Colin Barr

Professional Experience

Colin Barr is Of Counsel to Olivarez Madruga Law Organization LLP.  Mr. Barr has spent over twenty-five years representing corporate and public entity clients in all areas of civil litigation, including real estate, construction and facilities, and general liability matters.

Mr. Barr is responsible for all aspects of litigation. He has taken and defended hundreds of depositions and argued extensively in state and federal courts.  Mr. Barr has successfully tried cases through judgment, obtained numerous awards at binding arbitration, and resolved countless claims through the mediation process.  Recently, Mr. Barr successfully defended a public agency against a $1.5 million construction claim at arbitration and obtained a defense and prevailing party attorneys’ fee award of $400,000.

Prior to joining OMLO, Mr. Barr was a partner at a law firm specializing in the representation of public entities in construction and real estate matters.  Mr. Barr has been a speaker at the Pearlman Association’s National Surety Conference and the West Coast Casualty’s Construction Defect Seminar.

Selected Representative Matters

• Los Angeles Unified School District v. Trustees of the Southern California IBEW – NECA Pension Plan (2010) 187 Cal.App.4^th 621
• State of California ex rel. Dockstader v. Hamby (2008) 162 Cal.App.4^th 480
• Titan Electric Corporation v. Los Angeles Unified School District (2008) 160 Cal.App.4^th 188
• Sanchez v. Swinerton & Walberg Co. (1996) 47 Cal.App.4^th 1461

Admissions & Associations

• State Bar of Ohio (1991)
• State Bar of California (1993)
• U.S. District Court, Central, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of California
• Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal
• Advisory Board member, Optimist Youth Homes & Family Services (2005-2021)
• Board of Advisors, Denison University (2019-present)
• Los Angeles County Bar Association, Member

Speaking & Publications

• Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine of the Los Angeles County Bar Association: “Licensed to Bill: Unlicensed Contractors May Still be Entitled to Compensation if they can Prove Substantial Compliance with the Licensing Law,” July/August 2004, co-author

Honors & Awards

• “Best Lawyers in America” (2025)
• 2020 Southern California “Super Lawyer” – Los Angeles Super Lawyers Magazine. Selections are made only after significant peer review and survey of more than 65,000 practicing Lawyers in Southern California