fidelity bonds; his suretyship experience includes bonds for public works and commercial projects, as well as underlying indemnity agreements; has mediated numerous disputes among surety companies and principals regarding indemnitor responsibility to the surety for payments on performance and payment bonds
• Special Master: Has been appointed by the court to serve as a Special Master/Settlement Officer in many complex cases and has served as an expert witness in business, construction, and insurance disputes

Representative Matters

• Dispute between a manufacturer and an aerospace company regarding performance of high priced, sensitive generators in Los Angeles
• Northridge earthquake-damaged condominium project, allocation of earthquake and construction defect caused damage of multiple buildings
• Five Star Hotel Project, Santa Barbara (coverage dispute among primary and excess carriers)
• Major Southern California metropolitan water district (dispute with manufacturer over blasting materials and procedures)
• Private foundation, Los Angeles (resolution of receivership dispute with partners in real estate development)
• Shopping center, Los Angeles (specific performance action by buyers against non-performing seller
• John Wayne International Airport, Orange County (runway projects)
• Two major Southern California hospitals (disputes between contractors and sureties)
• Central High School, Los Angeles (closeouts – public/private development)
• Alleged failure of an accountant to properly track the cost factors impacting a development firm's profitability in Nevada