About Petchul Bonkowski, LLP
Experienced Legal Team
The magic of the Petchul Bonkowski, LLP is our team. We are very proud to have assembled a very deep bench of not only the best and the brightest, but also a team with a stunning level of experience. As a consequence, we are able to provide legal counsel and strategic planning at a level that is well beyond what can be learned in a law school.
Unwavering Purpose & Unmatched Experience
We "Partner" with our Boards of Directors and Professional Management
Our legal team has decades of direct experience in providing legal and strategic guidance to California community associations. Our firm “partners” with boards of directors and professional management to develop a comprehensive understanding of each community's needs and goals AND to craft and implement customized and sustainable strategies to best protect and improve each community.
General Counsel
The legal needs of our community association clients fluctuate in frequency, scope and complexity. However, our commitment to providing superior legal and strategic counsel is unwavering. Our legal team’s experience encompasses a broad spectrum of California community associations including condominiums of all sizes, large master planned communities, mixed-use communities, high rise and mid-rise communities, age-qualified communities and everything in between. Examples of general counsel-type services that we provide include (but are certainly not limited to):
- Interpreting and amending governing documents
- Negotiating and drafting contracts
- Drafting easement and license agreements
- Providing written opinions and recommendations
- Attending Board Meetings and Annual Elections
- Advising and assisting with efficient rule and covenant enforcement
- Implementing new and modified local, State and Federal law
OUR TEAM
Dirk Petchul
FOUNDING PARTNER
Dirk Petchul has practiced real estate and corporate law in southern California since 1991. Since about the turn of the century he has, almost exclusively, represented community associations in an extraordinarily broad scope of transactional and litigation settings. He is a prolific speaker, author and educator on issues affecting California community associations and very actively participates in the California legislative process with respect to issues that impact them.
Dirk is currently a state-wide at-large Delegate to the CAI California Legislative Action Committee (CLAC) and a member of the CAI Orange County chapter and Greater Los Angeles chapter Legislative Support Committees (LSC). He is also member of, and qualified instructor for the California Association of Community Managers (CACM), a trained mediator (Pepperdine’s Straus Institute), and a member of the Orange County Bar Association’s Real Estate Section. His past service has included work as a law clerk for the California Court of Appeal (4th District, Santa Ana), an adjunct Professor of law (Western State School of Law), a long-term member of the CACM Legal Advisory Steering Committee, a member of the OC Bar Association Real Estate Section and a Director of the OC Escrow Association.
Contact Dirk at DPetchul@petchulbonkowski.com
Chris Bonkowski
FOUNDING PARTNER
Christopher J. Bonkowski has significant experience in the areas of general civil litigation including property law, casualty litigation, business/commercial litigation, and products liability law. He now focuses his practice primarily in the areas of real estate, corporate law and the comprehensive representation of community associations throughout California.
Mr. Bonkowski is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton, where he earned degrees in Political Science and Criminal Justice. Mr. Bonkowski graduated from Chapman University School of Law, where he was awarded the CALI award for scholastic excellence in Civil Trial Practice and Taxation of Business Organizations. While at Chapman University, Mr. Bonkowski served as an Executive Board member and Technology Editor for Chapman Nexus Journal of Law, and also served as the Admissions Chair for the Appellate Moot Court Honors Board.
Mr. Bonkowski has published several articles on various topics concerning common interest subdivisions.
Mr. Bonkowski is licensed to practice in the State of California as well as in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. He is a member of the Orange County Bar Association and successfully completed the LACBA Trial Advocacy Program.
Contact Chris at cbonkowski@petchulbonkowski.com
Jane Blasingham
FOUNDING PARTNER
Jane L. Blasingham represents community association clients on general corporate counsel matters. Her work encompasses advising associations and their boards on community association law, amendment and enforcement of governing documents, fiduciary duties, employment issues and contracts. She has represented associations in all matters pertaining to the Davis Stirling Common Interest Development Act and other state and federal laws. Her experience includes planning, entitlement, management, budgeting, permitting and construction of new residential communities. She managed formation of new communities and served as director on Declarant association boards. She taught business law courses at California State University.
Ms. Blasingham was ranked first in her class, was the class valedictorian, graduated magna cum laude and received her Juris Doctorate degree from Western State College of Law in 2013. During law school she was a Dean’s Circle Member for Academic Excellence and on the Distinguished Honor Roll for Academic Excellence, she was a member of the Western State Law Review and served as an honors program extern for the Honorable Franz Miller of the Orange County Superior Court.
Contact Jane at JBlasingham@petchulbonkowski.com
Adam K. Obeid
FOUNDING PARTNER
Adam is the lead litigation attorney for Petchul Bonkowski, LLP. He has extensive experience in California civil litigation and appeals including both the bringing of and defense of claims on behalf of California community associations. In addition to litigation and appeal work, and has extensive experience in transactional work including the drafting, interpretation and enforcement of contracts, insurance obligations and community association governing documents.
Adam graduated with honors from Occidental College and received a bachelors degree after double majoring in History and Philosophy. He earned his Juris Doctorate degree from Western State University College of Law.
Contact Adam at AObeid@petchulbonkowski.com
Natalie Stephan
FOUNDING PARTNER
Natalie Stephan, Esq. is a Founding Partner at Petchul Bonkowski, LLP. Natalie received her B.A. Degree, Cum Laude, from the University of California, Irvine, and obtained her Juris Doctor Degree with Scholastic Merit from Western State University College of Law, where she also obtained her Business Law Certificate after focusing her legal studies on the various aspects within the practice and discipline of business law.
Natalie has significant experience as a litigator, having represented automobile dealerships in claims related to breach of contract, personal injury, property disputes, premises liability, product liability, and consumer fraud. Beginning in 2016, however, she focused her practice almost exclusively upon representing California community associations.
Natalie has served as legal counsel for numerous southern California community associations, working with their boards of directors and managers to address and advise on a broad range of issues including interpreting, enforcing, and revising governing documents; drafting and negotiating contracts; advising on compliance with new legislation; and defending or prosecuting lawsuits. With extensive experience navigating the complexities of community association governance, covenants, and dispute resolution, Natalie utilizes practical approaches to challenges which help communities maintain compliance, protect their interests, and foster harmonious living environments.
EDUCATION:
J.D. with Scholastic Merit, Western State University College of Law
B.A., Cum Laude, University of California, Irvine
AFFILIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS:
State Bar of California
Orange County Bar Association, Member
Orange County Women Lawyers Association, Member
American Bar Association, Business Law Section, Member
California Associations Institute (CAI)
California Association of Community Managers (CACM)
California Legislative Action Committee (CAI-CLAC)
Contact Natalie at Nstephan@PetchulBonkowski.com
Jean Moriarty
OF COUNSEL
Ms. Moriarty has over 26 years of experience in the insurance defense field, including defending Homeowners Associations, Property Management Companies, and commercial property owners. She also handled environmental and discrimination claims and litigation. Ms. Moriarty has been responsible for representing clients from the outset of litigation, including conducting initial client interviews, creating and implementing case strategies, preparing discovery, conducting depositions, expert retention and designation. She has been lead counsel in hundreds of mediations and over 45 jury trials in Orange County.
Ms. Moriarty has lived and practiced personal injury and community association law in southern California since 1985. For 26 years, Ms. Moriarty was a Senior Trial Attorney for Farmers Insurance primarily handling community association related cases. Ms. Moriarty has successfully represented Associations and Property Management Companies in DFEH cases. She is also responsible for handling environmental cases and directors and officers litigation.
Ms. Moriarty received her Juris Doctor degree from Western State University School of Law in 1984. She was a law school professor at American College of Law for two years.
Kris Geiger
OF COUNSEL
Ms. Geiger has represented community associations since 2001 on a variety of general counsel matters, including Davis-Stirling Act compliance issues, violation enforcement, interpretation and amendment of governing documents, preparation of maintenance matrices and analysis of maintenance allocations, preparation of membership voting documents, Department of Fair Housing matters, and the drafting and negotiating of various vendor contracts.
Ms. Geiger graduated magna cum laude and received her Juris Doctorate degree from Southwestern University School of Law – Los Angeles, in 1994. During law school she was a member of the Southwestern Law Review and served as an extern for the Honorable Ronald S. W. Lew of the Unites State District Court, Central District of California.