People

Marian Selvaggio has practiced law for 15 years, focusing on construction law. She has experience representing construction companies in all aspects of compliance and litigation, including advising in perfecting contractual positions, resolving disputes during all phases in the start-up and performance of major public and private construction projects and providing labor and employment advice.

Ms. Selvaggio is responsible for reviewing and negotiating all owner contracts, advising Rudolph and Sletten’s management regarding legal issues, and interacting and acting as a liaison between outside counsel and company management.

Ms. Selvaggio has extensive experience representing clients in state and federal courts, including the Court of Federal Claims, in private arbitrations and before administrative boards on matters involving: bid protests and other procurement and project delivery disputes; construction claims and requests for equitable adjustment; construction defects; subcontractor substitutions; lien, stop notice and bond remedies; insurance claims; and other matters of statutory and regulatory compliance. Ms. Selvaggio has developed an expertise in “false claims” litigation and has been the architect of numerous successful defense strategies in California and Federal False Claims Act cases, challenging the government’s theories of falsity.

Ms. Selvaggio is committed to green building design, construction, and operations, as evidenced by her LEED Green Associate credential. Ms. Selvaggio was also the architect of an initiative directed at networking women in the construction industry and was recognized for her efforts as a “Woman Making a Difference” by the Los Angeles Business Journal.

Education

Ms. Selvaggio earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in social science from the University of California, Irvine and her Paralegal Certificate in Litigation from the University of California, Los Angeles.

She earned her Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School, where she graduated cum laude and Order of the Coif (top 10 percent of the class). In law school, Ms. Selvaggio was a Henry C. Yuen Scholar in Law and Technology, an editor of the International and Comparative Law Review and a member of the Willem C. Vis International Arbitration Moot, an international moot court competition, which competed in Vienna, Austria.

Awards and Recognitions

2013 Women Build America Award, Women Construction Owners & Executives

2012 Women Making a Difference Honoree, Los Angeles Business Journal

2011-2016 Pasadena Top Attorney, sponsored by Pasadena Magazine

St. Thomas More Law Honor Society

Reported Cases

• County of Los Angeles v. Superior Gunite, Inc., 2015 WL 2393770
• American Home Assurance Company v. Tutor-Saliba Corporation/O&G Industries, Inc. J.V., 2015 WL 2228062
• Rudolph and Sletten, Inc. v. United States, 120 Fed. Cl. 137 (2015)
• Kone v. Accent Builders, Inc., 2014 WL 6886950
• Valencia v. Allstate Indem. Co., 2007 WL 5917676
• Balsam v. Sourceout, Inc. et al., 2005 WL 5154484

News/Media

• “Smart Girls Guide to Construction Law: Marian K. Selvaggio and Kathlynn E. Smith Hope to Fill a Need for Women Working in the Industry,” NAWIC Image Magazine (June/July 2011) (cover story)
• “Pair Develops Expertise in Female Construction Law,” Los Angeles Daily Journal (June 6, 2011)
• “Hunt Ortmann Launches Smart Girls’ Guide,” Pasadena Outlook (May 26, 2011)

Publications and Speaking Engagements
Ms. Selvaggio is the co-author of Smart Girls’ Guide to Construction Law, a practical tool for construction professionals.

Ms. Selvaggio leads seminars and gives presentations at conferences and other events, such as:

• “An Overview of the Federal and California False Claims Acts,” WIC Week Networking Event, 2012 Annual Congressional and Leadership Conference - Women Construction Owners and Executives
• “Hard Hats and High Heels: Being a Smart Girl in Construction,” National Association of Women in Construction (2012)
• “Risk Allocation in Design Build Contracts,” Northwest Construction Consumer Council Annual Conference
• DBIA National Conference & Expo
• ECA 9th Annual Legal Seminar
• “Can Your Innocent Error on a Government Contract Put You in the Crosshairs of the Department of Justice?” WCOE Regional Conference
• “Survive and Thrive in 2010 – Dealing with Low Bid Disasters on Public Projects,” March – July 2010, several dates and locations