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Theodore L. Senet

Partner
12100 Wilshire Boulevard,
Los Angeles, California 90025

310-734-3311

tsenet@gibbsgiden.com

Overview Professional Memberships Speaking Engagements Publications Honors And Awards

Professional Experience

Theodore L. Senet is a partner of the firm. Since joining the firm, Mr. Senet’s areas of practice have been insurance, construction, environmental, and real property law. Mr. Senet has been involved in planning and construction of major projects, including high rise buildings, hospitals, airports, roadways, pipelines, power plants, refineries, and major commercial and residential developments. He currently represents private and public entities in project planning, insurance coverage disputes, complex construction defect and environmental litigation, construction delay claims, and class action litigation. He has taught courses on insurance, construction, and real property law, and has been a principal speaker at numerous seminars and industry conferences. He has published numerous articles and has been a contributing author on a number of books on construction and insurance law. Mr. Senet has been as an adjunct professor at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, where he taught Construction Law and Sustainable Development.

Mr. Senet is a member of the American Bar Association, Tort and Insurance Practice Section, and a member of the ABA Forum on Construction Law. Mr. Senet has served as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association. He is a former director of the Los Angeles Chapter of the United States Green Building Council and a LEED® Accredited Professional (Building Design and Construction). Mr. Senet is AV Rated Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell.

PRACTICE AREAS

Education

  • Loyola Law School (J.D.), Los Angeles, CA, 1978
  • University of California at Santa Barbara (B.A., English), Santa Barbara, CA, 1975

Bar Admissions

  • U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1979
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1979
  • California Bar No. 82788, 1978

Certifications

  • LEED® Accredited Professional, 2009

Representative Clients:

  • City of Burbank
  • City of Glendale
  • City of Goleta
  • City of Moreno Valley
  • City of Oxnard
  • City of Pasadena
  • City of Palm Springs
  • City of Riverside
  • County of Riverside
  • County of San Luis Obispo
  • San Bernardino Associated Governments
  • Crescent Heights
  • Equity Residential
  • Pulte Homes

Professional Memberships

  • State of California Bar Association
  • Los Angeles County Bar Association
  • American Bar Association (Tort and Ins. Section; Forum on Construction Law)
  • Los Angeles Business Counsel
  • City Attorney Association of Los Angeles County
  • Construction Managers Association of America, CMAA (Affiliate Member)
  • U.S. Green Building Council Los Angeles Chapter (former Director)

Speaking Engagements

  • Speaker, Managing the Risk of Natural Disasters in Public Contracts, County Counsels’ Association of California, San Diego (May 17, 2018)
  • Moderator, Staying Afloat After a Wipe Out – Owner Risk Management Tools, Los Angeles, California (March 15, 2018)
  • Co-speaker, Fundamentals of Construction Law, San Fernando Valley Bar Association, Los Angeles, CA (September 6, 2017)
  • Panel Speaker, Public Works Horror Show, California State Bar Annual Convention, San Diego, CA (August 19, 2017)
  • Panel Speaker, The Winds of Change are Blowing: Staying Ahead of the Sustainability Trends in Building Codes and Regulations, American Bar Association Forum on Construction, Rancho Mirage (February 3, 2017)
  • Co-speaker, Introduction to Public Contracting, Procurement and Public Works, County Counsels’ Association of California, San Diego, CA (March 17, 2016)
  • Resolving Disputes with Other People’s Money: An Update on Insurance Law and Risk Management for Public Entities, CAALAC Spring Retreat, Los Angeles, CA. (March 21, 2015).
  • Sustainability: How California Cities Are Leading the World, League of Cities Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA. (September 2014).
  • Green Building, Leasing and Sustainability, University of California, Continuing Education of the Bar, Westwood, CA. (May 2014).
  • New California Energy Laws: Major Opportunities and Liabilities for Green Building and Renovation Projects, Municipal Green Building Conference & Expo, Downey, CA. (April 2014).
  • New Developments in Public Works Contracting, City Attorneys Association of Los Angeles County, Laguna Beach, CA. (March 2014).
  • Principal Speaker, “New Laws on Green Building and Energy,” 20th Annual Review Preview Construction Law (January 2014).
  • Panel Speaker, “Construction Defects Litigation,” University of California, Continuing Education of the Bar (March 2013).
  • Joint Presentation, “Green Building – Legal Issues and Solutions,” 12 Annual Municipal Green Building Conference (April 2013).
  • Moderator, “Constitutional Issues Relating to Buy Local and Local Hiring and Contractor Preferences,” League of Cities Conference (May 2012).
  • Speaker, “Future of the Built Environment,” Loyola Law School (March 2012).
  • Joint Presentation, “Green Building – Legal Issues and Solutions,” Municipal Green Building Conference & Expo (2012).
  • Panel Speaker, Continuing Education of the Bar (University of California and the State Bar of California): Construction Defect Litigation (2012 – 1998).
  • Speaker, “Green Building Liability,” Los Angeles Chapter of the Construction Specification Institute (February 2011).
  • Panel Speaker, “We Won’t Get Fooled Again: Lessons Learned from the Economic Downturn,”sponsored by the American Bar Association (September 2010).
  • Principal Speaker, CLE International Municipal Law Conference: “Green Design and Building – Legal Risks and Issues;” and “Public Works Projects – Claims Avoidance, Bid Protests and Dealing with Defaulting Developers and Sureties” (June 2010).
  • Moderator, Continuing Education of the California State Bar: – Hot Topics in Property & Liability Insurance (May 2010).
  • Speaker, Tri-Counties Government Lawyers Association: “Advantages, Disadvantages and Implementation of Design Build Project Delivery Systems” (March 2010).

Publications

  • Theodore L. Senet, Jason M. Adams, and Clayton Calvin,“Ruling Closes the Loop on Restrictive Additional Insured Endorsement – Reasonable Expectations of Insured Builder Prevails Over Intent of Insurer”Construction Defect Journal, August (2019) 
  • Theodore L. Senet and S. Staroba, “Is Your Neighbor a Nuisance? Protecting Your Solar Rights”, California Lawyer, www.callawyer.com, December 8, 2017
  • Theodore L. Senet and J. Acret, Chapter 8, “Architects & Engineers”, California Construction Contracts, Defects and Litigation, Continuing Education of the Bar, California 2009 – 2018
  • Theodore L. Senet, New California Sustainability Laws, The Public Law Journal, Vol. 38, No.1, Winter 2015.
  • Theodore L. Senet and Lynn A. Mastandrea, California’s Statewide ‘Green’ Building Code: New Challenges and Opportunities, Construction Managers Association of America – Southern California Chapter (Fall 2008 Newsletter).
  • Theodore L. Senet, Recent Developments in California Construction Law, The Real Property Section – State Bar of California, 27th Annual Retreat (May 2008 Program Materials).
  • Theodore L. Senet, Nuts & Bolts of Modern Wrap-Up Liability Insurance, URS Claims Resource, Fall 2008 Newsletter.
  • Theodore L. Senet, California Construction Law – 2007 Edition, Chapter 5 – Surety Bonds (William D. Locher, ed., HLK Global Communications, Inc. 2007).
  • Theodore L. Senet, California Construction Law – 2007 Edition, Chapter 4 – Insurance & Risk Management (William D. Locher, ed., HLK Global Communications, Inc. 2007).

Honors And Awards

  • AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell (highest rating)
  • The Legal 500 United States, Recommended Lawyer, 2019, 2021
  • Recognized by The Best Lawyers In America, 2023, 2024
  • Recognized by Southern California Super Lawyers 2015-2023