Andrew K. Ulich is an AV Rated founding partner of Ulich & Terry LLP. He was previously a founding partner of Songstad, Randall & Ulich LLP, and prior to that was a partner with Meserve, Mumper & Hughes where he practiced for fourteen years. Mr. Ulich graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles with a degree in economics and attended the University of Southern California School of Law. Mr. Ulich served in a judicial clerkship to the Honorable David W. Williams, United States District Court. Mr. Ulich is licensed to practice before all courts of the State of California and the United States District Court.

Having handled all aspects of general civil, business and real estate litigation matters, Mr. Ulich specializes in real estate litigation, including construction defect, mechanic's lien, and related insurance issues and litigation. Additionally, Mr. Ulich has an active practice in appellate advocacy and has handled dozens of writs and appeals before the California Supreme Court, the California Courts of Appeal, and the United States Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Ulich was recently recognized by Southern California’s official legal paper, The Daily Journal, for his trial skills as having received one of the 10 largest jury verdicts in California for one of his developer clients.

Mr. Ulich is a regular speaker at builder trade shows and educational seminars. He has served as Judge Pro Tempore in Orange County and is a member of the local bar associations and trial lawyers' associations. Mr. Ulich's knowledge of real estate and insurance matters have caused various real estate related charities and associations to seek his advice, and he has served as a volunteer director for both profit and non-profit operations. Mr. Ulich also continues to dabble in tennis, having been a three-time CIF champion, a member of the UCLA varsity tennis team, and national paddle tennis champion.

Jonathan C. Terry is an AV Rated named partner with the law firm of Ulich & Terry LLP. Mr. Terry handles matters pertaining to construction, real property and premises liability claims, commercial disputes and bond claims venued in various California State and Federal District Courts. Mr. Terry currently devotes the majority of his practice to the defense of developers and general contractors in claims pertaining to construction defects and construction disputes, including construction accidents, catastrophic injuries, and mold claims. He is on the approved panel of defense counsel and performs extensive work as assigned defense counsel for Western World/Tudor Insurance, Investors, Royal & SunAlliance Insurance, Truck Insurance, CNA, Zurich, Employer's Mutual, Gerling America, Travelers, Nationwide Indemnity, United National, United National (Generali), and Certain Underwriters at Lloyds, London.

Mr. Terry was formerly a partner at Songstad, Randall & Ulich LLP. While at Songstad, Randall & Ulich, Mr. Terry won recognition for having obtained an extraordinary result in defending against a 112 single family home construction defect, mold contamination, and bodily injury suit. The case was tried for 4 months to a jury and resulted in a no net award after fees and costs, although the plaintiffs had asked the jury to award nearly $8 million. Prior to Songstad, Randall & Ulich, Mr. Terry practiced law with the San Francisco based law firm of Nevin & Hall. While there, Mr. Terry was instrumental in obtaining unusual relief for his clients by successfully urging various Superior Courts to deem two separate plaintiffs "vexatious litigants."

Mr. Terry was raised in Orange County, California and is currently raising his own family there. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Brigham Young University in 1987 and his law degree from the University of San Diego in 1990. At USD, Mr. Terry served as Vice-Justice and Treasurer of the McCormick Chapter of Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity, and completed seminars and internships for scholastic credit in real estate, land use and planning, development and construction. Mr. Terry is affiliated with the Orange County and San Francisco Bar Associations, the Real Property Section of the California Bar, the Building Industry Association, the Defense Research Institute, the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, and the Southern California Association of Surfing Attorneys.

James M. Ganion is an AV Rated litigation and transactional partner with the law firm of Ulich & Terry LLP, having formerly been a partner with Songstad, Randall & Ulich LLP where he worked for six years. Mr. Ganion primarily represents developers and contractors. Having worked for two large residential and commercial developers prior to becoming an attorney, and having focused his undergraduate education on the study of building design and construction, Mr. Ganion's background includes extensive practical knowledge and field experience.

As a litigator, Mr. Ganion handles all aspects of construction and real estate disputes, including complex litigation, site accidents, toxic torts and mechanic's lien actions, as well as arbitrations, mediations and homeowner disputes. Mr. Ganion's transactional practice also includes evaluation of insurance policies and programs, warranty and customer services practices, as well as contract drafting and negotiating. His representation of developers and contractors in both litigation and transactional matters enables him to provide full service to clients' business and litigation needs.

In 1992, Mr. Ganion received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington's College of Architecture and Urban Planning with a double major in Design & Planning and Building Construction. Mr. Ganion earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence from Vermont Law School in 1996. He is a member of both the Washington State and California bar associations, and is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. Mr. Ganion is also a member of the American and Orange County Bar Associations, as well as the Professional Ski Instructors of America. In 2005, Mr. Ganion was recognized by Law & Politics and Super Lawyers magazines as a "Rising Star," signifying his status as among the approximately 2.5 percent of the best up-and-coming attorneys in Southern California.

In addition to providing pro bono counseling to numerous minority business owners in Southern California, Mr. Ganion is also actively involved in the Orange County Constitutional Rights Foundation's Mock Trial and Peer Court programs for youths. He serves as a board member for homeowners' associations, has been involved with fish habitat restoration for Trout Unlimited, and has been a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity for over ten years. In his spare time, Mr. Ganion enjoys swimming, surfing, flyfishing and spending time with his wife and children.

Robert Balmuth is a litigator specializing in representation of developers. Mr. Balmuth has over 25 years of experience in the areas of construction defect litigation, real estate, tort, and contract law. He represents large developers in complex construction matters and contractual disputes. He is an experienced trial lawyer and, among his accomplishments, has successfully tried the longest jury trial in Orange County history (16 months), has successfully represented the 'American Cinema Editors' (A.C.E.) in a landmark trademark infringement suit against the National Cable Television Association (NCTA), and has several published appellate decisions, all with successful results.

Prior to joining Ulich & Terry LLP, Mr. Balmuth was a partner with Songstad, Randall and Ulich LLP, was a named partner of Davis, Balmuth & Fisher (1984-2000) and was the owner of the Law Offices of Robert L. Balmuth (1977-1984).

In 1974, Mr. Balmuth received his B.A. cum laude from the University of California at San Diego and, in 1977, received his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of San Diego School of Law. Mr. Balmuth is also a certified mediator, a Judge Pro Tempore, and is an active member of the American and Orange County Bar Associations.

Donald W. Fisher is a partner with the law firm of Ulich & Terry LLP. Mr. Fisher is licensed to practice law in the States of California and Colorado, in the Federal Court system, and is admitted to the Bar of the United States Supreme Court. Since 1990, he has focused his practice in the areas of construction defect litigation, real estate, tort, personal injury and contract law. Mr. Fisher has handled a wide array of civil litigation cases, including numerous matters on behalf of large developers. He has successfully dealt with various State and Federal agencies, including CAL/OSHA, the United States Department of Interior and the Bureau of Land Management.

Mr. Fisher is a certified arbitrator for the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc., is a selected mediator for several large Orange County law firms, and formerly sat as a Judge Pro Tempore at the Orange County Superior Court. Prior to Ulich & Terry LLP, Mr. Fisher was with Songstad, Randall & Ulich LLP, and had been a partner in the law firm of Davis, Balmuth & Fisher.

In 1990, Mr. Fisher received his Doctor of Jurisprudence, with honors, from California Western School of Law in San Diego, California. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1981 from California State University, Long Beach. Mr. Fisher is an active member of several Bar Associations, a member of the Knights of Columbus, and enjoys most outdoor activities, including hunting, fishing, skiing, boating, and hiking.

Timothy A. Gravitt is a partner with Ulich & Terry LLP. He previously was the principal in the Law Offices of Timothy A. Gravitt from 2000 to 2004, and prior to that was a partner at Meserve, Mumper & Hughes LLP for 9 years. Mr. Gravitt graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a degree in political science, and attended the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where he graduated in the top of his class. Mr. Gravitt is licensed to practice before all of the courts of the State of California, as well as the United States Districts Courts for the Central, Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of California, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal.

Over the course of his career Mr. Gravitt has handled a wide variety of litigation matters in both State and Federal courts, including insurance (bad faith and coverage disputes), construction defect, personal injury, employment, trust and probate, intellectual property, and general business disputes. His litigation experience includes court and jury trials, arbitrations and mediations, as well as writs and appeals, including several published California Court of Appeal opinions. Mr. Gravitt regularly tries cases, including a 4 month construction defect jury trial.

Mr. Gravitt is a member of the American Bar Association (Insurance, Torts and Litigation Sections), and the Los Angeles and Orange County Bar Associations. In the little spare time that he has, Mr. Gravitt enjoys surfing, snowboarding, coaching his son’s sports teams and traveling with wife, kids and dog in tow.

Jason Daniel Feld is a partner with Ulich & Terry LLP. Mr. Feld is licensed to practice law in the States of California and Texas and is admitted in the United States District Courts for the Southern and Central Districts of California, the Northern District of Texas and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Feld practices in the areas of construction defect, civil litigation, real estate, and insurance defense. Mr. Feld primarily represents large developers in complex construction and real estate litigation cases.

Mr. Feld received his Doctor of Jurisprudence, cum laude, from Whittier Law School in 1999. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of Houston in 1995. While in law school, Mr. Feld served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Alex Kozinski, Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Mr. Feld was a member of the Whittier Law Review and Trial Advocacy Honors Board, served as President of the National Jewish Law Students Association, and has been inducted into the Joseph A. Ball/Clarence S. Hunt Inns of Court.

Prior to Ulich & Terry LLP, Mr. Feld was with Songstad, Randall & Ulich LLP, and was an associate with the law firm of Bonetati & Kincaid. Mr. Feld is currently active in several professional organizations including the Orange County Bar Association Construction Law Section, Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, the International Association of Jewish Lawyers & Jurists and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. To maintain sanity, Mr. Feld enjoys playing basketball, scuba-diving and traveling. Mr. Feld is also a volunteer for California Beagle Adoption, Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity and Hillel Foundation of Orange County.

Scott D. Calkins is a litigation and transactional partner with Ulich & Terry LLP, having formerly been a partner with the law firm of Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman LLP, where he worked for 11 years. Mr. Calkins primarily represents commercial and residential developers and general contractors in a wide array of construction related and general liability issues. He also provides transactional experience involving project documents, owner/prime contracts, subcontracts and facility retrofit contracts with public works contractors and government entities. Mr. Calkins’ practice in the areas of business, real estate and general tort defense has included defending multi-million dollar fire subrogation cases, land development litigation, as well as personal injury and property damage claims involving public works projects. Mr. Calkins is recognized for his experience, methodologies, and success with complex case trials, mediations, settlement conferences and all other forums of alternative dispute resolution.

In 1992, Mr. Calkins earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance and Business from California State University at Long Beach’s Business School. Mr. Calkins earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence from Southwestern University School of Law in 1996. He is a member of the American Bar Association, California Bar Association, the Orange County Bar Association, and is admitted to practice before the United States District Court.

Mr. Calkins is a volunteer for numerous charities both in Southern California and abroad, with emphasis on Habitat for Humanity. He also provides pro bono counseling for small businesses and charities in Orange and San Diego counties. When Mr. Calkins is not working he enjoys outdoor activities of all varieties, including running, skiing, surfing, golf, football, softball, and hiking.

Eric William Thorson is a litigation associate with Ulich & Terry LLP. Mr. Thorson is licensed to practice law in the States of California and Colorado, and is active in the Orange County Bar Association. Mr. Thorson’s practice is currently focused on real estate cases, although he has gained significant experience over the years in general civil litigation and insurance defense matters. Mr. Thorson represents large developers, as well as contractors and subcontractors in complex construction and real estate litigation cases.

Mr. Thorson has been practicing law since 1991. Prior law firms in Southern California with which he has been associated are: Thagard & Reiss; Law Offices of William I. Chopak/Law Offices of Linda Libertucci (CNA staff counsel offices); Carrick & Ramey; Gilbert, Kelly, Crowley & Jennett; and Harris D. Himes & Associates. He also was an associate with the Denver, Colorado law firm of Fowler, Schimberg & Cowman. His experience is varied and includes construction defect litigation (since 1998), personal injury defense work, business litigation disputes, governmental immunity cases, coverage analyses, bad faith defense, and professional liability litigation.
Mr. Thorson received his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 1989. He received his Bachelor of Arts with honors in Business Administration and English (with an emphasis in writing) from Hastings College in Hastings, Nebraska in 1985.

Born and raised in central Nebraska, Mr. Thorson brings a “salt-of-the-earth” mentality and sensibility to his work as a lawyer, husband and father. Mr. Thorson has been married since 1991 and has a young daughter and son. Mr. Thorson is on the leadership council for the Saddleback Valley YMCA Parent-Child program, and has been an active participant in the program for two years. In his free time, he enjoys mountain bike riding and playing with his children.

Lori Cullman is a litigation associate with Ulich & Terry LLP. Ms. Cullman is licensed to practice law in the State of California and the United States District Court. She received her undergraduate degree from California State University, Long Beach and earned her J.D. at Loyola Law School in 1983. While attending law school, Ms. Cullman clerked for two Municipal judges in the Long Beach Courts. After graduating from law school, she served as a mentor in the law school student mentor program. Ms. Cullman specializes in the areas of real estate, construction, product liability, and insurance defense litigation. She also has extensive experience representing professionals in malpractice actions.

Ms. Cullman has participated in the activities of the Pediatric Cancer Research Institute and has provided legal services for the Poverty Law Center in Santa Ana as well as pro bono legal services for numerous day care centers in Orange County.

Ms. Cullman is a member of the State Bar of California, American Bar Association, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and the Southern California Defense Counsel. She taught Lawyering Skills at California Pacific School of Law and has presented numerous seminars to the insurance defense industry. Her topics have included defending a product liability action, proper claims handling involving product defect losses, Civil Code Section 877.6; good faith settlement issues, and handling liens. Ms. Cullman has had several articles published in California Defense Magazine on topics regarding arbitration and mediation.

Apart from her legal and professional endeavors, Ms. Cullman enjoys skiing, jogging and playing racquetball. She is married and has two sons.

James Jardin is a litigation associate with Ulich & Terry LLP. He is licensed to practice law in the State of California, as well as the United States District Court for the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Central Districts of California, and the United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Mr. Jardin received his B.A. in English Literature from the University of California at Berkeley in 1993 and his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law in 1996, where he earned significant honors as a John Henry Wigmore Scholar and Chairperson of the Moot Court Board. He currently specializes in the representation of developers and general contractors in general liability and construction defect litigation.

Prior to joining Ulich & Terry, Mr. Jardin specialized in the defense of design professionals in construction defect and delay claims, as well as construction-related injury and wrongful death claims. His broad array of civil litigation experience includes real estate, professional liability and errors and omissions defense. Mr. Jardin has extensive experience in all aspects of civil litigation, including law and motion practice, discovery practice, appellate practice and trial practice, and has obtained numerous settlements, dismissals and judgments favorable to clients and carriers.

In his free time, Mr. Jardin enjoys mountain biking, playing guitar, reading and snowboarding.

Lori R. Simon is a litigation associate with Ulich & Terry LLP. Ms. Simon was formerly associated with Long Williamson & Delis for nine years. Ms. Simon practices in the areas of construction defect, civil litigation, and insurance defense. She is licensed to practice before all courts of the State of California and the United States District Court.

Ms. Simon has been practicing law since 1996. Her experience is varied and includes construction defect litigation, personal injury (plaintiff and defense), business litigation disputes, and criminal defense.

Ms. Simon received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles in 1996. She received her Bachelor of Arts with a specialization in Psychology from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada in 1989. In her free time Ms. Simon enjoys photography, reading and the theatre.

David J. Byassee is a litigation associates with Ulich & Terry, LLP. Mr. Byassee primarily represents residential developers and general contractors in a wide array of construction related and general liability issues, including related insurance issues. He has extensive experience in construction defect litigation, having successfully represented developers, general contractors, design professionals and subcontractors.

Mr. Byassee has a wealth of knowledge in the field of real estate. He is a licensed California Real Estate Broker, and has defended numerous real estate agents/brokers, builders, landowners and property managers against claims of professional malpractice, negligence and intentional torts. He also provides transaction experience and counseling for small businesses in Orange County.

Mr. Byassee is experienced in all aspects of civil litigation, including pleading, discovery, law and motion, mediation, trial practice and appeals. He has obtained numerous settlements, dismissals and judgments favorable to clients and carriers.

Prior to joining Ulich & Terry, LLP, Mr. Byassee worked for the following respected law firms in Orange County: Klinedinst PC; Ross Dixon & Bell, LLP; and Bonetati Kincaid & Kincaid. His prior practice included handling the defense of a myriad of general business litigation matters, including contractual disputes, insurance coverage disputes, premises liability, professional liability, and products liability. Mr. Byassee gained appellate experience serving as a research assistant for Justice William W. Bedsworth at the California Court of Appeal, 4th District, Division. 3.

Mr. Byassee earned his J.D. at the nation’s first law school, Marshall-Wythe School of Law, at the College of William and Mary where he was a Graduate Research Fellow, the Senior News Editor for the law school’s newspaper The Advocate, and volunteer with the Student Legal Services program. During law school, Mr. Byassee also gained local government experience working for the City Attorney in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Mr. Byassee is a part-time professor at Chapman University, his alma mater, and a member of the esteemed William P. Gray Legion Lex Inn of Court.

Darren Johnson is a litigation associate with Ulich & Terry LLP. Mr. Johnson represents clients in real estate and construction litigation involving general liability, construction defects, contract disputes, lease disputes, unlawful detainer, and mechanic’s liens. He also has extensive experience defending clients against products liability and breach of warranty claims and defending real estate brokers and agents against breach of fiduciary duty and fraud claims. Mr. Johnson has obtained favorable results for clients at mediation and arbitration, as well as in jury trials.

Mr. Johnson earned his B.A. in History from UC Berkeley in 1996 and his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Minnesota in 2000. He began his legal career with Arter & Hadden LLP in Los Angeles. Mr. Johnson is admitted to practice before state courts in California, the United States District Court for the Central, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of California, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

In his free time, Mr. Johnson enjoys skiing, tennis, golf, softball, and cooking.