Laura Utterback is a partner in the Newport Beach office and she has been with the firm for the last 22 years of her practice.  Laura has focused her practice in the construction and real estate arena with an emphasis on insurance coverage. She represents top California homebuilders and developers throughout the entire State in all aspects of construction litigation.

Laura counsels her clients at every stage of the construction process from the negotiation of construction agreements to the administration of the contracts and develop risk management and warranty plans in order to avoid litigation. The Firm represents many of the major real estate developers, as well as contractors and design professionals in all aspects of complex claims and litigation. She also counsels clients on insurance risk management issues, regarding methods to minimize, avoid and transfer business risks. Laura is knowledgeable not only in the details of construction necessary to handle these claims, but also in the nuances of construction law and the construction business, such as insurance, warranty, indemnity, licensing, alter ego and regulatory matters, required to fully protect her clients.

Laura was named to the 2007 and 2008 rosters of Southern California Rising Stars, a compilation of the area’s up-and-coming attorneys from Law & Politics magazine.  In 2011, she was named to the roster of “Southern California Super Lawyers,” an annual peer-review survey also conducted by Law & Politics magazine.  Southern California Super Lawyers in a compilation of the top 5 percent of attorneys in the area.

Awards & Recognition

  • Selected to the Southern California Super Lawyers list, 2011-2014
  • Selected to the Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Star list, 2007-2008

Professional Affiliations

  • Orange County Bar Association
  • West Coast Women in Construction Board Member

Charitable & Civic Involvement

  • Long Beach Sailing Foundation Out Reach Program

Admissions

  • California, 1993
  • U.S. District Court, Central District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of California

Education

  • University of San Diego School of Law (J.D., 1993)
    • Outstanding Scholar Award
  • University of Southern California (cum laude, B.A., 1990)