Joseph A. Ferrentino, Esq., joins JAMS as a neutral after a distinguished career in civil litigation spanning more than 30 years. Before retiring from active practice, he served as a partner at Newmeyer Dillion for 24 years. He led the firm’s construction department and handled disputes in areas including real estate, business, insurance coverage, and complex, multiparty matters.

Mr. Ferrentino has tried and arbitrated cases in nine counties, from San Diego to Sacramento, on behalf of claimants and defendants. He is known for his credibility, rigorous preparation and pragmatic approach to dispute resolution. Throughout his practice, he managed extensive pretrial discovery, tried high-stakes cases to verdict, briefed and argued matters before courts of appeal and obtained hundreds of favorable settlements in various types of matters. Mr. Ferrentino’s knowledge of technical, contractual and insurance issues, especially in the construction and real estate sectors, enables him to offer parties an independent lens to evaluate the merits and dynamics of their case, as well as the cost of litigation. He is available to serve as a mediator and special master in a range of commercial, insurance and construction-related disputes.

Representative Matters

• Business Commercial
• Represented owners and tried matters involving partnership and ownership disputes for breach of contract, misrepresentation, concealment and fraud
• Represented real estate developers in breach of contract and fraud claims arising from the acquisition and development of real estate
• Litigated claims on behalf of business owners involving alleged misappropriation of trade secrets.
• Litigated numerous claims arising out of all sorts of contracts between businesses
• Defended a breach of contract and fraud claim arising from the sale of organic compounds
• Construction
• Represented a number of owners of custom homes that have suffered damages from construction defects, engineering defects and soils subsidence
• Represented owners of an exclusive home in Hidden Hills arising from a defective pool that required over $800,000 in repairs due to construction defects and soils conditions
• Represented a private high school in a construction defect claim against the general contractor
• Represented owners of commercial spaces and apartments in construction defect claims
• Represented builders in many construction defect cases at trial and arbitration against homeowners and subcontractors
• Negotiated settlements between developers, engineers, subcontractors, two homeowners’ associations, insurance companies and lenders that totaled over $30 million arising from the infamous Laguna Niguel landslide
• Defended a class action lawsuit alleging defective copper pipes in over 300 homes in Santa Margarita
• Arbitrated several claims involving alleged defective framing anchors
• After a three-week trial, defensed a construction defect claim brought by 28 homeowners in Oxnard who alleged defects in slabs to roofs
• Defended multiple construction defect claims involving mold
• Represented clients to dispute and resolve claims made with the Contractor’s License Board.
• Insurance
• Represented multiple homeowners against their insurance carriers to pursue bad faith claims arising out of a water intrusion into their homes
• Early in his career, represented insurance companies defending breach of contract and bad faith claims
• Represented builders and property owners in breach of contract and bad faith claims against insurance companies arising from construction, design and soils defects
• Negotiated numerous coverage disputes regarding OCIP or “wrap” insurance
• Litigated numerous claims concerning “owned property exclusions,” “property damage,” “subsidence exclusions,” “ongoing operations” and self-insured retentions/deductibles
• Defended claims made by insurance companies against their insureds alleging fraud
• Represented several insureds arising out of claims related to business practices
• Real Property
• After negotiating over a $10 million settlement with homeowners, their lenders, two homeowners’ associations and the City of Orange, pursued the City of Anaheim in a five-month trial for inverse condemnation, which resulted in verdicts of over $25 million
• Represented numerous buyers, sellers and owner/builders of homes claiming failure to disclose defects in the property
• Represented students in an apartment complex in San Luis Obispo in a class action lawsuit against the apartment owner for uninhabitable conditions due to water intrusion
• Represented owners of condominiums in disputes with homeowners’ associations
• Represented numerous property owners related to easements, view obstructions and property line disputes
• Represented commercial tenant against homeowners’ association arising from water intrusion
• Drafted and revised purchase and sale agreements, disclosures and warranties

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

Selected Awards and Honors

• Orange County Attorney of the Year – Litigation Real Estate, Best Lawyers, 2014
• Orange County Best Lawyers, Real Estate and Construction, 2012–2026
• Southern California Super Lawyers, 2004–2020, 2023
• Top 50 Orange County Lawyers, Super Lawyers, 2010, 2012 and 2013
• AV Preeminent Rating, Martindale-Hubbell Pear Review

Memberships and Affiliations

• Board Member, Human Options (charitable organization), 2018–2025
• Member, Orange County Bar Association, 1992–2025

Background and Education

• J.D., Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, 1992
  • Thomas More Honor Society
• B.S., California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, 1989