Ian
Johnson
Senior Of Counsel
An accomplished litigator with extensive first- and second-chair trial and arbitration experience, Ian represents California public entities in high-stakes disputes involving the construction and design of major infrastructure projects.
Ian brings more than two decades of complex trial, arbitration, and dispute resolution experience to public agency clients across California. His practice focuses on representing public entities in complex litigation arising from critical public works and infrastructure projects, with particular expertise in design defects, contractor delay claims, and contractor licensing compliance.
Prior to joining Meyers Nave, Ian was an attorney in the complex litigation group at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, where he spent nearly 18 years handling multi-district litigation, complex commercial disputes, and international arbitrations. Admitted to practice in both California and the United Kingdom, his extensive background in cross-border and multi-party disputes enables him to systematically navigate high-volume discovery, multi-million dollar claims, and sophisticated technical and engineering evidence.
Ian is also dedicated to pro bono representation, having handled approximately three dozen pro bono matters and securing multiple favorable trial outcomes and settlements for low-income clients.
Representative Experience
- City of Santa Barbara – City of Santa Barbara v. CDM Smith. Co-first chair representing the City in a five-week jury trial relating to defective design claims for a recycled water treatment facility, resulting in a multi-million-dollar jury verdict in favor of the City.
- Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) – Skanska-Shimmick-Herzog v. VTA. Defending the Authority in multi-party delay litigation arising from the nearly $1 billion design-build extension of BART into Silicon Valley, and asserting cross-claims against the design-build contractor for design and construction defects.
- Santa Clara Valley Water District – Santa Clara Valley Water District v. CH2M Hill, Inc. et al. Representing the District in state court litigation involving the defective design of the residuals management system at the Rinconada Water Treatment Plant.
- City of Oakland – Flatiron Construction v. City of Oakland. Representing the City in litigation involving the construction of a bridge over the Embarcadero Channel, asserting cross-claims against the contractor and design engineers for project delay, design/construction defects, and violations of the Professional Engineers Act.
- City of Monterey – Stronghold Engineering v. City of Monterey. Representing the City in a dispute involving delays on a project to renovate the Monterey Convention Center, asserting cross-claims alleging defective construction, California False Claims Act violations, and Subcontractor Listing Law violations.
Professional & Community Affiliations
- Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
- American Bar Association
- Bar Association of San Francisco
- Executive Committee of the California State Bar International Law Section, Former Member
Education
- London School of Economics, LLM, with distinction (2008)
- Cornell Law School, JD, magna cum laude (2000)
- Boston University, BA, German Literature, summa cum laude with distinction (1997)