Top Environmental And Natural Resources Lawyers Near Me in Los Angeles Area

With nearly 20 years of experience in all areas of civil litigation, Senior Lawyer Courtney C. McNicholas focuses her practice on law enforcement employment, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, products liability, habitability and sexual abuse cases. She has a wide range of skills, including spearheading client interviews, case analysis, mediation and settlement negotiations and trial preparation.. As mediator, judge pro tempore and arbitrator for the California Superior Court, Ms. McNicholas negotiates and assists in settling active cases. She also acts as presiding judge in many civil matters, including matters of personal injury, medical malpractice, products liability, premises liability, sexual harassment and racial/gender discrimination.. She is actively involved in her community and has served as Executive Vice President for the Juniors of Social Service and Development Chair for St. Brendan School. Ms. McNicholas also serves as Food & Beverage Chair for Marlborough School’s Annual Winter Fest.. She is admitted to practice before all California State Courts.

Tracy Mattie-Daub's practice focuses on real estate and general civil litigation, including title insurance matters. She has successfully represented clients in quiet title, bad faith, foreclosure, unlawful detainer, easement issues, mechanic’s liens, breach of contract/lease,  appeals, patent and copyright  infringement (music royalties), and other real estate and business matters. Ms. Daub also has extensive experience in environmental litigation and prelitigation issues, including CERCLA and RCRA cases, and working with clients to resolve matters before regulatory agencies.. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Daub was a chemist for Bay Area Air Quality Management District (1996-2002).  That experience provided unique training with practical applications in the practice of law such as critical analytical thinking, efficient researching skills, and structured writing.. In 2014, Ms. Mattie-Daub was recognized as a "Rising Star" on the Southern California Super Lawyers list, a designation bestowed on only 2.5% of the attorneys under the age 40 in Southern California.

My practice focuses primarily on construction, environmental, land use, and general business litigation. I regularly represent public and private entities in multi-million dollar construction disputes, and I have specific expertise in the prosecution and defense of construction claims involving delay, disruption, acceleration, stop notices, performance bond actions, and claims under the California Public Contracting Code.

Mr. Mazgani practices in the firm’s Environmental Law Department. In that capacity, Mr. Mazgani has been involved in numerous civil, criminal and regulatory environmental matters involving soil and groundwater contamination, toxic torts, CERCLA, and a wide array of State and Federal regulatory schemes. Mr. Mazgani regularly appears in both federal and state courts and works closely with representatives of a number of environmental regulatory agencies, including the Regional Water Quality Control Boards and the Department of Toxic Substances Control, on behalf of the firm’s clients.. Mr. Mazgani’s experience with CERCLA litigation and its California counterpart, the Hazardous Substances Account Act (HSAA), includes representing numerous corporate clients in multi-party CERCLA cost recovery and contribution actions, overseeing and directing investigations to identify Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs), working closely with litigation consultants to develop fate and transport models, advising both private corporations and public entities with respect to National Contingency Plan (NCP) compliance, advising hazardous waste generators with respect to “arranger” liability, advising clients with respect to de minimis CERCLA settlements and assisting clients in responding to requests for information from U.S. EPA.. Mr. Mazgani’s expertise also extends to the defense of complex toxic tort litigation matters. Mr. Mazgani has successfully defended both private corporations and public entities against lawsuits alleging exposures to hazardous materials present in indoor air by reason of vapor intrusion and the ingestion of contaminated drinking water. Mr. Mazgani’s representations include the successful defense of governmental entities in a high profile toxic tort matter brought by over 1,000 former residents of a publicly owned low-income housing complex in which our firm obtained a complete dismissal on behalf of the governmental entities following extensive expert discovery, depositions and successful motions to exclude the testimony of plaintiffs’ experts.. Mr. Mazgani’s environmental expertise also extends to non-litigation environmental matters. Mr. Mazgani routinely advises the firm’s clients with respect to environmental due diligence, environmental reporting and disclosure obligations, permit transfers, warranties and representations in transactions involving the purchases and sales of businesses, transfers of real property, commercial leases and indemnity agreements.. Mr. Mazgani’s environmental expertise also extends to advising clients in relation to Brownfield developments, responding to cleanup and abatement orders, obtaining no further action letters, complying with notice and disclosure requirements, prosecuting insurance claims involving environmental liabilities and the appointment of Cumis counsel, advising clients with respect to Underground Storage Tank (UST) regulations and prosecuting claims involving the UST Cleanup Fund.. Mr. Mazgani’s experience also extends to criminal prosecutions under environmental laws, including defending transporters being prosecuted for violations of U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations, defending property and business owners being prosecuted for the illegal storage and disposal of hazardous wastes, defending individual corporate officers alleged to have personal liability for environmental crimes and advising corporate clients in relation to grand jury subpoenas and investigations that may result in criminal liability.. In addition to his environmental litigation experience, as a member of the firm’s Litigation Group, Mr. Mazgani has also participated in a variety of business litigation matters involving breaches of contract, trade secrets, unfair competition, defamation, partnership disputes, commercial leases, construction defects, wrongful termination and class action defense.

Lucas Quass is an associate in the Environment, Land & Resources Department of Latham & Watkins. He focuses his practice on environmental matters, involving water, natural resources and land use law.. Mr. Quass practices environmental law, with an emphasis on California water law and policy, major infrastructure improvements and state court writ of mandamus and similar litigation. He provides advice to lenders, private developers, corporations, government entities and nonprofit organizations regarding water rights in groundwater and surface water systems, and environmental matters related to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).. Mr. Quass is also active in the firm’s pro bono program. He represents the Pasadena Roving Archers, a volunteer-run non-profit organization, in defense of land use entitlements to allow the continued operation of the historic Lower Arroyo Archery Range.. During law school, Mr. Quass was a law clerk at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. He was also the executive senior editor of the Southern California Review of Law and Social Justice, as well as a USC Law and Mental Health Scholar at the Saks Institute for Mental Health Law, Policy, and Ethics, and a recipient of the Edward & Eleanor Shattuck Award for Outstanding Service to the USC Law Center.. Mr. Quass is an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California Law School, where he teaches Persuasive Advocacy. Mr. Quass has also authored many articles and client alerts on new developments in land use, water resources and environmental law.. Mr. Quass’ experience includes the following:

Ellen Berkowitz chairs the land use practice group at Gresham Savage. She provides strategic, legal, business and political advice to clients involved in the development of real property. In that capacity, she represents clients before government agencies in connection with land use approvals and compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). She also assists clients in land use-related litigation, primarily arising from project challenges under CEQA and other land use regulations.. Additionally, Ms. Berkowitz has extensive experience in governmental advocacy, representing businesses and trade associations in connection with government contracts, and compliance with government regulations, as well as legislative and political reform for a variety of industries, including airport concessions, energy, advertising, restaurants, health, sports and entertainment.. Prior to joining Gresham Savage, Ms. Berkowitz was a partner in a major law firm, where she served as co-chair of the firm’s real estate and land use practice.

Charles D. Ferrari is a Senior Associate at ADLI Law Group. Mr. Ferrari focuses on transactional work in addition to business, real estate, construction defect, environmental and toxic tort litigation.. With 30 years of experience as an attorney, Mr. Ferrari possesses the uncommon blend of vast litigation experience with an extensive general business background. Armed with a degree in economics and years of experience as a restaurant owner and supermarket manager, Mr. Ferrari successfully served as a general counsel for a NASDAQ-traded corporation and related entities. Later, as general counsel for the Oregon State agencies, advising them on all aspects of their operations from regulation promulgation and rule enforcement to employment issues and contract procurement/enforcement. But Mr. Ferrari transcends the traditional role of business counsel, providing litigation representation in all judicial and administrative forums. His representation has ranged from class action and complex commercial and environmental cases to limited jurisdiction premises liability cases and administrative hearings, successfully arguing appellate cases such as Resolution Trust Corp. v. Rossmoor Corp. (1995) 34 th 93, Ryan v. Lustre-Cal (2014) WL 7384613, McCormick v. San Pedro Bait Co., Inc. (2009) WL 4801962 and the federal district court decision, Ameripride Services, Inc. v. Valley Industrial Service, Inc. (2007 E.D. Cal.) WL 656850. He also has successfully briefed numerous 42 U.S.C. section 1942 and other constitutional issues in California and Oregon.. Mr. Ferrari is admitted to practice before all state and federal courts in California and Oregon, including the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He is a graduate of California State University- Northridge and holds a juris doctorate from University of California-Davis School of Law.