Partner
T. 310-917-1015
F. 310-230-7800
E. mstapke@stapkelaw.com
Mr. Stapke has actively practiced in the field of construction law for more than 35 years, representing contractors, specialty subcontractors, commercial and industrial owners, public entities, architects, and corporate officers and directors. He is the founding partner of StapkeLaw LLP, a firm that specializes in construction and real estate law.
He has resolved hundreds of cases for business owners, developers, contractors, and construction owners, most without trial through alternative dispute resolution techniques. Resolving cases within his clients’ target ranges is what Mark Stapke is good at, after developing detailed budgets and case plans with total client involvement and interaction. For those cases that must be tried, to arbitrators, judges or juries, Mr. Stapke’s record of success is one of the best in Southern California.
Industry Associations
Mark Stapke served as a member of the Legal Advisory Committee to the Associated General Contractors of California and has been General Counsel to Western Council of Construction Consumers for more than 25 years.
Mr. Stapke is a frequent contributor to construction industry publications, including the Western Council Connection and the Construction Law Anthology. He also has conducted specialized construction claims training for the California Department of General Services and the California State University System.
Mr. Stapke has served as an arbitrator, mediator and Judge Pro-Tempore to the Los Angeles Superior Court since 1990. He has regularly lectured to trade groups on legal construction issues among them change order and cost control methods.
Education
Mark Stapke received his juris doctorate degree from the University of Oregon and obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley.
Presentations
2016-2017 (Several seminars) Critical Keys to Underground Claims: Resolving Delay, Disruption, and Differing Site Condition Claims
January 2017 — Speaker, Best Practices in Owners’ Use of Innovative Project Controls, Western Council of Construction Consumers Project Controls Summit
Fall 2016 — Construction Users Roundtable article ; “Legal Brief: Successful Change Order Management and Resolution In the Design-Bid-Build Contracting Environment”
January 2016, Pool & Spa News, article “Your Labor Force in Today’s Unsettled World”
Mark has conducted seminars and workshops too numerous to name specifically as there have been literally hundreds, but clients and participants have included the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (“LADWP”), LA Metro, Los Angeles World Airports, the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, the State of California Department of General Services (which supervises most construction for the State), California State University, CalTrans, Salt River Project (one of two Arizona public utilities), AT&T, Faithful & Gould, Qaya Ltd., General Electric, Mohawk Carpet Corporation, the San Diego Water Authority, the Judicial Council of California, the Port of Long Beach, the City of Long Beach Department of Public Works, the Metropolitan Water District, and the Los Angeles Unified School District.