Castro & Associates are high tech trial attorneys and specialists in multi-party construction litigation. We are experts in California construction and property law. The firm is a pioneer in handling death, injury and property damage cases from structural defects and collapses in existing structures.

In 2008 Castro & Associates tried and won the first death cases resulting from the collapse of unreinforced masonry buildings during earthquakes. In the landmark Myrick v. Mastagni case, California building owners were held responsible for failing to retrofit unreinforced buildings that caused death and injury to occupants during the San Simeon Earthquake. The three-month jury trial was held in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court.

Mr. Castro was also “lead trial counsel” for the 16 deaths and numerous injuries that resulted from the collapse of the Northridge Meadows soft story apartment complex during the Northridge Earthquake.

All our attorneys have extensive construction backgrounds and experience. Each litigator is supported by multiple staff members, paralegals, project managers, and legal assistants. The veteran members of the firm are long time employees, and are among the most qualified in the Southland, earning the highest national legal rating for "pre-eminent legal ability." Our accomplishments are well known in the industry.

We were the first construction law firm to:

1. Implement its own Information Systems Department to computerize and regulate case staffing and prosecution.

2. Win a 10 month jury trial for deep landfill failure in the Monterey Hills v. City of Los Angeles, land subsidence cases.

3. Win an engineering design defect case in the Promenade v Shapell 4 month jury trial.

4. Win a “gross negligence” defect, mold infestation and personal injury case in the 2008 Baruch v Encino Spa East condominium jury trial.

To rapidly prepare your lawsuit and develop trial-ready evidence that moves your case to a successful resolution — all in the most cost effective manner.

Construction damage and injury cases are highly specialized, multi-party legal cases. Castro & Associates attorneys coordinate, lead, and supervise site inspections, invasive testing, photo-documentation and attend medical examinations. They are as proficient at climbing between walls in hard hats as they are in presenting courtroom evidence. Project information - photos, plans, and graphics – is produced in-house, creating much admired and widely copied multi-media presentations. Clients, judges, juries, experts — and even defense attorneys — frequently complement the firm on our rapid assembly of trial-ready evidence and presentations.

When we litigate defect claims or injuries and fatalities, Castro & Associates provides specialized expertise in various construction disciplines: soils, waterproofing, architectural, structural, and seismic, to name a few. We also possess vast experience in investigating and analyzing defect claims and insurance coverage.

Castro & Associates’ commitment to hands-on development of California construction law includes annual construction law lectures for CEB (Continuing Education of the Bar) and annual state and national construction publications. Joel Castro is a Contributing Editor for “California Construction Law Reporter”, and has presented seminars for the California Association of Realtors, American Trial Lawyers Association, and the Los Angeles County Bar Association to name a few. The firm provides in-depth analysis of new California construction legislation for trial lawyers' associations. In 2003, Joel Castro presented an in-depth analysis and CEB publication of Senate Bill 800, now C.C. § 896, so he is an expert in the process of bringing claims against builders under the new law.

Castro & Associates has decades of practical experience in a wide variety of construction projects and disciplines. We work closely with our clients to avoid "battles of attrition" and find the fastest and most cost-effective way to win our cases. This no-nonsense approach has resulted in dramatic recoveries for our clients, all in record time. Most of these cases are referred by defense attorneys, former clients, judges or other legal professionals. In fact, the firm has often represented lawyers, judges, and Superior Court clerks. We are frequently asked to try ongoing cases that other attorneys have prepared. And, we are comfortable associating in with other counsel in devising new and better plans for ongoing cases, as well as jointly litigating these cases, often as "lead counsel."

We believe that fair treatment is the right of every citizen of California. That right is embodied in your home or place of work — where the safety of your family, livelihood, and future is kept and allowed to flourish. It is our mission to ensure that your family, your home, your place of work, and your future are protected to the full extent of the law.