Paul A. Bruno, Esq., FCIArb joined JAMS following a 37-year career dedicated to the construction industry. Mr. Bruno brings a unique and valuable perspective to his ADR practice based upon his experience as an arbitrator, pro-tem judge, trial lawyer and client.

Prior to joining JAMS, Mr. Bruno spent 18 years in leadership positions within the legal organization of Fluor Corporation, including, most recently, as Managing General Counsel for the dispute resolution function. In this capacity, he managed dispute resolution for Fluor worldwide, leading a team of lawyers and construction contract professionals in the Corporate Claims Management Group. 

Mr. Bruno’s time as corporate counsel and long tenure at the national firm of Thelen Reid & Priest in the San Francisco Bay Area give him commanding insight on the construction industry and business disputes as both a client and advocate.   

ADR Experience and Qualifications

• 18-year leader of dispute resolution services for Fluor Corporation
• Significant experience acting as lead trial attorney in construction-related arbitrations and negotiations
• Leading speaker, teacher and author on construction industry dispute resolution and trial advocacy topics
• 13 years’ experience in compliance and evaluation of contingent liabilities (risk) for the Fluor Audit Committee, Board of Directors and third-party insurance underwriters

Representative Matters

Significant Dispute Resolutions on Construction/Engineering Projects Exceeding $600 Million Involving Petroleum, Chemical, Infrastructure and Power

• Hamaca Crude Upgrader: $1.4-billion upgrader facility at the Jose Industrial Complex in Venezuela
• Project Angel: Broad test of AT&T wireless telephone and telecommunication services in Northwest Oregon, Washington and areas of California
• Verde Gold Project: High-altitude gold mine facility near Santiago, Chile
• Murrin Murrin: Nickel iron mine facility and processing plant in Western Australia
• Whiting Refinery: Petroleum products refinery in Whiting, Indiana
• AES Puerto Rico: Coal-fired power plant in Guyama, Puerto Rico
• Sasol II: Coal to petroleum products plant in Secunda, South Africa
• AGIP TCO: Pipeline and “sour” gas/denaturing facilities near the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan
• Connect Project: Communications systems in the London Underground
• Level 3 Communications: Construction of municipal loops for fiber optic communications in multiple U.S. cities
• Athabasca Refinery: Oil sands refinery in Alberta, Canada
• Solutia Chemical Plant: Petroleum chemical products facility in Chocolate Bayou, Texas
• Great Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm: Wind farm in the North Sea off the coast of Suffolk County, U.K.
• San Francisco Bay Bridge
• Tappan Zee Bridge (New York City)
• GLNG Upstream EPC (Queensland, Australia)

Significant Commercial Representations

• Hilton Hotel (San Francisco)
• 1700 California Street (San Francisco)
• Tishman West Building (Los Angeles)
• 14 major subcontracts and prime contracts for California residential development projects in San Diego and Santa Clara counties
• Preparation of preliminary bid documents for water delivery projects for two Northern California counties
• Preparation of preliminary bid documents for county health centers in Northern and Southern California
• 505 Montgomery Street (San Francisco)
• Portions of structures and roadway of Highway 85 in Northern California

Honors, Memberships, and Professional Activities

• Fellow, American College of Construction Lawyers
• Member of the Board and Fellow, International Academy of Construction Lawyers
• Fellow, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
• Past Member, Executive Advisory Committee, International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR), 2009–2018
• Member, Society of Construction Law (North America)
• Member, American Bar Association, Forum on Construction Law
• Past Member, American Board of Trustees, Santa Clara County Bar Association
• Past Member, Board of Directors, Building Industry Association, South Bay Division
• Past Faculty, National Institute of Trial Advocacy
• Past Member and Chairman, Los Gatos (CA) Planning Commission

Selected Articles, Publications and Speaking Engagements

• Panelist, Building a Compliance Wall: Transnational Compliance, Investigations and Enforcement in the Construction Industry, American College of Construction Lawyers (February 2018)
• Panelist, The Ethics of Privilege: Behind the Walls of Our Conference Rooms, Between the Borders of Our Country and Beyond, How You Can Stop Making Everyday Mistakes That Can Cost You the Attorney-Client Privilege, Annual ABA Forum on Construction Law (April 2017)
• Panelist, Litigation vs. Arbitration: Taking the Gloves Off at the Construction SuperConference; Effective Claims Management on International Megaprojects: How to Position Your Organization in the Best Position to Win a Claim; Surprises Are Rarely a Good Thing: Early Case Evaluation on a Global Scale (December 2016)
• Panelist, Communications With In-House Counsel: When Are They Privileged?, American College of Construction Lawyers Annual Meeting (February 2016)
• Speaker, Dispelling the Big Myth About Project Risk, Engineering News Record’s Third Risk Summit (June 2015)
• Panelist, How Seats Are Chosen: An Inside View, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Centennial Conference (March 2015)
• Panelist, Effective Business Models for the Provision of Legal Services in International Arbitration: Evolution or Revolution, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Hong Kong Centennial Conference (March 2015)
• Co-Author, “Guidelines for Construction Industry Internal Investigations,” Journal of the American College of Construction Lawyers (Summer 2014)
• Co-Author, “Up the Ladder and Out the Door: Saying ‘No’ to the CEO,” ACC Docket(July/August 2013)

Admissions

• California
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
  • Supreme Court of the State of California
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

• Texas
  • Supreme Court of the State of Texas

Background and Education

• Fluor Corporation
• Managing General Counsel, 2005–2018
• Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford Executive Program, 2006
• Fluor Leadership Institute, 2003
• Vice President and General Counsel, 2001
• Judge Pro Tem, Santa Clara County Superior Court, 1987–1998
• Thelen Reid & Priest, Northern California, 1982–2000
• University of Santa Clara Law School, J.D., 1981
• University of California, Santa Barbara, B.A., with Honors, Distinguished Military Graduate