Glendale & Los Angeles Attorneys

DiJulio Law Group is a Glendale law firm handling real estate, business and corporate, construction, environmental, cybersecurity and data privacy, and mediation matters for clients throughout Los Angeles County, including Glendale, Burbank, Pasadena, and the City of Los Angeles. In practice that means property and disclosure disputes, contract and partnership conflicts, mechanics liens and payment claims, agency enforcement matters, data breach response, and the litigation that follows when those disputes cannot be resolved.

Yes. Initial consultations are free and confidential, with no obligation to retain the firm. Call (818) 502-1700 or request a consultation online. Have the key documents ready, such as the purchase agreement, disclosure forms, lease, contract, lien notice, or agency letter, because a document usually answers more in five minutes than a description does in thirty.

Generally not once both sides have signed the purchase agreement, unless a contingency or another term of the contract allows it. California law presumes that real property is unique (Civil Code section 3387), so a buyer can ask a court to order the sale to go through, known as specific performance, instead of settling for money damages. Many purchase agreements also require mediation first. See what happens when a seller refuses to close.

Often, yes. California sellers must disclose known material defects, including water intrusion and mold, on the Transfer Disclosure Statement (Civil Code section 1102 and following), and an as-is sale does not excuse concealing a known problem. Fraud-based claims generally must be filed within three years of discovering the problem. Tenants have separate rights: visible mold growth is listed as a substandard housing condition under Health and Safety Code section 17920.3. See failure to disclose defects and mold claims.

Because California adds a requirement most states do not: the claimant must have paid all property taxes assessed on the land for five continuous years (Code of Civil Procedure section 325), on top of open, hostile, and continuous possession under a claim of right. Taxes on a strip of land are usually billed to the record owner, so most encroaching neighbors never qualify. Boundary conflicts are more often resolved through quiet title, a prescriptive or equitable easement, or a negotiated boundary agreement. See quiet title and adverse possession.

Yes. Pasadena voters approved Measure H in 2022, which added rent stabilization and just-cause eviction protections to the city charter, with annual increases on covered units tied to 75 percent of inflation. State law (the Costa-Hawkins Act) exempts single-family homes, condominiums, and newer buildings from local rent caps, though those units may still be covered by California's statewide cap. See our analysis of the Pasadena rent control challenge.

The deadlines are short and strictly enforced. Most claimants must serve a preliminary notice within 20 days of first furnishing labor or materials. A lien generally must be recorded within 90 days after the project is completed, or sooner if the owner records a notice of completion: 60 days for the direct contractor and 30 days for subcontractors and suppliers. A lawsuit to foreclose the lien must then be filed within 90 days after recording. Missing any step can eliminate a valid claim. See mechanics liens.

Counsel should lead the response, so the forensic investigation can be directed under attorney-client privilege and the notification duties are met. California requires businesses to notify affected residents in the most expedient time possible and without unreasonable delay (Civil Code section 1798.82), and to send a sample notice to the Attorney General when more than 500 California residents are affected. See data breach response.

Often, for disputes between people who will keep dealing with each other, such as neighbors, business partners, or owners and contractors. Mediation is usually faster and less expensive, it is confidential, and the parties control the outcome rather than a judge or jury. It works less well when one side will not negotiate in good faith, when an injunction is needed quickly, or when key facts can only be uncovered through discovery. See mediation.

Fees depend on the type of matter and how it is likely to proceed. Advisory and transactional work is often billed hourly or as a flat fee for a defined scope, while disputes vary with whether they resolve through negotiation, mediation, or trial. You will receive a clear explanation of the fee structure and the likely range before engaging the firm, along with a candid view of whether the matter is worth pursuing.

Yes. The firm works with Italian-speaking clients and Italian businesses operating in California, and Italian-language information about the firm and its practice areas is available on our Italian pages.