Practice Areas
How Can We Help You?
At Howard | Genzon LLP, we provide strategic, results-driven legal solutions tailored to your needs. Whether it’s surety law, construction disputes, real property matters, business conflicts, probate litigation, or insurance coverage issues, we guide you every step of the way with expertise, integrity, and personalized attention.
01.
Surety Law:
At Howard | Genzon LLP, suretyship is more than a practice area, it’s part of our professional pedigree. Our attorneys have deep, hands-on experience representing sureties in every facet of the business, from pre-bond underwriting support to complex, multi-party litigation. We understand that surety claims move quickly, involve technical issues, and require confident, decisive counsel who can balance risk, exposure, and business considerations.
Our team has decades of combined experience in the surety industry, including:
- Claims Investigation and analysis of various types of bonds, including but not limited to payment and performance bond claims, license bond claims and court bond claims.
- Assesing liability, coverage, defenses and indemnity obligations under General Indemnity Agreements
- Guiding sureties through default delarations, cure opportunities, and takeover decisions.
- Managing tenders of completion contractors and negotiating completion agreement.
- Coordinating project continuation while mitigating delay, cost overruns, and lien exposure.
- Defending sureties in performance and payment bond actions.
- Prosecuting indemnity actions, enforcing collateral demands, and recovering losses from principals and indemnitors.
- Litigating issues involving fraud, misrepresentation, bad faith allegations, and priority disputes.
- Pursuing subrogation rights against defaulting principals, subcontractors, suppliers, and third parties.
- Navigating priority and allocation disputes in insolvency, bankruptcy, or competing claim scenarios.
- Advising insurers on bond forms, endorsements, and manuscript language.
- Providing guidance on underwriting risk, contract structure, and regulatory compliance.
- Counseling clients on public works statutory schemes, private works requirements, and industry standards.
As a complement to our surety practice, our attorneys also bring extensive construction law experience, enabling us to quickly understand the underlying project issues that drive surety exposure. We routinely address matters involving defects, delays, change orders, stop notices, mechanics liens, and contract interpretation.
02.
Construction Law:
Howard | Genzon has extensive experience handling the full spectrum of construction-related disputes on behalf of developers, property owners, general contractors, subcontractors, design professionals, suppliers, sureties, and lenders. Whether the issue involves a breach of contract, delay claim, construction defect, or another complex project dispute, we understand the unique challenges of the construction industry and know how to navigate them effectively.
We have a strong history of advocating for clients in high-stakes construction matters and appreciate how disruptive and expensive these disputes can become. Our approach is strategic and collaborative: we work closely with each client to identify their goals, evaluate risks, and craft a path toward an efficient and favorable resolution.
Our team’s experience spans every phase of construction law, including contract drafting and negotiation, project administration, early dispute resolution, and litigation in state and federal courts.
03.
Real Property
Howard | Genzon has extensive experience and deep expertise in all facets of real property law. Our attorneys represent lenders, property owners, escrow agents, and title insurers in complex real estate disputes in both state and federal courts. We also understand that many property-related conflicts carry significant emotional and financial weight. With this in mind, we prioritize efficient and strategic early resolution whenever possible, pursuing creative and practical solutions tailored to each client’s objectives. Our reputation for excellence in real property litigation is reflected in our work across a broad spectrum of matters, including:
Real Property Litigation & Disputes
- Ownership disputes
- Validity and priority of liens
- Easement and access disputes
- Nuisance and trespass claims
- Slander of title
- Quiet title actions
- Fraud and forgery claims
- Eminent domain and condemnation actions
Title, Lien, and Insurance Matters
- Equitable subrogation rights
- Mechanic’s liens
- Foreclosure litigation
- Title insurance claim investigation
- Title insurance coverage and bad faith litigation
- Lender liability
- Escrow liability
Trust, Probate & Remedies
- Probate and trust litigation involving real property
- Temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions
- Recovery of property under the Uniform Voidable Transfer Act
- Judgment enforcement and collection actions
04.
Business Disputes:
Our Firm represents clients in a broad range of business disputes in both state and federal courts. We approach every matter with a clear understanding of each client’s goals and priorities, taking the time to learn their operations and tailor our strategy to what truly matters to them. Whether a complicated transaction has unraveled or a delinquent account needs to be recovered, we focus on delivering practical, results-driven solutions that align with your business objectives.
Our attorneys regularly handle matters involving:
- Contract enforcement and breach of contract disputes
- Real estate litigation, including ownership and title issues, easements, purchase and sale disputes, leasehold interests, and accessibility compliance
- Business tort claims
- Insurance coverage and related disputes
- Uniform Commercial Code matters and sale-of-goods conflicts
- Unfair competition and business practice claims
- Equipment leasing disputes
- Employment-related claims
- Partnership, member, and shareholder conflicts
- Fraudulent transfer actions
- Complex debt recovery, restructuring, and workouts
- Judicial and non-judicial foreclosures on commercial and real property
- Enforcement and collection efforts involving trusts, family limited partnerships, and other asset-protection structures
- Creditor representation in bankruptcy proceedings, including Chapters 7, 11, and 13
05.
Lender Liability and Financial Institutions
Howard | Genzon LLP represents banks, credit unions, private lenders, financial institutions, and borrowers in a wide range of lender liability and financial-services disputes. With a deep understanding of the regulatory landscape and the complex contractual frameworks governing lending relationships, our Firm provides strategic, results-oriented counsel in matters where financial exposure and institutional reputation are at stake.
Our attorneys handle claims involving breach of lending agreements, fiduciary-duty allegations, fraud, negligent loan servicing, wrongful foreclosure, predatory lending claims, and disputes arising from commercial, residential, and construction loans. We are also experienced in defending financial institutions against statutory claims under state and federal laws, including unfair business practices, collection-related claims, and regulatory compliance disputes.
We work closely with lenders to identify risk early, respond promptly to borrower allegations, and develop practical strategies aligned with their business goals and regulatory obligations.
Howard | Genzon LLP combines industry knowledge with sophisticated litigation skills to protect our clients’ financial interests. Whether through negotiation, alternative dispute resolution, or trial, we aim to achieve efficient and favorable outcomes.
06.
Probate Litigation:
Our Firm represents trustees, beneficiaries, heirs, fiduciaries, and interested parties in all aspects of probate and trust litigation. Disputes involving estates and trusts are often complex, highly sensitive, and deeply personal. We understand the financial and emotional stakes involved, and we approach each matter with a combination of strategic advocacy, meticulous legal analysis, and respect for the family dynamics at play.
Our probate litigation team handles a wide range of contested matters, including:
- Will and trust contests, including claims of undue influence, lack of capacity, fraud, and improper execution
- Breach of fiduciary duty claims against trustees, executors, and personal representatives
- Accounting disputes, including challenges to management of estate or trust assets
- Removal or suspension of trustees, executors, and fiduciaries
- Interpretation and construction of wills and trust instruments
- Contested conservatorships and guardianships
- Elder financial abuse claims, including recovery of misappropriated assets
- Creditor claims and disputes involving estate liabilities
- Property title disputes, including claims involving jointly owned property, community property, and trust transmutation
- Disputes involving powers of attorney, advance directives, and healthcare decision-making authority
We are experienced in navigating probate courts throughout California and understand the procedural and substantive nuances unique to these matters. Our goal is to resolve disputes efficiently and effectively, whether through negotiation, mediation, or trial, while protecting our clients’ rights and the intent of the decedent.
With a firm grounded in real estate, construction, and business litigation, we bring a sophisticated understanding of complex assets, property issues, and financial disputes that often intersect with probate matters. This multidisciplinary approach allows us to deliver strategic, focused representation for clients facing high-stakes estate and trust conflicts.
07.
Insurance Coverage/Bad Faith Litigation:
Our Firm represents insurers in complex coverage disputes and bad faith litigation throughout California. With a deep understanding of policy language, claims-handling standards, and the evolving landscape of insurance law, we provide strategic, results-driven representation designed to protect our clients’ contractual rights and financial interests.
We work closely with claims professionals, underwriters, risk managers, and carriers to evaluate exposure, interpret policy terms, and develop a clear litigation strategy, from pre-suit analysis through trial and appeal. Our approach is grounded in meticulous investigation, early identification of key coverage issues, and a practical understanding of how coverage decisions intersect with business realities.
Our attorneys defend insurers in a wide range of matters, including:
- Coverage disputes involving CGL, property, auto, homeowners, professional liability, D&O, E&O, and other lines
- Bad faith claims, including allegations of unreasonable claims handling, delayed payments, or improper investigations
- Declaratory relief actions regarding coverage obligations, exclusions, and policy interpretation
- Reservation of rights and Cumis counsel issues
- Excess exposure and policy-limits demands
- Contribution and subrogation disputes between carriers
- Duty to defend vs. duty to indemnify disputes
- First-party property claims involving valuation, causation, and scope-of-loss disagreements
- Coordination of overlapping or competing policies, including additional insured tenders and priority-of-coverage issues
Our insurance team includes attorneys who have served as coverage counsel, monitoring counsel, and litigation defense counsel in state and federal courts. We have successfully defended carriers against claims seeking indemnity payments, defense costs, punitive damages, and extracontractual liability.
We pride ourselves on delivering clear, actionable guidance and strong courtroom advocacy, ensuring that insurers have the support they need to navigate high-exposure disputes efficiently and effectively.