Jodi Lambert grew up in Los Angeles but left the warm weather behind in order to experience four “real” seasons at the University of Pennsylvania. She returned to California where she attended the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. She was admitted to the California State Bar in December 1993, and she has an AVr Rating with Martindale-Hubbell.

Jodi has defended a variety of general liability matters, including product liability, professional liability, and construction defect cases. She has extensive first chair experience in both bench and jury trials. Since the late 1990’s, she has represented carriers in insurance coverage and “bad faith” matters. Jodi has argued in the California Court of Appeal and was instrumental in the successful argument of a statutory interpretation case before the California Supreme Court.

Jodi’s trial victories include a defense verdict in a premises liability case where the plaintiff (a prospective real estate purchaser) was seriously injured while conducting an unscheduled inspection of Jodi’s client’s garage, and a plaintiff’s verdict in excess of $200,000 in a subrogation action against a general contractor stemming from a destructive house fire caused by the contractor’s defective construction of a barbecue enclosure attached to the house.

Jodi has also prevailed on summary judgment motions in state and federal court on behalf of carriers in environmental contamination cases brought under California Probate Code 550 et seq. where the issue was the sudden and accidental exception to a liability policy’s pollution exclusion, including one such judgment recently affirmed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Education

University of Pennsylvania, B.A., Communications, 1990
University of California, Hastings College of the Law, J.D., 1993

Admitted

State Bar of California, 1993
U.S. District Courts of California (Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Central)

Reported Cases

Elsner v. Uveges (2004) 34 Cal.4th 915