One of the hottest segments of today's housing market is converting apartments to condominiums, yet the trend presents unique challenges to developers, including construction, insurance and liability issues.

Greg Dillion, co-founding partner of Newport Beach-based Newmeyer & Dillion LLP, will address this topic on a panel entitled "How to Handle the Construction Defect Question," to be held at 2:30 pm., Thursday, July 13, during the West Coast Condo Conversion Conference next week at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza.

Session chairman is Robert Freedman, partner in the Law Offices of Tharpe & Howell. Also participating on the panel is Ed Martinet of MC2 Consultants, a national construction management and forensic consulting firm. Speakers will address the most common areas of construction risk and offer practical advice for those who are considering taking on a conversion.

According to Dillion, even though condominium conversion was popular in the 1980s, the construction defect liability case law for developers doing conversions is not well established. Dillion will cover such legal questions as the application of SB 800, California's landmark "fix-it" law, and who is liable for future repairs, the original building owner or the converter. He will also address how to reduce the risk through indemnities, insurance and organizational structure.

Last Updated ( Sunday, 09 July 2006 )