VINCENT J. SINCEK, Esq.
Vincent J. Sincek, Esq.
Senior Attorney at LawPractice Areas
Community Association CounselCivil Litigation
Real Property & Land Use Counsel
Legal Assistant: Suzane Estilow
Education
College of San Luis Rey, 1969University of San Diego School of Law, 1997
Affiliations and Memberships
State Bar of CaliforniaCommunity Associations Institute (CAI)
California Association of Community Managers (CACM)
Overview
Vince Sincek is a native San Diegan. He received a B.A. in philosophy from the College of San Luis Rey in 1969. Vince’s early career was that of a Licensed Land Surveyor in the State of California. His strong aptitude for mathematics and trigonometry soon propelled him into civil engineering where his land use experience, the recommendations of others in the profession, and the successful completion of a State of California licensing examination earned him the professional designation Registered Civil Engineer. Vince spent fifteen years in the engineering and land use professions, including owning and managing his own firm.In 1997, Vince earned his law degree cum laude from the University of San Diego School of Law. Joining Epsten, APC in the spring of 1998, his expertise in engineering and land use has enabled him to make valuable contributions to the firm’s real estate and construction law practice areas. Respectfully dubbed the “dirt expert” by his Epsten colleagues, Vince continues to be an important source of knowledge in legal matters involving litigated boundary disputes, drainage, land use and easement issues. He also represents homeowner associations in governance matters.
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KIERAN J. PURCELL, Esq., CCAL
Kieran J. Purcell, Esq., CCAL
Managing ShareholderCEO/CFO
Practice Areas
Community Association CounselContract Counsel
Legal Assistant: Natalie Hasson
Education
University of Colorado, 1985California Western School of Law, 1995
Affiliations and Memberships
State Bar of CaliforniaAmerican Legion, Post 275
Community Associations Institute (CAI), Member, San Diego Chapter Past President and Board Member
Chair, California Legislative Action Committee (CLAC)
Legislative Support Committee (LSC), Member, San Diego Chapter
California Association of Community Managers (CACM), Member
Overview
Kieran Purcell graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder. After serving seven years in the United States Navy, Kieran attended California Western School of Law and joined Epsten, APC in 1995. Kieran’s work on behalf of community associations includes providing advice on all types of corporate matters including litigation, interpretation and enforcement of governing documents and reconstruction issues. He has been a shareholder of Epsten, APC since 2002 and now serves as Managing Shareholder, President, and CFO of the firm.Kieran spent three terms on the Board of Directors of the San Diego Chapter of the Community Associations Institute (CAI), where he served as its President, co-chaired the National Seminar Committee and co-chaired the Golf & Tennis Charity Classic. Kieran is a delegate for the San Diego Chapter’s Legislative Support Committee (LSC), a former Legislative Co-Chair for the California Legislative Action Committee (CLAC), and now serves as Chair of CLAC. Kieran is a four-time recipient of the San Diego Chapter’s President’s Award, and also a recipient of the Samuel L. Dolnick Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2023, he was recognized with the San Diego Chapter’s Legacy Award. He is a fellow of the College of Community Association Lawyers (CCAL).
In September 2015, Captain Kieran Purcell retired from the United States Navy after 30 years of active and reserve service, including 3 tours as Commanding Officer.
A former President of the San Diego Chapter of the University of Colorado Alumni Association, Kieran served 5 years on the University’s National Alumni Board of Directors.
Honors & Awards
Additional Articles
- Condominium Association Can Enact Rules Excluding Non-Resident Owner From Using Common Area Recreational Facilities
- Delegation of Board of Directors Powers to Officers and Committee
- Amendment To Bylaws Creating A New And Disadvantaged Class Must Be Approved By Members Of That Class
- Ethics In Community Association Management
- If You Aren’t Supporting CLAC, You Aren’t Paying Attention (President’s Message)
Events & Speaking Engagements
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DOUGLAS W. GRINNELL, Esq.
ELISA M. PÉREZ, Esq.
KARYN A. LARKO, Esq.
Karyn A. Larko, Esq.
Senior Attorney at LawPractice Areas
Community Association CounselContract Counsel
Legal Assistant: Joy C. Dispo
Education
Victoria University, 1989California Western School of Law, 2007
Affiliations and Memberships
State Bar of CaliforniaSan Diego County Bar Association
Community Associations Institute (CAI)
California Association of Community Managers (CACM)
Overview
Karyn Larko joined Epsten, APC, after graduating cum laude from California Western School of Law in 2007. While attending law school, Karyn worked as a law clerk for Ezekiel Cortez, a prominent federal criminal attorney in San Diego.Before becoming an attorney, Karyn had a successful career spanning more than 15 years in business management, marketing and public relations. As a result of her substantial business experience, Karyn possesses well-honed communication, problem solving and conflict resolution skills, which are of particular benefit in the practice of community association law. Karyn assists the firm’s clients on a wide range of matters, including covenant and rule enforcement, document interpretation, restatement and amendment, ADA and DFEH compliance, contract preparation and negotiation, loan document review, preparation, interpretation and enforcement of licenses and easements, and dispute resolution. Karyn also assists the firm’s condominium association clients navigate the dynamic FHA certification and VA approval processes. Since joining the firm’s transactional law department, Karyn has earned a reputation among her clients and her colleagues for being both knowledgeable and accessible.
Karyn has written articles on a variety of issues pertaining to community association law. Karyn holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce and administration with a double major in marketing and business operations from Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand. She is a member of the State Bar of California, the San Diego County Bar Association, the Community Associations Institute (CAI) and the California Association of Community Managers (CACM).
Additional Articles
Events & Speaking Engagements
When I truly want some down time or simply to de-stress, I enjoy snorkeling or the challenge of a complex jigsaw puzzle.
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SUSAN M. HAWKS MCCLINTIC, Esq., CCAL
- Attorney Profile
- Achievements
- Articles & Publications
- Events & Speaking Engagements
- Outside the Office
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Susan M. Hawks McClintic, Esq., CCAL
ShareholderVice President
Transactional Department Chair
Practice Areas
Community Association CounselCommercial CID
Legal Assistant: Joy C. Dispo
Education
University of Notre Dame School of Law, 1983Affiliations and Memberships
State Bar of CaliforniaSan Diego County Bar Association
Community Associations Institute (CAI)
CAI Foundation for Community Association Research Board of Directors
CAI Case Law Review Committee Member
CAI Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiative Committee Member
Overview
Susan M. Hawks McClintic is known for giving practical, common sense advice without the legalese. Sue joined Epsten, APC, in October 1990 and became a shareholder in 1999. She has supervised the firm’s transactional law department since 2008, became a co-managing shareholder in August 2014 and was named managing shareholder of the firm in September 2021. Sue graduated from the University of Notre Dame Law School and grew up in Nebraska.Sue is active in the Community Association Institute (CAI) on the local and national level. For CAI National, Sue serves on the Board of Directors for the CAI Foundation for Community Association Research, is a member of the CAI Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, including working on a committee to develop an M400 course, and is a past member of the CAI Case Law Review Committee. Sue also serves as a CAI San Diego Treasurer, serves on the CAI San Diego Education Committee, and has served in the CACM committee.
During her more than thirty year career in community association law, Sue has developed a special expertise in document interpretation, amendments, and restatements. Sue speaks regularly throughout the Community Association industry, and she is a fellow of the College of Community Association Lawyers (CCAL).
Honors & Awards
Additional Articles
Upcoming Events & Speaking Engagements
Prior Speaking Engagements
As a speaker and exhibitor at this event, we hope you will join us.
EG&H Attendees: Susan M. Hawks McClintic, Esq. & Mary M. Howell, Esq. (speakers) and Kieran J. Purcell, Esq., Dea C. Franck, Esq., Pejman D. Kharrazian, Esq. and Tiffany Christian
Join Susan M. Hawks McClintic, Esq as she speaks at The Board Leadership Development Workshop. This workshop aims to teach you how to communicate with association residents, hire qualified managers and service providers, develop enforceable rules, interpret governing documents and more.
Susan M. Hawks McClintic, Esq. will be speaking at this workshop.
The new CAI Board Leadership Development Workshop teaches you how to communicate with association residents, hire qualified managers and service providers, develop enforceable rules, interpret governing documents and more. It provides a comprehensive look at the roles and responsibilities of community association leaders and conveys information to help create and maintain the kind of community people want to call home.
Tune in to this www.HOAleader.com hosted webinar to hear Susan M. Hawks-McClintic, Esq. speak about HOA meetings and executive sessions.
Follow this link – https://www.hoaleader.com/products/executive-session-hoa-boards-b.cfm – to join.
Join David A. Kline, Esq. and Susan M. Hawks McClintic, Esq at our San Diego office for our first Legal Lesson. Participants will learn about all the disclosures that must be made to the members on an annual basis. Many disclosures have to be included in the Annual Budget Report or Annual Policy Statement that is sent to the members toward the end of each fiscal year. Other disclosures can or should be made at the beginning of the next fiscal year. Learn everything you need to do to comply with these confusing legal requirements.
Join Tiffany Christian and some of our attorneys at our Coachella Valley Legal Symposium!
Speaking: Dea C. Franck, Esq., David E. Bruce, Esq., Susan M. Hawks McClintic, Esq., Mary M. Howell, Esq., Elisa M. Pérez, Esq.
Our 2017 San Diego and Coachella Valley Legal Symposia are CACM-approved for 2 CEUs and CAI approved for 5 CE credits (www.camicb.org).
Join attorney Susan M. Hawks-McClintic, Esq. as she discusses various industry trends – including digital tools and aspects of the physical environment – that will change the future of the CID industry. What should you be ready to embrace, and what are the legal implications for the field? This session will examine concepts ranging from the “Internet of Things” to lifestyle experience trends, while overlaying aspects of the law that affect the industry.
Join attorneys Sue M. Hawks McClintic, Esq., Dea C. Franck, Esq. and Tiffany Christian at Desert Resort Management’s Annual Board Symposium.
A series of presentations on community association legal issues unique to our desert communities.
Coachella Valley associations are confronted with challenges unlike those found elsewhere—lifestyle, demographics, infrastructure and facilities all evolve differently in our historical and physical environment. At Epsten, our perspective and understanding of these issues has been shaped by years of local presence.
Attend these FREE events with Epsten’s attorneys, who will share their insights on legal challenges of particular concern to our Valley’s community associations.
Speakers: Susan M. Hawks McClintic, Esq. and Dea C. Franck, Esq.
In my less peaceful moments, I love live music. I like rock music both old and new. Rock on!
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MARY M. HOWELL, Esq., CCAL
Mary M. Howell, Esq., CCAL
Of CounselPractice Areas
Community Association CounselSenior & Fair Housing
Civil Litigation
Legal Assistant: Joy C. Dispo
Education
University of California, San Diego, 1972University of San Diego School of Law, 1976
Affiliations and Memberships
State Bar of CaliforniaSan Diego County Bar Association
College of Community Association Lawyers
Community Associations Institute (CAI), Member, Past San Diego Chapter President and Board Member
California Association of Community Managers (CACM), Member
Overview
Mary is a former shareholder of Epsten, APC. Her legal practice has solely focused on the representation of community associations. She is a long-time champion of senior housing, well-known for her advocacy of seniors and her work on behalf of senior communities in California. As a respected authority on the topic, she has authored texts for attorneys on the federal and California laws that relate to age-restricted communities and has been lauded for her work by numerous civic organizations and state and local governments.In addition to counseling associations on corporate governance and interpretation and enforcement of governing documents, Mary's casework on behalf of associations encompassed litigation of CC&R enforcement cases, appellate representation, defense of common interest developments (e.g., breach of fiduciary obligation, wrongful termination, failure to maintain) and actions for declaratory relief.
Mary was an adjunct law professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law and has authored numerous articles and handbooks for homeowner associations, including Small Claims Court for Homeowner Associations and the Resource Manual for California Senior Communities. Mary has served as a judge pro tem for San Diego County courts, on the Steering Committee of the State Bar's Fair Housing and Public Accommodations Subsection, and appeared in various cases as an expert witness on community association issues.
Since 1994, Mary has been an instructor for the California State Bar's Continuing Education of the Bar classes on community associations and the Davis-Stirling Act. She is a past president of the San Diego Chapter of the Community Associations Institute and a frequent lecturer at CAI's national Community Association Law Seminar and CACM's annual legal Symposium. Mary is a member of CAI's College of Community Association Lawyers (CCAL). She serves on CAI's amicus team and CACM's legislative committee. For many years, she has co-authored the updated CEB text on Advising California Common Interest Developments, published in 2013. In 2014, the San Diego Daily Transcript named Mary a "Top Attorney in the Real Estate and Construction Transactional" practice category, and was recognized in the 2024 edition of the Best Lawyers in America in the "Community Association Law" category.
Events & Speaking Engagements
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JON H. EPSTEN, Esq., CCAL
- Attorney Profile
- Achievements
- Articles & Publications
- Events & Speaking Engagements
- Outside the Office
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Jon H. Epsten, Esq., CCAL
ShareholderGeneral Counsel to the Firm
Vice President/Client Relations
Construction Defect Department Chair
Construction & Remediation Department Chair
Litigation Department Co-Chair
Practice Areas
Community Association CounselConstruction & Remediation
Construction Defect Litigation
Civil Litigation
Commercial CID
Legal Assistant: Suzane Estilow
Education
University of San Diego, 1978Thomas Jefferson School of Law, 1982
Affiliations and Memberships
State Bar of CaliforniaSan Diego County Bar Association
Foothill Bar Association
College of Community Association Lawyers
Community Associations Institute (CAI)
California Association of Community Managers (CACM) CAI Foundation for Community Association Research Best Practices Report on Maintenance Committee Member
Overview
Jon H. Epsten is the founding shareholder in the law firm of Epsten, APC. Jon is a native San Diegan who graduated from the University of San Diego and obtained his law degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, graduating with scholastic merit.For years, Jon acted as a community association manager. Jon estimates he has attended well over 2,000 association meetings. Jon’s work on behalf of community associations encompasses providing advice on all types of corporate matters including directors’ and officers’ defense, mold and mildew litigation, interpretation and enforcement of governing documents, assessment collection, construction defect litigation, and construction and remediation issues. Jon has participated in and been lead counsel on many construction defect cases resulting in multi-million dollar settlements and currently assists in overseeing the firm’s construction defect practice. Jon also advises Associations on risk management and insurance, and contract issues.
Jon taught as an adjunct professor of law at California Western School of Law. He is past president of both the San Diego Chapter and the Greater Inland Empire Chapter of the Community Associations Institute (CAI), and has testified as an expert witness in community association-related issues. Additionally, Jon was a contributor to the Continuing Education of the Bar Publication, “Advising California Common Interest Communities.” He acts as a law faculty instructor for the Community Associations Institute and has received numerous awards for his contributions.
Jon is an active member of the California Association of Community Managers (CACM), was a member of its Professional Standards Committee, received the CACM Lifetime Achievement Award and has been appointed to the CACM faculty. Jon is a fellow of the College of Community Association Lawyers (CAI), the San Diego County Bar Association and the Foothills Bar Association. Jon was honored with the Distinguished Service Award by both the San Diego Chapter and the Greater Inland Empire Chapter of the Community Associations Institute, and has received the CAI Hall of Fame Award. He has been the co-chair of the Committee on Common Interests Subdivisions for the State Bar, and has acted as a probation monitor for the State Bar.
Most recently, Jon was named a 2012-2018 Super Lawyer, was honored by the San Diego Business Journal as among the “Best of the Bar” from 2014-2016, and has been one of San Diego Magazine’s “Top Lawyers” from 2015 to 2018, and was recognized in the 2024 edition of the Best Lawyers in America in the category of "Community Association Law."
Honors & Awards
Additional Articles
- 03/2016 CAI National Common Ground Magazine, Catch & Counsel
- 12/2015 CAI Greater Inland Empire Connect Magazine, The Past is Prologue: Security Issues Then and Now
Podcasts
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For me, the ocean relieves the stress of everyday life. My son and I have an inshore fishing skiff where we fish the bays and inshore waters. I also enjoy offshore fishing and during the summer months I enjoy chasing marlin, tuna and halibut.
Eagle’s Wings Foundation - Corporate Counsel
Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation - Corporate Counsel
Southwestern Yacht Club Angler Board