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Luce Forward today announced Kathleen F. Carpenter and Dee A. Ware have joined the firm as it continues to build its San Francisco office. Carpenter and Ware, who join the firm as partner and special counsel, respectively, will augment the firm’s leading real estate and environmental litigation and real estate transactional practices.

“Kathleen and Dee bring with them tremendous experience that will complement our firm, its real estate practice groups and our growing San Francisco office in particular,” said Kurt L. Kicklighter, Luce Forward’s managing partner. “We welcome them and feel our clients throughout California will greatly benefit from their continued success and in-depth knowledge of the construction, real estate, and green building industries.”

Carpenter is an experienced real estate litigator with particular emphasis in legislative advocacy and construction matters. She is a consultant to regional and national homebuilders and homebuilder trade groups on legislative reform efforts and other issues of national significance. For example, Carpenter was part of the negotiating team of lawyers who drafted SB 800, a Senate Bill allowing builders to fix defects in their products before being sued if they complied with specific procedures. Carpenter’s practice also includes disputes arising out of failed projects, breach of contract matters, green compliance and disclosure, acquisition and development agreements, joint venture and insurance coverage matters, large-scale construction defect litigation and high-profile toxic tort cases.

Having a background in both litigation and transactions, Carpenter is also uniquely suited to counsel clients in crisis, risk and reputation management. Her advanced risk management legal programs help clients identify potential risks, establish effective means to minimize such risks, execute protective operational strategies, craft and implement dispute resolution strategies, and educate company personnel in a simple and straightforward method of implementing those practices. Carpenter is currently the Chair of the Risk Management Committee for the California Building Industry Association.

Ware represents California’s largest lenders, developers, design professionals and general contractors in all facets of complex construction, real estate and commercial litigation. She specializes in green building and sustainable business and was one of the first attorneys in the country to be certified as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP) by the U.S. Green Building Council. In her practice, Ware assists clients in all phases of the green building process, including rating system selection, navigation of the certification process and rapidly emerging government regulations, implementation of risk management strategies, and advocacy of client interests in the event that a dispute arises concerning design, construction, certification, operation or purchase and sale of a green project. A recognized expert in green building and sustainable business, Ware is a frequently requested author and speaker on related subjects.

Both attorneys come to Luce Forward from Cooper, White & Cooper LLP. Carpenter obtained her Juris Doctor with Honors from the University of San Francisco School of Law and her bachelor’s degree from the University of California Berkeley. Ware received her Juris Doctor from University of California Hastings College of the Law and her bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University.