Latham & Watkins‘s environment, land and resources practice group is nationally renowned for advising on major land use and zoning projects across various industries, such as healthcare, real estate, transportation, offshore wind, and media. The department is headed from Washington DC by global co-chairs Janice Schneider and James Barrett. Key names in Los Angeles are the experienced Lucinda Starrett, who focuses on entitlement matters, and George Mihlsten who is renowned for his land use and environmental solutions work. Also based in Los Angeles, James Arnone works on land use entitlements matters well as on litigation defense, and Maria Hoye routinely environmental approvals in addition to advising on planning and zoning regulations. Other key names to note are San Diego’s Jennifer Roy, Orange County’s Nikki Buffa, and Los Angeles’ Duncan Joseph Moore. Further Los Angeles contacts include Joshua Marnitz and Aron Potash, who extend the team’s expertise with their expertise in environmental and energy law.

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Key clients

  • Aerial Rapid Transit Technologies
  • California American Water Company
  • Irvine Company
  • City of Hope National Medical Center
  • Crescent Heights
  • FivePoint Holdings
  • Newhall Land & Farming Company
  • Hudson Pacific Properties
  • NBC Universal
  • Paramount Pictures
  • Oakland Athletics
  • Ventana Big Sur
  • Bel Air Bay Club
  • Santa Monica Beach Club
  • Irvine Company
  • Simon Property Group
  • Preston Hollow Capital
  • Pepperdine University
  • Loyola Marymount University
  • Oasis West Realty LLC
  • Faring LLC
  • SoCalGas
  • Charles Company

Work highlights

  • Advised Aerial Rapid Transit Technologies LLC and LA Aerial Rapid Transit Technologies LLC on their Memorandum of Agreement with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to design, build, operate, and maintain an aerial rapid transit gondola system connecting Dodger Stadium to Los Angeles Union Station.
  • Advised a number of desalination facilities along the California Coast on all areas of environmental law.
  • Advised SoCalGas on environmental, regulatory, permitting, and other strategic considerations in relation to its Angeles Link project, a renewable hydrogen energy pipeline system.

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Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Janice Schneider, James Barrett

Other key lawyers

Lucinda Starrett, George Mihlsten, James Arnone, Maria Hoye, Joshua Marnitz, Jennifer Roy, Nikki Buffa, Duncan Joseph Moore, Aron Potash, Devin O’Connor