Kenneth S. Kasdan, senior and managing partner of the law firm of Kasdan LippSmith Weber Turner LLP, has been nominated for this year’s Hon. Jerrold S. Oliver Award of Excellence presented annually at the West Coast Casualty Construction Defect Seminar. http://www.westcoastcasualty.com/seminar/ollie-award-voting/ The seminar that draws worldwide attendance will be held May 12 and 13 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, CA.
Nicknamed the “Ollie,” the prestigious award recognizes an individual who has contributed to the betterment of the construction defect community and has invoked the same spirit of commitment, loyalty and trust in the legal profession that is the legacy of Orange County Superior Court Judge Jerrold S. Oliver (1934 – 1996). One of California most revered jurists, Judge Oliver is considered the founding father of the alternate resolution process for construction defect litigation. Prior to becoming a mediator, he earned a statewide reputation for his supreme fairness and creative thinking in formulating multimillion-dollar settlements out of overwhelmingly complicated, multiple-party disputes.
The Ollie award recipient is determined by voting conducted by West Coast Casualty of 20,000 members of the construction defect community.
Considered one of the leading construction defect attorneys in the U.S., Kasdan has been at the forefront of construction defect litigation and related issues for more than 25 years. Under his leadership, his firm has been a pioneer in trailblazing new avenues of construction defect litigation such as sulfate damage to concrete and the dezincification of yellow brass.
“It is a great honor to be nominated for this award named after a judge and mediator with whom I worked and who became a friend,” said Kasdan, who has personally handled hundreds of construction defect cases both in the courtroom and in mediation. “Many of the advances we have today in the management of construction defect litigation and mediation as well as other types of complex litigation can be traced directly to Judge Oliver.”
Among his many professional activities, Kasdan sits on the Board of the Construction Defect Community Charitable Foundation (CDCCF), which was established to provide financial assistance for active members of the construction defect community. The CDCCF helps individuals who have uninsured expenses due to a disability, illness, and/or the death of a community member or an immediate family member. Kasdan is also a member of the Community Associations Institute (CAI) and the Educational Community for Homeowners (ECHO).
Well known in the legal profession and a sought-after speaker on construction defect litigation, Kasdan has participated in several West Coast Casualty Construction Defect Seminar presentations including this year’s event. He is a member of the American Bar Association (Member: Business Law Section); Committee on Commercial Financial Services; Subcommittee on Interest and Usury, Creditor Rights; Litigation Section; Construction Industry Forum Committee; State Bar Association of California; Orange County Bar Association (Member: Business Litigation Section); Orange County Trial Lawyers Association; Judge Pro Tem, Orange County Superior Court; the Orange County Superior Court Judicial Arbitration Panel; the Maricopa County Bar Association; and Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC).
Kasdan earned his law degree from the State University of New York, at Buffalo, and his bachelor of arts degree, cum laude, from Bernard M. Baruch College of the City University of New York. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1976, and is licensed to practice before the U.S. District Court, Central District of California. Kasdan was admitted to the Arizona State Bar in 2003. http://www.westcoastcasualty.com/seminar/ollie-award-voting/
WEST COAST CASUALTY CONSTRUCTION DEFECT SEMINAR
Based in Westlake Village, CA, West Coast Casualty Service, Inc., is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in the field of third party claims administration, independent claims adjusting, and educational related services. Since 1993, the West Coast Casualty Construction Defect Seminar has become an institution for all members of the construction defect community. The West Coast Casualty Construction Defect Seminar series is the largest event of its kind worldwide and continues into its 23rd year of bringing the national and international construction defect community its most informative event regarding this specialized subject. Attendees, from the legal, insurance, builder, contractor, subcontractor and numerous other communities averaging in number approximately 1,500 per year, travel from all across the U. S. and several foreign countries to hear speakers on this continuing and emerging area of claims and law.