California Public Works Projects: Managing Contracts and Resolving Disputes

This Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of California Public Works Projects. Written for contractors, owners, architects, engineers and public agencies, the author explains California public works and contract law. This popular manual assists all parties to the public works process in fulfilling their legal responsibilities, and avoiding typical project difficulties and disputes. The author provides practical information regarding local and state agency contracting and specific legal requirements.

ERNEST C. BROWN, P.E., ESQ.

Ernest C. Brown has more than 25 years of California public works experience in professional engineering, project management, construction law, construction claims consulting, and the arbitration and mediation of construction disputes. A noted speaker and author, he has conducted more than 250 seminars throughout the world and has written five books on construction law. He has worked on project disputes in 36 countries around the globe.

Mr. Brown was Chief Executive Officer of Ernest Brown & Company, a west coast construction law firm handling over 2,500 disputes. Previously, he was a Managing Partner of the Construction Group of Stradling, Yocca, Carlson & Rauth, providing counsel to $1 billion in state and local projects. He has also held a position as Corporate Counsel for Fluor Daniel Corporation providing counsel to $5 billion in domestic and international projects; and served as a litigation attorney at Bronson, Bronson & McKinnon. The numerous domestic and international construction projects for which he has provided legal advice include John Wayne Airport, Anaheim Arena, Orange County Performing Arts Center, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), Los Angeles MTA, Central Arizona Project, as well as many industrial, roadway, bridge and sewage treatment projects.

Juris Doctor - Law, University of California Berkeley, 1978
M.S. - Project Management, University of California Berkeley, 1978, B.S. - Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1975; PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATIONS: California Bar (1978) and Professional Engineer - California (1980).