Should I hire an attorney? Any referrals?

[Alex Tsui]

I have a SFH rental property in Riverside County CA. The house suffered substantial water damage due to vandalism by the tenant in Q4 2018. The house was insured by one of the largest insurers. When I filed my claim, they also provided a list of preferred vendors. I hired one of them, let's call it 'the Contractor.' Everyone I spoke with agrees that given the scope of this project, it should have been completed within one year. My insurance policy covered 12 months of lost rent.

However, the Contractor did not finish the project until March 2022, which is more than three years. They initially assigned a project manager who left the company after a few months. After that, the Contractor did not assign any project manager until Q4 2021. In between, I called and emailed my only contact, the general manager of the Contractor. He seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth and wouldn't respond to me at all.

The overall process was as follows:

- The Contractor assessed what needed to be repaired.

- They filed their assessment with the insurer.

- The insurer sent me a check, initially with just my name, later with both my name and the Contractor's.

- I paid the Contractor.

At this point, I still have not sent a large check from the Insurer to the Contractor because I am asking the Contractor to compensate for the missing rent due to their substantial delay. The missing rent not covered by the insurer is over $100,000.

I have been in discussions with the Contractor; honestly, they come across as heartless. They only want to get the money and don't seem to care about my missing $100,000+. And they seem to pull tricks to accomplish that.

Should I hire an attorney to sue them? Is there a way to file complaints or lawsuits against the Insurer? I assume the Contractor won't want to lose their future business with the Insurer. For attorneys, some charge an hourly fee upfront. How can I be sure they are any good?  Would it be better to use a contingency-based attorney?

Any advice is appreciated!