Maria Plumtree
Founding Partner | Construction Lawyer
Maria Plumtree is a founding partner of Plumtree & Brunner, LLP. Maria comes from a long line of construction contractors. Her grandfather, Galileo Tobia, immigrated from Italy and founded Tobia Tile, a tile-setting business that was later expanded into general construction by her uncle and is now known as Tobia Construction. Construction remained deeply rooted in the family, including through her cousin, who purchased Varden Brothers, the oldest roofing company in Albany, New York.
During her formative years, Maria was “shipped” off to New York to stay out of trouble and work in the family business, which included hot mopping for her cousin’s roofing company. Those early experiences gave her firsthand exposure to the hard work, demands, and day-to-day realities faced by contractors. It was during those formative years that she realized her future was better suited to the legal profession than the construction trades and ultimately pursued a career in law. Nevertheless, those early experiences provided her with a firsthand understanding of the construction industry that remains a cornerstone of her practice today.
After becoming a licensed attorney, Maria recognized that many contractors and construction professionals were underrepresented and underserved. Drawing on her family’s deep construction roots, she dedicated her practice to representing contractors and construction professionals.
Prior to starting her own law firm, Maria worked for a multi-state law firm in Las Vegas, Nevada, where she represented national developers in complex construction litigation matters. During that time, she litigated a case that was ultimately appealed to the Nevada Supreme Court and resulted in the published decision of Schuette v. Beazer Homes Holding Corp.
Maria later returned to California, where she worked for another large law firm representing subcontractors before eventually founding her own construction law practice. She now has more than 25 years of experience representing general contractors, custom homebuilders, remodelers, subcontractors, suppliers, and construction professionals throughout California and Nevada.
Maria’s practice includes construction litigation, construction defect claims, mechanics liens and stop notices, contractor license defense, construction insurance matters, and risk management counseling. She is particularly known for her experience representing contractors before the California Contractors State License Board and helping construction professionals navigate licensing and regulatory issues.
In addition to her law practice, Maria is a regular guest lecturer for numerous construction industry organizations, including the California Professional Association of Specialty Contractors, the Builders Exchange of the Central Coast, and the Building Industry Association. She also regularly advocates in Sacramento on issues affecting the construction industry.
Practice Areas
Construction Litigation
Construction Defect Defense
Mechanics Liens, Stop Notices and Payment Remedies
CSLB License Defense
Construction Insurance
Risk Management
Education
Occidental College – B.A.
California Western School of Law – J.D.
Bar Admissions
California, 2000
Nevada, 2000
Awards
Volunteer of the Year Award – Trade Contractors Council (2010)
Volunteer of the Year Award – Remodeler’s Council (2008)
Publications
“Maquiladoras and Women Workers: the Marginalization of Women in Mexico as a Means to Economic Development,” Vol. 4 No. 1, Southwestern Law and Trade in the Americas (1999)
Teaching Experience
Adjunct Professor, Paralegal Program, Las Vegas College (2000–2003)
