Firm Profile & Fundamentals

Sturgeon & Wehbe is a Laguna Niguel California boutique law firm that specializes in complex civil litigation, insurance matters, and business transactions. Founded in 2001 by Allen Sturgeon & Emily Wehbe, the firm is committed to providing our clients with the highest quality legal representation in a personalized, efficient and economical manner.

We believe that our strength and success lies in our ability to balance the manpower and resources of a large firm with the solidarity and attentiveness of a small one. We are small enough to maintain meticulous case supervision and personal relationships, yet experienced and large enough to provide cost effective legal representation.

Although we are litigators, we understand that our job often begins before litigation commences. We believe that we have a responsibility to our clients to make all the appropriate efforts to avoid litigation, while zealously pursuing our clients' interests.

The two principals of the firm have over 45 years of combined legal experience in complex civil litigation, insurance matters, and business matters. The firm’s associate attorneys each average over 15 years of legal experience. Our support staff is experienced and knowledgeable, using the latest litigation support software, research and Internet tools and computer systems.

Our approach to all of our clients is simple: provide each client with competent, effective, cost-efficient legal representation with individualized service.

The firm offers transactional services in the areas of corporate and real estate and a wide range of civil litigation services utilizing our expertise in business litigation, catastrophic bodily injury or property damage litigation, insurance coverage litigation, product liability litigation, and construction defect litigation.

Sturgeon & Wehbe’s clients include major insurance companies, real estate developers, manufacturers, private businesses and individuals. In insurance matters, the firm provides defense representation to insureds in a wide variety of cases including construction defect claims (developers, general contractors, subcontractors and design professionals), general liability bodily injury and property damage claims, and motor vehicle casualty losses.

The firm also represents carriers in a wide variety of cases including coverage analysis and advice, defense of bad faith actions and direct actions, defense of uninsured motorist claims and other first party claims, and prosecution of indemnity and reimbursement claims.

We accept litigation cases throughout the five major Southern California Counties: Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego. We also handle select insurance coverage cases throughout all of California.

At Sturgeon & Wehbe we understand that we are a service organization as well as a provider of legal expertise and we work closely with our clients to efficiently manage both complex and non-complex cases, giving each matter the committed service to meet our clients’ objectives without the high fees charged by many law firms.

Every case is managed by one of Sturgeon & Wehbe’s two principals (Allen Sturgeon or Emily Wehbe) and assigned to selected senior associates to assist under the direct supervision of Allen or Emily at no additional charge

Our case handling strategy

Early case evaluation

If settlement is the goal, we direct the case towards a settlement posture. If, on the other hand, the case is a clear candidate for trial, preparation for the trial is begun immediately upon your authorization.

Broad case overview

We endeavor to ensure that all proper parties are before the Court. All necessary parties are named in a traditional Cross-Complaint for indemnity if applicable and, if there are contractual or insurance relationships between our client and other parties to the action, the appropriate tenders are made as well.

A “hands-on” approach

Our attorneys become familiar early on with the evidence as the case warrants by visiting the scene/projects, meeting with the client and with percipient witnesses, and taking steps to preserve evidence as soon as possible. Expert consultants are retained where necessary and at the proper time following consultation and approval by the clients.

Multi-tiered support system

For complex litigation cases we utilize a multi-tier team support system with direct partner handling and secondary assignment of the case to a senior associate attorney for back up and crosscheck purposes. In complex litigation cases, paralegals are used for organization assistance and to provide the needed level of back up.