Letter from the Guest Editor

We often talk about liability, litigation, and appellate case law, but many managers have never experienced the actual litigation process, including knowing how these disputes play out in court.

Law Journal articles are centered on mastering the foundational areas of expertise applicable to community managers found in Business and Professions Code section 11502 and are the subjects that a certified common interest development manager must complete at least 30 hours of coursework in as part of the certification process.

Community managers must understand property maintenance and are often faced with questions about who should pay for damage from tree roots, what should be done about a lifted sidewalk, or how to respond to a small claims lawsuit over a water leak.

We talk about case law at seminars, but never know how a dispute got there and how that case law may apply in another dispute. This issue will cover these topics in a way that equips managers to understand how the litigation process works so that they can handle a dispute with knowledge of how it may transpire in court. There is always more to learn and ways we can sharpen one another.

John D. Hansen, Esq. is a Partner at Baydaline & Jacobsen LLP in Sacramento, which serves as general counsel to community associations. He has 15 years of experience in the industry.