T: 415.954.4426
F: 415.954.4480
dballati@fbm.com
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Deborah S. Ballati, Partner
Deborah S. Ballati has a broad civil and commercial litigation practice with an emphasis on construction and insurance coverage.
In her construction litigation practice, Ms. Ballati has represented companies involved in virtually all aspects of the construction industry, including owners, contractors, design professionals, subcontractors and sureties. Her cases have included delay and defect claims arising out of commercial, residential and heavy civil construction projects, contract drafting and negotiation and insurance matters related to construction. Her clients include the University of California, the Port of Oakland, CH2M Hill, HNTB and BAE Systems, formerly Stewart & Stevenson Services, Inc.
In her insurance coverage practice, Ms. Ballati has represented policyholders in pursuing coverage under all types of insurance policies, including primary and excess general liability policies, property policies, professional liability policies and employment practices liability policies. She has also helped design, negotiate, place and implement environmental insurance for the Fleet Industrial Supply Center, Oakland (FISCO), a number of FOSET transfers from the U.S. military including the Oakland Army Base, and has assisted a client in designing the Owner Controlled Insurance Program (OCIP) for a $1 billion capital improvement program.
Ms. Ballati regularly lectures and provides client seminars on insurance and construction law issues throughout the United States. She was the chair of the ABA Forum on the Construction Industry for the 2002-2003 ABA year. She serves as an arbitrator for the San Francisco Superior Court and the American Arbitration Association (panel of commercial and construction arbitrators), and has served as a Judge Pro Tem in the San Francisco Superior Court. She is a Fellow in the American College of Construction Lawyers, and was recognized as one of the leading construction attorneys in California in the 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 Chambers USA Guide to America's Leading Business Lawyer, and as a 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 Northern California Super Lawyer and Top 50 Female Northern California Super Lawyer by Law & Politics.