We successfully protect the interests of owners, developers, builders, contractors, design materials manufacturers and suppliers in a broad range of construction-related claims.
The firm’s construction attorneys represent clients in disputes arising from single-family dwellings to large commercial buildings and industrial facilities, including hospitals, office buildings, warehouses and planned unit developments. Specific experience includes resolving claims in excess of $10M and class actions involving in excess of 550 single-family residences.
Trial and binding arbitration experience includes claims involving complex drainage systems, excavation and geotechnical issues, as well as prosecuting claims involving a defectively-engineered roofing system.
Construction cases often involve many different areas of law. The firm has considerable experience in related fields such as environmental, contract, and product liability law.
Additionally, Sims, Lawrence & Broghammer is unique because it has extensive experience in construction-related insurance matters, including the management and interpretation of Self-Insured Retentions, additional insured endorsements, “wrap-ups”/Owner Controlled Insurance Programs (OCIPs), and commercial general liability policies, because of this experience, we frequently represent contractors assigned by carriers where special care is needed due to significant reservations of rights issues.
We assist employers in the fast-evolving area of Employment Law. Our priority is to resolve employers’ labor-related issues proactively, efficiently, and effectively.
We represent business and owners in employment disputes in state and federal court, both at the trial and appellate levels.
We implement a cost-benefit analysis to risk, exposure and reputation to protect our client’s business reputation and bottom line.
We also represent employers in front of federal and state administrative agencies, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH). Our goal is to quickly assess strengths and weaknesses of the case, in terms of liability and damages, and prepare the case for motions, settlement or trial.
Sims, Lawrence & Broghammer has successfully represented carrier and private clients in hundreds of matters involving Coverage and Coverage-related matters (i.e. indemnity, contract, and additional insured interaction). Our lawyers’ years of experience allow for identification and evaluation of Coverage issues that most Coverage attorneys may not fully understand.
Our Coverage Litigation experience includes first and third-party exposures. Our specialty is construction/contract-related indemnity and additional insured exposures. In these types of cases, we have successfully reduced the exposure through litigation and negotiations.We have excellent working relationships with most carriers. Our methods of rebuttal to carrier positions are borne more of education and cooperation than of an adversarial relationship. We pride ourselves in our ability to quickly identify whether the client needs negotiation or litigation. This ability to quickly identify the potential outcomes early in the process allows the client to make considered and informed decisions as to whether a cases should be mediated, arbitrated, or tried.
Sims, Lawrence & Broghammer represents design professionals in all aspects of risk management from contract review and negotiation to trial. We are the preeminent Northern California law firm representing design professionals from the San Francisco Bay Area to Lake Tahoe and from Fresno to Redding/Eureka.
We adhere to the foundation that a “stitch in time, saves nine.” We draft prime and subconsultant agreements which manage risks and protect our client’s interests, but which are fair to all parties. We review owner and contractor supplied contracts for risk management, indemnity, standard of care, insurance requirements and a host of other tricky provisions. This is done with an eye toward protecting the interests of your business and your personal assets all while meeting the needs of your clients. We have successfully negotiated countless contracts ranging from a few thousand to many millions of dollars. We balance the critical legal concerns with the practicalities of putting food on your table.
The firm has relationships with most errors and omissions insurance carriers so when you find yourself in a tight spot, in front of your professional board, or in litigation we have the litigation and trial experience to successfully navigate the trouble. We are always mindful of protecting business relationships as too many law firms simply want to fight to the last man and go for a risky “win” rather than doing what is effective and smart. Many lawyers foolishly misunderstand what it means to “win” and place their own interests ahead of their client’s interests. That said, we will efficiently and aggressively protect your interests.
Noah Hallam is an associate attorney with Sims, Lawrence & Broghammer. Noah’s practice predominantly focuses on insurance defense litigation, personal injury litigation, and general civil litigation.
Noah graduated from Sacramento State University with a B.A. in Philosophy. He was told that law schools love philosophy majors, so a course was set for law school and soon Noah earned his Juris Doctorate from the UC Davis School of Law.
While at UC Davis, Noah was a member of the King Hall Negotiations Team, competing at both local and state levels, and working alongside leading figures in the alternative dispute resolution community to learn more about the
evolving world of alternative dispute resolution processes.
When not working, Noah enjoys spending time with his friends and family, playing video games, playing Dungeons & Dragons, watching movies, both playing and listening to music, and trying to convince anyone with a pulse to play Magic the Gathering with him.
Golden Gate University of Law
Juris Doctorate
(1983)
Eastern Washington University
BA Political Science
(1972)
Santa Clara University
School of Law
Juris Doctorate
(2002)
San Francisco University
B.A in Psychology
(1999)
University of the Pacific,
McGeorge School of Law
Juris Doctorate
(1979)
Arizona State University, Bachelor of Science
(1976)
Cynthia is a founding member of the firm. Her practice focuses primarily on defending the Human Service Industry, large loss and complex general liability matters, and employment claims. She has an extensive background in Insurance Coverage adding significant value to complex litigation matters with coverage issues and with risk transfer opportunities. Cynthia manages the sensitive human service institutions in pre-litigation matters and she aggressively defends the entities when litigation ensues. She manages potential claim investigations, licensing issues, publicity issues and criminal issues.
Cynthia practices in California State Courts and all Federal District Courts. Her litigation experience includes jury trials, bench trials, arbitrations, and mediations. She manages the firm’s main office staff in Sacramento.
Cynthia received her Juris Doctorate from McGeorge School of Law with Distinction. She is a published author in the Pacific Law Journal. She attended her undergraduate studies at the University of California Los Angeles.
During her time away from work, Cynthia enjoys riding her horse, wine tasting, and scuba diving. Riding her horse gives her wings, wine tasting makes her happy, she has jumped out of perfectly good airplanes, scuba dove in Bonaire, Turks & Caicos, Mexico, Jamaica, with whale sharks in the Galapagos and Manta Rays in Indonesia. She is married and is a proud mother of a son and daughter.
