Latham & Watkins LLP

Lucas Quass advises clients on environmental matters, including land use, regulatory approvals, water resources, and related litigation.

Lucas helps clients develop a full spectrum of projects in the western United States and along the California coast. From project inception to completion and ongoing monitoring, he helps clients navigate:

• • Regulatory approvals and permitting (including CEQA, the Coastal Act, and local planning and zoning laws)
  • Water rights and adjudication
  • Project opponents and community relations
  • Related litigation from local courts through to the California Supreme Court

Lucas has a sophisticated understanding of the interplay of regulation, water rights, and environmental factors that affect residential, commercial, and industrial development projects. He provides clients an unusual complementary litigation strength to his regulatory work, having litigated one of only a handful of water basin adjudications in California and successfully representing clients in disputes in state and federal courts.

Lucas has been steeped in water issues his whole career; prior to graduating law school, he worked for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the largest supplier of treated water in the United States. Lucas currently serves as the Vice Chair of the American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy and Resources. He frequently writes and speaks on water and environmental issues, including CEQA, the Subdivision Map Act, and Prop 65. He also maintains an active pro bono practice, including representing the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, California.