Our Attorneys

Ms. Andersen represents community associations in corporate governance, operational, transactional, and civil litigation matters. Ms. Andersen’s association governance practice includes the evaluation of compliance with the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act, the analysis and interpretation of governing documents, the recommendation for rewrites and amendments when necessary, the implementation of election and secret ballot processes, and the negotiation and drafting of other recorded agreements affecting real property.

Ms. Andersen approaches each of her client’s needs from a risk management perspective. Enforcement disputes are promptly, efficiently, and creatively addressed to avoid costly and time- consuming legal proceedings. The association’s self-help, discipline, dispute resolution, and enforcement procedures are strictly followed in order to provide members with a transparent process and the best opportunities to quickly and economically resolve violations. When a member chooses to delay compliance, Ms. Andersen is committed to the recovery of related expenses.

Ms. Andersen negotiates and drafts all manner of vendor contracts including maintenance, reserve study, accounting, parking and towing, security, and communications agreements. Ms. Andersen additionally possesses extensive expertise writing construction and repair contracts. Her comprehensive understanding of the design and construction process, construction scheduling, payment terms and issues, liability for construction delays and defects, defense and indemnity obligations, and first and third-party insurance claims has proved invaluable to her clients.

Ms. Andersen has over twenty years’ experience in litigating issues related to insurance coverage, real estate fraud and disclosure, operating and reserve funding, contract interpretation and compliance, complex construction defect, condominium conversion, free speech, and the enforcement of covenants, conditions and restrictions. Ms. Andersen has also defended associations, their directors and officers against claims for violation of the Fair Housing and disability laws, failure to maintain association property, failure to comply with the Open Meeting Act, failure to comply with the member election statutes, infliction of emotional distress, and breach of fiduciary duty. When an association faces the uncertainty of litigation, Ms. Andersen has the experience-based wisdom and insight to competently guide the association through the legal process and achieve excellent results.

Ms. Andersen’s insurance practice includes both the prosecution and defense of community associations in insurance coverage matters. Ms. Andersen has litigated policy provisions related to coverage triggers, the duties to defend and indemnify, the named versus other insureds, the separation of insureds, policy exclusions and policy endorsements. She has additionally defended against insurers’ claims for rescission based upon incomplete policy applications and fraud. She has prosecuted claims under Insurance Code section 11580. In several matters, Ms. Andersen obtained assignments of policy rights from developers in underlying construction cases and successfully prosecuted bad faith claims directly against the insurers.

Ms. Andersen recently served as the Legislative Co-Chair for four years for the Community Association Institute – California Legislative Action Committee (CAI-CLAC). Ms. Andersen also served as a delegate and was Chair of the Infrastructure Task Force for close to a decade. She is also a member of the CAI’s Legislative Support Committee.

Ms. Andersen graduated magna cum laude from Bowdoin College with degrees in anthropology and political science. She received her law degree from the University of California at Davis in 2002. Ms. Andersen is admitted to practice before all Courts in the State of California, the United States District Court for the Central, Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts in California, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.