Richard Chernick, Esq.

Richard Chernick, Vice President and Managing Director of JAMS’ Arbitration Practice, is a nationally recognized expert in the resolution of complex and multi-party matters. Mr. Chernick has arbitrated and mediated numerous real property, construction, and infrastructure cases involving contractual, delay, change order, termination, and performance claims, as well as disclosure, fraud, land subsidence, earthquake damage, real estate valuation, and insurance coverage issues. These disputes involved public and private property including public utilities, theme parks, hotels, casinos, schools, recreational structures, mobile home parks, and shopping centers.

Representative Mediations

• Claims concerning construction of cogeneration power plant
• Dispute between owner and prime contractor regarding construction of school
• Land use dispute between utility, developer, and public entity
• Multi-party dispute between landowner, developer, and public entities regarding land use in connection with multi-family planned development

Representative Arbitrations

• Commercial leasehold/option dispute
• Dispute between developer of convenience center and restaurant complex and general contractor
• Dispute between excavation subcontractor and prime contractor on large infrastructure/public works project
• Dispute between major electrical contractor and estimator (SFO expansion)
• Infrastructure dispute between owner and contractor of design-build toll road contract (more than thirty separate arbitrations consolidated before one tripartite panel)
• Dispute between residential real property developer and landscape contractor
• Dispute between school district and prime and subcontractors regarding construction of middle school
• Dispute over the terms of a major shopping center lease and related damage claims
• Dissolution of real estate limited partnership including valuation of residential real property holdings
• Fraud claim in sale of residential apartment complex
• Fraud claim involving the sale of a 205-unit apartment house
• Homeowners Association dispute with Management Company (contractual and management issues)
• Hotel construction project: mechanical contractor claims
• Hotel management dispute
• Partnership/LLC dispute regarding attributes of ownership of shopping center
• Periodic rental adjustment under long term lease
• Public works project: infrastructure dispute between prime contractor and drilling subcontractor
• Rent reset under 99-year ground lease for major office building
• Sale of residential real property: disclosure and fraud issues re land subsidence
• Title insurance coverage dispute (commercial property)