Jacqueline C. Pons-Bunney Esq.
Managing Partner | Owner

Jacqueline Pons-Bunney is Managing Partner and Owner of W&D Law, LLP*. She is licensed in California, Arizona, and Colorado and opened the firm’s Arizona office in 2008 and the firm’s Colorado office in 2021. She focuses her practice primarily on the representation of design, construction, and real estate professionals in a wide array of actions.

Her undergraduate degree in Architecture affords her unique insight and advantage in dealing with adversaries and understanding the design and construction process. This unique background also allows her to meet the needs and concerns of her clients because she understands the industry literally from the ground up.

Her legal experience includes matters ranging from simple fee disputes to multi-million-dollar, high-profile construction cases involving high-rise condominiums, resorts, residences, schools, highways, wastewater treatment facilities, and other large public and private projects. Claims encompass defects, delay and cost overruns, personal/catastrophic injury and wrongful death in a variety of project types.

In addition to her extensive litigation experience, Jacquie counsels her clients in negotiation of complex contracts, as well as complicated risk management issues. She has been involved in the drafting and negotiation of contracts involving both public works and private projects with construction values in the multi-million-dollar range. She has authored several articles on risk management and has presented seminars to numerous groups in the construction and insurance community. Jacquie has also served as Program Project Manager, assisting design teams, insured under project-specific policies for large infrastructure projects (including transportation and energy), in navigating through a multitude of issues potentially impacting claims and coverage. In that role, Jacquie represents the team of insureds while acting as liaison with the project policy carriers and brokers.

In 2021, Jacquie teamed up with AIATrust to form Practice Coach. Practice Coach offers the architectural community practical information regarding legal issues associated with the day-to-day practice of architecture. Through Practice Coach, Jacquie, along with other select attorneys at W&D, further assists design firms in managing risk and minimizing claims when dealing with clients, contractors, employees, and others. Issues tackled include insurance, contracts, copyright and corporate structure.

W&D is a member of the exclusive National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms (NAMWOLF).

California Polytechnic University, Pomona
Bachelor of Architecture, 1991
International Studies Program, Florence, Italy (1989-1990),
Architecture Emphasis
University of La Verne College of Law
Juris Doctor cum laude, 1999
Journal of Juvenile Law (Managing Editor and Staff Writer)
Oral Argument Finalist
West Group Outstanding Scholastic Achievement Award

State Bar of California (various State and Federal courts)
State Bar of Arizona (various State and Federal courts)
State Bar of Colorado (various State and Federal courts)
United States Supreme Court
American Counsel of Engineering Companies (ACEC)
(Affiliate Member Legal Counsel Forum and Risk Management Committees)
American Counsel of Engineering Companies
(Affiliate Member-California)
American Institute of Architects / AIATrust (National)
Maricopa County (Arizona) Bar Association
Professional Liability Underwriting Society (PLUS)
Claims and Litigation Management Alliance
The Jefferson Society
US Institute of Building Documentation Legal Committee
NAMWOLF – National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms

Key Factors in Developing an Internal Risk Management Process
(2019, Travelers Professional Liability)
Copyright Rights & Wrongs (2015, Weil & Drage, APC)
So Is There Anything GOOD to be Taken from Beacon?
(2014, Weil & Drage, APC)
California Court Upholds Contractual Statute of Limitations Provision In
AIA Standard Form of Agreement
(2013, The Jefferson Society)
Drafting a Quality Control Manual: A Design Professional’s Guide
(September 2009, a/e ProNet Practice Notes, Volume 19, Number 1)
The Best Foundation for a Great Design is a Good Contract
(July/August 2007, Builder Architect Magazine, Southern Nevada Edition)
Understanding the Implications of ‘Defending’ Your Client
(September/October 2007, Builder Architect Magazine, Southern Nevada
Edition; August 2007, Travelers Insurance, “Stamped, Sealed and Delivered
– A Risk Management Publication for Architects and Engineers”; April 2007,
OC Architect; Spring 2007, ACEC of Oregon; 2007, National Casualty
Company, Scottsdale, Arizona, Architects & Engineers Risk Management
Newsletter, Volume 7, Issue 1;
December 2006, a/e ProNet Web Site)

Contributed to the successful petition by ACEC of California for passage of
SB 972, legislation aimed at limiting of design professional’s indemnity and
defense obligations in Public Works Contracts.

Condominium Projects: If You Build It, They Will Sue  (May 2021, AIATrust/Practice Coach Webinar)
Design Build and EPC Projects and Fiduciary Duty (July 2019, CLM
Cyber, Management and Professional Liability Conference)
When Mistakes Are Made (June 2019, Idaho Society of Professional
Engineers Annual Meeting, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho)
Mapping Today’s Best Practices to Find Tomorrow’s Treasures
(ESI Issues) (May, 2016, Stuckey Insurance)
Copyright Rights & Wrongs (September 2015, ACEC National
Webinar)
The Do’s and Don’ts of Construction Phase Services
(2014, AIA, Orange County Chapter)
The Best Foundation for a Great Design is a Good Contract
(2013, ASLA, Southern California Chapter)
Contract Workshop (2012 Stuckey Insurance Annual Risk Management
Seminar, Phoenix)
Oh No! What to Do When it all Goes WRONG!
(2011 IOA Insurance Services California Regional Sales Meeting)
Lien Laws and Indemnity; Impact of New Laws on Design Professionals
(2011, ASLA, Southern California Chapter)
Contracts Do’s and Don’ts
(2010, CSI/AIA Seminar, Inland Empire)
Document Retention for Design Professionals
(2010, Society of Design Administrators, Costa Mesa)
Drafting a Quality Control Manual: A Design Professional’s Guide (2008,
a/e ProNet Annual Professional Development Seminar, Chicago)
Negotiating High Risk Contracts
(2008, American Society of Civil Engineers, Tucson Chapter)
Introduction to Specification Writing – General Requirements
(2007, Orange County Chapter Construction Specifications Institute)