Attorneys

Mary A. Salamone is a member of Procopio’s Construction practice. She brings in-depth knowledge and experience to her clients in all aspects of both public and private construction projects and disputes. Mary counsels construction industry clients on alternative project delivery methods, competitive bidding, contract drafting, project management and contract administration, scheduling and delay issues, lost productivity, differing site conditions, change orders for added scope, cost overruns, mechanics lien, stop payment notice and bond rights, risk management, claims resolution, and more. She has handled multi-million dollar disputes on high profile, complex construction projects, achieving favorable settlements and judgments on behalf of her clients. Mary has represented a wide array of large contractors, subcontractors, and designers, well as counties, municipalities and other governmental agencies both in California and nationally.

Mary is a member of Procopio’s COVID-19 Legal Resources Team.

• A multi-billion dollar mixed used mega development of a hotel, condominium, and retail complex known as Metropolis in downtown Los Angeles
• $1.8-billion Middle Harbor Redevelopment at the Port of Long Beach
• Alameda Corridor below-grade, freight rail system running from the Ports of Long Beach/Los Angeles to downtown Los Angeles and the ReTRAC below-grade rail system in Reno, Nevada
• Pacific Pipeline, which is a 128-mile buried crude oil pipeline running between Kern and Los Angeles Counties
• $500-million state-of-the-art State Farm Stadium (formerly known as University of Phoenix Stadium) which serves as home to the Arizona Cardinals
• Expansion of State Route 71 in Chino Hills, State Route 210 in San Bernardino, and State Route 1/101 in Santa Barbara
• A $2-billion earthen dam known as the Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet, California
• $2-billion Aladdin Hotel and Casino and Desert Passage Retail Mall (now known as Planet Hollywood)

• 2021 Woman Leader in the Law, American Lawyer Magazine
• “Top Lawyers,” San Diego Magazine, 2021
• Best Lawyers' "Lawyer of the Year" in Construction Litigation in Orange County, 2019, 2022
• The Best Lawyers in America® 2018-present (Litigation-Construction)
• Ranked by Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in the field of Construction Law for over a decade.
• Recipient of the AV® Preeminent™ rating with LexisNexis/Martindale Hubbell, a prestigious rating is given to just 2% of lawyers in the country.
• Named a Fellow of the Construction Lawyers Society of America, an invitation-only international honorary association of lawyers who have a proven record of excellence in construction law at both the trial and appellate levels.
• Litigation Counsel of America Senior Fellow (a trial lawyer honorary society limited to the top .5% of trial lawyers)
• Panel member for the American Arbitration Association for Large, Complex Construction Disputes for 20 years.
• Certified Arbitrator for the Office of Administrative Hearings - Public Works Contract Arbitration Program.

• Member, Trial Law Institute
• Member, Diversity Law Institute
• Construction Law Practice Area Committee (PAC) of the Real Property Law Section of the California Lawyers Association
• Education Committee for Design-Build Institute of America – Western Pacific Region
• Society of Construction Law North America
• Construction Management Association of America
• Associated Builders and Contractors of California
• Design-Build Institute of America
• National Association of Women in Construction
• Construction Financial Management Association
• California Special Districts Association
• State Bar of California
• American Bar Association – Construction Industry Forum
• Los Angeles County Bar Association
• Orange County Bar Association

• J.D., Cornell Law School
• B.A., University of Rochester (graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa distinction)

• "Construction law firm Procopio recognized as top practice," Construction Connect Daily Commercial News, May 26, 2021.
• Nilsson, Henrik. “On the Move: Procopio Welcomes Mary A. Salamone as Partner,” Los Angeles Daily Journal, January 21, 2020.
• “Mary Salamone joins Procopio law firm as newest partner,” San Diego Metro Daily Business Report, January 17, 2020.

Ms. Salamone is an active speaker for many construction associations and educational institutions including the Construction Network, Construction Management Association of America, Loyola Law School, Associated General Contractors, Western Council of Construction Consumers, Turner School of Construction Management, Engineering Contractors’ Association, Construction Industry Super Conference, County Counsels’ Association of California, Coalition for Adequate School Housing, and California Special Districts Association.

Recent Seminars

• "Adjacent Construction Claims - Technical and Legal Framework in California," Orange County Bar Association, October 6, 2021.
• “Best Practices for Change Order Management,” Construction Network Legal Webinar, October 5, 2021.
• "Annual Construction Law Update," Construction Network Legal Webinar, June 2, 2021.
• "5 Ways Construction Contracts Can Release Claim Rights," Levelset Webinar, May 13, 2021.
• "The State of Women In Construction and Where To Go From Here," Levelset Webinar, March 9, 2021.
• "So You Want to Be an Arbitrator?," Society of Construction Law North America Virtual Seminar, February 17, 2021.
• “Design-Build Delivery, Best Practices for Success,” Construction Network Legal Webinar, February 9, 2021.
• “Mastering the Challenges and Pitfalls of Remote Testimony,” Celesq AttorneysEd Center Webinar, February 4, 2021.
• "So You Want to Be a Mediator?," Society of Construction Law North America Virtual Seminar, December 14, 2020.
• "Construction Project Record Keeping Essentials In California," Levelset Webinar, November 18, 2020.
• "Preserving Construction Claims in the Face of COVID-19," Procopio Webinar, March 27, 2020.
• “Examining Contract Changes and Addressing Problems” and “Handling Ethical Issues in Construction Contracting,” HalfMoon Seminars, Irvine, CA, February 26, 2020.
• “Differing Site Conditions: Shifting Risk of the Unforeseen,” Construction Network Legal Seminar, Long Beach, CA, February 13, 2020.
• “Change Order Management – Best Practices,” Construction Network Legal Seminar, May 22, 2019.
• “Managing the Risk In CMAR Contracts: Guidance for Owners, Contractors and Subs,” Strafford Publishing Webinar, March 20, 2019.
• “California Construction Law Updates 2018/2019,” Construction Network Legal Seminar, March 5, 2019.
• “The Law, The Analysis and The Accounting of Delays,” National Association of Women in Construction Annual Meeting and Education Conference, Irvine CA, August 2017.
• “Contracting for Design-Build in the Public Sector,” California Water Environment Association, April 27, 2017.
• “What Every Contractor Must Know About Mechanics Liens and Statutory Remedies to Get Paid,” AGC of California Webinar, March 14, 2017.

• "Recent Court Decisions Provide Clarity in Disgorgement Disputes With Unlicensed Contractors," April 14, 2021.
• "Entering a New Era – Taking and Defending Remote Depositions,"  ABA Under Construction Winter 2020 Newsletter, December 11, 2020.
• "Recent Court Decision Affects Enforceability of Pay-When-Paid Clauses," April 23, 2020.
• “Preserving Construction Claims in the Face of COVID-19,” March 18, 2020.
• “The Impact of California AB 5: What Contractors Should Know,” AGC California Constructor Magazine, January 2020.
• “The Evolving Landscape of Design-Build Delivery for Public Works Projects,” California Special Districts Association, December 2019.
• “Liability for Subcontractors' Failure to Pay Laborers on Private Works: How to Protect Your Company,” AGC California Contractors, September/October 2019.
• “Liability for Subcontractors' Failure to Pay Laborers on Private Works: How to Protect Your Company,” Business Credit Magazine, July/August 2019.
• “California Expands Construction Manager At-Risk Authorization for Certain Public Entities,” Real Estate Finance Journal, Winter 2018.
• “California Supreme Court Clarifies Scope of "Good Faith Dispute" Exception to Prompt Payment Statutes,” Legal alert, May 24, 2018.
• “New Limits on Design Professionals' Duty to Defend and Indemnify,” AGC California Constructor Magazine, May/June 2018.
• “Big Decision Favors Low Bidders on Public Works Projects,” AGC California Constructor Magazine, May/June 2017.
• “California Adopts Game-Changing Public Works Claims Legislation,” Legal alert, March 1, 2017.
• “California Appellate Court Restricts General Contractors’ Ability to Rely on Subcontractor Bid Price,” Legal alert, September 15, 2016.
• “The Retention Withholding Quandary, Differing Court Decisions May Necessitate State’s Top Court to Ultimately Step in for a Final Say,” AGC California Constructor Magazine, May/June 2016.
• “Contractors Must Act Quickly to Comply With New Registration Requirements for Public Works,” AGC California Constructor Magazine, May/June 2015.
• “What Awarding Agencies Need to Know About New Registration and Certified Payroll Requirements of Senate Bill 854,” California Special Districts Association e-News, March 2015.
• “New Law Requires Submission of Subcontractors’ License Numbers in Public Bids,” AGC California Constructor Magazine, May/June 2014.
• “Contractors Beware of Dire Consequences for Failure to Comply With Contractual Notice,” Claims Procedures, AGC California Constructor Magazine, May/June 2012.
• “So You Lost The Contract - Now What? Understanding Whether to Protest an Award,” AGC California Constructor Magazine, March 2011.
• “California Court of Appeal Clarifies Payment Obligations Under Prompt Payment Statutes,” AGC California Constructor Magazine, March 2010.
• “California High Speed Rail Still on Track,” CMAA News, Fall 2009.
• “Managing the Inevitable - Subcontractor Default, AGC California Constructor Magazine,” March 2008.
• "Big Implications for Contractor's License Law Lapse,” AGC California Constructor Magazine, June 2007.
• “The Danger of Change Orders - Do You Really Know What You Signed?” AGC California Constructor Magazine, March 2007.
• “New Documents, Old Issues: Who is Waiving What? Direct and Indirect Damages,” AGC California Constructor Magazine, 2007.
• “Will Contractors Get Paid for Their Work in California? The State Supreme Court Says, “Maybe Not”,” CMAA Legal & Legislative News, Winter 2006.
• “Mechanic’s Liens in California,” Business Credit Magazine, October 2006.