Treg A. Julander

After 20 years as an attorney at large law firms and in house with a general contractor, Mr. Julander has the depth and breadth of experience to solve the most complex legal problems, with particular expertise in construction law, appellate practice, insurance coverage and business litigation.

From 2008-2021, Mr. Julander served as General Counsel for Advent Companies in San Juan Capistrano, California, a general contractor specializing in the construction of affordable housing. As General Counsel, he was responsible for negotiating and drafting construction and intellectual property contracts, handling the company’s litigation and appeals, and counseling officers on employment issues.

Prior to joining Advent Companies, Mr. Julander was a partner in the Trial Section at Rutan & Tucker, LLP in Costa Mesa, California. At Rutan, he handled numerous state and federal court appeals and complex business and insurance coverage litigation. Mr. Julander began his legal career in the business litigation department at Wiley, Rein & Fielding in Washington, D.C. in 1994, where he specialized in insurance coverage appeals and asbestos litigation.

Mr. Julander graduated from George Washington University in 1994 with highest honors. He was a member of the George Washington University Law Review, Vice President for Interscholastic Affairs of the Moot Court Board, a member of the Order of the Coif, and recipient of the Glen A. Wilkinson Fellowship Award. He received his BS from Weber State University in Political Science.

Mr. Julander is the author of “Until Murder Do Us Part,” a legal thriller (Parables Publishing 2014) (www.TregJulander.com). He is also the co-designer of “My Soundtrack,” a family card game to be published in 2024. Mr. Julander also hosts a podcast about rock music at RockTaleHour.com. He lives in Rancho Santa Margarita, California with his wife, Jenny, and enjoys mountain biking, hiking, rock concerts, and games with Jenny and their two daughters.

• Free Consultation

California

State Bar of California

ID Number: 174759

Since 1994

9th Circuit

Weber St Coll

Undergraduate Degree

The George Washington University Law School

Law Degree

California State Bar  # 174759

Member

1994 - Current

Q. I have an interior design client that is in breach of contract. She refuses to pay our invoices.

December 11, 2023

A: You could first send a demand letter on attorney letterhead to see if that provokes her to make the past-due payments. If that doesn't work, you could file a lawsuit for breach of contract. If your work contributed to a work of improvement, you may be entitled to record a mechanics lien against the property and then file a lawsuit to foreclose the lien.

Q. Remodel project gone wrong - what to do next?

November 2, 2023

A: If the contractor is licensed, you should be able to make a claim against his license bond. You can also file a complaint with the Contractors State License Board. If the complaint is well founded the CSLB can order the contractor to pay for your damages at the risk of suspension of his license. If the contractor caused physical damage to your property, his liability insurance may cover your damages. And if you can find the contractor and he has assets, you could file a lawsuit for breach of contract. If you get a judgment against the contractor, send it to the CSLB, and his license will be suspended if he doesn't timely satisfy the judgment. If you want to pursue contract claims, I would start with a demand letter from an attorney and a review of your contract to see what rights you have for the contractor's breach. All these steps may generate enough leverage to get him to complete the work or compensate you for your damages if you don't want him to complete the work.

If the contractor is not licensed, you have other legal remedies available, including disgorgement of the full amount that you paid him.

If you are planning to sell or refinance your property soon, a mechanics lien could interfere with that. Otherwise, it may not have an immediate impact on you. However you may ultimately have to prove the lien is meritless if the contractor files a lawsuit to foreclose. ... Read More

Q. Not sure what Lien type to file, please help. 1. Claim of Lien (Mechanics Lien), 2. Notice of Payment Bond Claim private

September 11, 2023

A: Civil Code section 9300 requires subcontractors to give a preliminary notice to the owner and the prime contractor before the subcontractor is entitled to assert a claim against a payment bond or serve a stop payment notice. The preliminary notice gives the owner and prime contractor basic information about the type of services to be provided and the estimated amount for the purpose of informing the owner who is performing work on their property. The payment bond claim or stop payment notice can only cover labor and materials furnished 20 days prior to service of the preliminary notice. So it's critical that you serve a preliminary notice as soon as possible when you commence a project. There are construction form services available on the the web to help you prepare a preliminary notice if you don't already have a form, and construction lawyers frequently have forms that you can use. Since you say it's a public works project, it's likely that no mechanics lien remedies are available. Even if you are too late to serve a preliminary notice and obtain rights to make a payment bond claim or serve a stop payment notice, you should still have contract claims against the general contractor to help you get paid. ... Read More