Our Services

Since 1975, surety companies have relied upon members of Gascou Hopkins to resolve complex and high-risk surety matters efficiently. Our attorneys augment significant experience litigating surety cases throughout California with important insight relating to the trends and changes in the industry. An experienced partner will handle your case personally and respond when you have questions.

Our surety experts have been featured speakers and written countless articles for organizations such as the ABA’s Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section, and for preeminent industry publications like Best’s Review. Members of our firm have also been retained as expert witnesses in the field of surety litigation.

Gascou Hopkins also provides subrogation and recovery services as well as third-party administrator (TPA) claims services for commercial and contract surety claims — augmenting a surety’s in-house claims department to reduce overhead, or assist with periods of high claim volume.

Gascou Hopkins advises insurers and handles large-scale commercial litigation involving complex policy coverage issues. Our insurance coverage practice is part of a firm wide multidisciplinary practice serving the insurance industry for more than four decades. We have often been called upon to review policies, whether CGL, builders’ risk, manuscript policies, or excess and umbrella policies, to determine whether the policies cover losses that have been presented to, or paid by, our clients.

Gascou Hopkins achieves significant recoveries and loss mitigation for our clients through close scrutiny of various avenues for reimbursement and, where necessary, prosecution of coverage litigation to enforce our clients’ rights. Our coverage lawyers are problem solvers with common sense and widespread experience, who provide outstanding advice and counsel. Our attorneys are also veteran trial lawyers with well-honed courtroom skills and are effective advocates in mediations and arbitrations.

For more than four decades, we have represented clients in construction-related disputes and
have handled construction claims of every type, large and small in both public and private sectors.

The firm has particular expertise in projects such as governmental buildings, casinos, hotels, highways, power generation facilities, environmental clean-ups, and residential communities.

Our firm combines its unique problem-solving expertise and litigation / ADR experience with its substantial experience counseling clients regarding the risks inherent in the industry. Today, clients benefit from that experience.

Defense of $300 million-dollar lawsuit involving a Ponzi-scheme pending in federal district and bankruptcy courts throughout the country. Members of our firm have taken more than 2,000 hours of deposition testimony from witnesses in 20 states, often acting as lead counsel for five insurance company parties.

Defense of the longest construction arbitration in the history of the Western United States, with 242 days of testimony extending over a four-year time period.

Defense of a $23 million claim against our client’s financial guarantee bond relating to forward trading contracts for the delivery of electric power.

Representation of client that issued in excess of $120 million in subdivision improvement bonds in state court and in its principal’s bankruptcy, including membership on the unsecured creditors committee.

Defense of $2.2 million claim against our client’s payment bond arising from the construction of a federal courthouse.

Defense of performance and payment bonds issued for an environmental contractor concerning the dismantlement of large lead standpipes.

Representation of surety on $2.7 million performance bond in connection with the construction of a co-generation facility together with claim for $3 million in extra contractual damages.

Our Services

Gascou Hopkins LLP