Nicholas Ma is a litigation shareholder in Miller Starr Regalia’s Walnut Creek office. Nicholas has significant experience representing clients in a wide range of disputes involving the purchase and sale of real property, commercial leases, easement rights, and construction defects. Nicholas represents clients from a variety of backgrounds and industries, including real estate developers, builders, commercial landlords and tenants, homeowners, and other private landowners. He has obtained favorable results for his clients through mediation, settlement, arbitration, and dispositive motions.
With respect to purchase and sale disputes, Nicholas has enforced both buyer and seller rights to facilitate closing, recover damages, or to unwind transactions in the event of breach. In particular, Nicholas routinely handles buyer claims for nondisclosure and fraud. Nicholas also frequently advises clients through the exercise of preemptive purchase rights, including Rights of First Refusal, Rights of First Offer, and options to purchase.
Nicholas spent the early years of his career primarily handling complex construction defect disputes under California’s Right to Repair Act (“SB 800”) on behalf of national homebuilders. Nicholas continues to leverage this specialized experience and knowledge to guide his clients through construction related disputes.
Nicholas maintains a comprehensive and versatile real estate litigation practice focused on safeguarding and enforcing his clients’ property rights. He regularly handles quiet title actions to establish clear ownership, litigates disputes involving easements and other property interests, and represents commercial landlords and tenants in breach‑of‑lease and unlawful detainer actions. His practice also includes prosecuting and defending nuisance, property damage, and trespass claims. Across these matters, Nicholas brings a strategic, results‑oriented approach designed to resolve disputes efficiently while protecting his clients’ long‑term interests.
Before joining Miller Starr Regalia, Nicholas worked at Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin in San Francisco, handling general liability and employment related matters for large institutional clients. Prior to that, Nicholas worked at a national law firm, Wood Smith Henning & Berman, representing businesses in construction defect and general liability matters.
Nicholas was born and raised in Walnut Creek, California. He attended the University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings College of the Law), where he focused on trial and appellate advocacy, securities regulation, and antitrust law. While in law school, he served as the Executive Articles Editor of the Business Law Journal and as a regular competitor on the nationally-ranked Moot Court Team. Nicholas also provided corporate legal services to multiple tech companies in the Bay Area through the Startup Legal Garage. Nicholas received multiple CALI awards at UC Law SF, including awards for Appellate Advocacy, Trial Advocacy, and Antitrust & Intellectual Property.
Outside of the office, Nicholas enjoys traveling, performing music, and spending time with his family.