Overview

Blair Shahbazian is a partner with the Construction Law Team and Real Estate Law Team and served as managing partner of Murphy Austin Adams Schoenfeld LLP from 2008 to 2012. He formerly was a partner of Diepenbrock, Wulff, Plant & Hannegan, LLP, with which he started his legal career in 1986.  His practice area focuses on general civil litigation and transactions with emphasis in construction and real estate law, including negotiating and drafting contracts; public contract procurement, including bid protests; and real estate litigation.  He has represented public and private property owners, developers, general contractors and subcontractors, design consultants, public entities, property management companies, receivers and suppliers of goods and services.

Blair is a member of the Sacramento County Bar Association’s Construction Law Section and the American Bar Association’s Public Contract Law Section and Forum on the Construction Industry.  He has served as a Pro Tem Settlement Conference Judge and Arbitrator for the Sacramento County Superior Court, as well as an Early Neutral Evaluator for the United States District Court, Eastern District of California.

Blair has spoken on issues concerning public and private contracting and construction for the American Arbitration Association, the California Continuing Education of the Bar, Lorman Education Services, the Sacramento County Bar, the National Purchasing Managers Association and Sterling Education Services.

Blair is rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell and he is listed in 2013 through 2023 editions of Northern California Super Lawyers. He was included in Sacramento Magazine’s Top Lawyers List for excellence in construction litigation in 2015 and 2018 and in construction law in 2020 and 2022.  He was named in Sacramento Business Journal’s Best of the Bar List in 2016, 2018, and 2019. Blair graduated from University of California, Davis with a B.A. in Political Science in 1982 and earned his J.D. from Hastings College of the Law in 1986.

Education
  • Hastings College of the Law, J.D., 1986
  • University of California, Davis, B.A., 1982
Admissions
  • State Bar of California
  • State and U.S. District Courts
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims
  • U.S Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Leadership
  • Lions Club International, Fort Sutter Chapter (President 2007-2008)
  • Board of Directors, Kappa Sigma Fraternity, U.C. Davis (President 1999-2002)
  • Board of Directors, ALS Association of Greater Sacramento (2002-2007)
Memberships
  • Sacramento County Bar Association, Construction Law Section
  • American Bar Association, Public Contract Law Section
  • ABA Forum on the Construction Industry
Experience

Representative Matters

  • Representation of public and private property owners, developers, general contractors and subcontractors, design consultants, public entities, property management companies, receivers and suppliers of goods and services.
Awards
  • Listed as a Super Lawyer in Northern California Super Lawyers, Construction (2013-2023)
  • Named in Sacramento Magazine’s Top Lawyers List, Construction Litigation (2015, 2018), Construction (2020, 2022)
  • Named in the Sacramento Business Journal’s Best of the Bar List (2016, 2018-2019)
  • AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell (2011-Present)
News