Practice Areas
Land Use and Writs
Our practice encompasses all aspects of the permitting, environmental review, development, and construction, for projects both large and small.
We advise clients on preparing land use applications and obtain approvals and entitlements for their projects. We direct development projects from their inception through completion.
We know that permits and approvals are not where the project ends, but where it truly begins. As a result, we are mindful of the pitfalls to implementation and construction that can be avoided at the approval stage of a project.
We often help clients formulate and implement community, government, and media relation strategies and when necessary litigate and defend land use and environmental challenges, including initiatives and referenda. We have notched high-profile victories on cases involving the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the California Land Conservation Act (Williamson Act), and other statutes.
Our experienced attorneys also represent clients in eminent domain and condemnation (physical and regulatory taking) claims, representing both private landowners and public agencies. For landowner clients, we will defend your property rights when the state or federal government initiates a taking of your land or property rights for a public purpose. We will work hard to prevent the taking, if that is your objective, or to ensure that you receive just compensation for impairment of your property or your loss of use. For public agencies, we will work to ensure that the project moves forward without glitches, with fair compensation paid for any property taken.