John N. McLaurin; Trial Lawyer, Real Estate Expert

John N. McLaurin, 78, a Los Angeles trial lawyer who was an expert in real estate and condemnation law. A graduate of the USC Law School, he was chief trial lawyer for the California Division of Highways before joining the Los Angeles firm of Hill, Farrer & Burrill in 1957, retiring in 1988. In 1976, he won what was then a record $14.35-million judgment in a condemnation action brought by his client, the Disney-owned Retlaw Corp. against the city of Los Angeles. He also was behind many revisions of eminent domain law in California. On Monday in La Canada Flintridge.