Robert Flaig Honored by County Bar
The Construction Subsection of the Real Property Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association has presented the first annual Robert B. Flaig Outstanding Construction Lawyer Award posthumously to former Sheppard Mullin partner Robert Flaig. Flaig, who was felled by cancer in September 1998, was represented by his widow Carol and other family members at the event on Thursday, February 21.
Flaig was a leading California expert on construction law. He joined Sheppard Mullin in 1992 and served as Chair of the firm’s Litigation Department from 1994-1998. Flaig spearheaded the firm’s construction law practice.
Prior to joining Sheppard Mullin, Flaig practiced 26 years with the firm of Thelen, Marrin, Johnson & Bridges (now Thelen, Reid & Priest). Considered by many to have been one of the best trial attorneys in Los Angeles, Flaig was admitted to the bar of the United States Supreme Court in 1987. He served as Chair of the Litigation Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and was active in the County Bar's Delegation to the State Bar Board of Governors. Flaig was named as a Fellow of the American College of Construction Lawyers in February 1998. In 1978, he helped form JAF Ministries, an organization dedicated to serving people with disabilities by refurbishing and distributing wheelchairs to third world companies.
Born in Pasadena in December 1941, Flaig was a longtime resident of Northridge. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 1963 and received his J.D. from USC three years later.
"Bob was a role model to so many of us in the profession that it is most appropriate to name this award in recognition of his contributions," said Candace Matson, a partner in Sheppard Mullin's Construction, Environmental, Real Estate and Land Use Litigation practice group. "I know he would be honored to be its first recipient."
The Flaig Award ceremony on February 21 included lunch and was followed by the section's Annual Construction Law Update. Sheppard Mullin partners Hal Hamersmith, Helen Lauderdale and Matson presented the update. The program was held at the LACBA/LEXIS Publishing Conference Center, 281 S. Figueroa Street. For more information, visit the County Bar website at http://www.lacba.org/.Sheppard Mullin has more than 340 attorneys among its seven offices in Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, San Diego, Del Mar Heights, and Orange County. The full-service firm provides counsel in Corporate, Trial Practice, Finance, Bankruptcy, Labor and Employment, Intellectual Property, Real Estate, Environmental, Construction, Tax, Employee Benefits, Trusts & Estates, Antitrust & Trade Regulation, Government Contracts, and Business Crimes. The firm is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2002.