Inyokern Environmental Lawyers

Located in Arroyo Grande, California, Paulding Law represents clients with a variety of needs. Our practice areas include: estate planning (wills & trusts); real estate and business transactions; and land use, environmental, and construction law. Whether you are a local resident, government agency, contractor, or entrepreneur, we will not only be responsive to your needs, but we will work harder than ever to exceed your expectations. It is our combination of extensive experience, positive demeanor, and professionalism that sets us apart and allows us to customize our services to meet your individual needs and concerns.

I have been in solo private practice representing plaintiffs in the areas of environmental, land use, and elections law for almost thirty years. My clients are usually local environmental groups, neighborhood associations, homeowner associations, and occasionally individuals or government agencies. In addition to my law degree (New College of Calif., 1990) have undergraduate and masters of science degrees in biology from Brown University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from Harvard University. I spent ten years working as a researcher in agricultural biotechnology before doing a career change and getting my law degree.
I represent clients...

Birch Citadel CEO and founder Matt Chalmers is a seasoned environmental attorney with over seven years of experience practicing at the forefront of climate change and energy law and policy, administrative law, CEQA, NEPA, land use planning, and permitting. Experience: From 2014 to 2023, Matt served as an attorney for seven years with the California Energy Commission as well as in technical and policy advisor capacities. He was the lead attorney on numerous aggressive and high-profile energy efficiency rulemakings such as California's 2019 and 2022 Energy Codes, which implemented first-in-the-nation requirements that most new construction in California be built with solar...

My name is Fred Walter. I am a partner in the law firm of Walter & Prince. My law firm represents California employers, and other states as well, in OSHA compliance issues and "serious & willful misconduct" claims. I work with employers, general counsel, safety directors, risk managers and human resources administrators defending OSHA citations and developing effective safety programs which answer regulatory mandates. I am a leader of the firm's crisis management practice, providing clients with legal advice and representation during and after critical events. I am admitted to practice in all California courts, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals...

Paul Lee is engaged in the relentless pursuit of justice for victims of serious injuries. He has successfully handled hundreds of major personal injury matters, including those involving vehicle accidents, workplace accidents, products liability, toxic torts and premises liability, including severe spinal cord injuries, brain damage, fractures, amputations, third degree burns, severe lung damage, leukemia and other injuries. In the area of defective and dangerous products, Paul has successfully settled cases involving automobiles, heavy machinery and equipment, consumer products, chemicals and pharmaceutical products. Before founding Kaplan Lee LLP, Paul was a litigation partner at Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith LLP, one of...

I was an elected official in Santa Cruz County, California for twenty years. Now, I am an environmental attorney, practicing law in Santa Cruz County. To get my perspective on politics, law, and government, read the postings I make, daily, to my blog, "We Live In A Political World." You can find my blog at www.gapatton.net.

Skilled in explaining litigation risks and strategy to business professionals. Practiced in assessing a company's exposure to litigation risks and analyzing litigation to resolve issues. Environmental. I have experience in both regulatory and litigation aspects of environmental law. I have negotiated Title V permits for steel companies, reviewed environmental provisions of transactions, negotiated NPDES permits, and resolved air excursion issues with state regulatory agencies. I have designed decision tree analysis for the resolution of environmental issues. In addition, I have been successful in litigating all manner of environmental claims in the courts and in administrative tribunals. Litigation. I have successfully prosecuted and...

Tracy Owens is an Associate in the Gresham Savage Real Estate & Land Use Practice Group. Ms. Owens assists clients with all aspects of commercial, industrial and residential development, including land use applications, zone changes, subdivisions, common interest developments, environmental compliance issues, and governmental approvals of projects. Ms. Owens has experience with projects affecting sensitive or endangered species, wetlands and cultural resources, and assists businesses and developers in complying with air and water quality regulation, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Ms. Owens is also experienced in title analysis and resolution of title problems,...

A San Francisco Bay Area native, James Nevin received a bachelor of arts from Boston College (majoring in International Studies), a master of arts in Asian Studies from Stanford University, and a law degree from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), where he was an editor on the UCLA Law Review. Mr. Nevin is a partner and trial counsel with the firm. He has been with Brayton Purcell since March 2002. His legal practice focuses on all litigation and trials representing personal injury and wrongful death plaintiffs, specializing in toxic torts, such as asbestos and mesothelioma, artificial stone silicosis, benzene-caused diseases,...

Lara Leitner handles legal matters involving CEQA, NEPA, RLUIPA, environmental law, and litigation.

Prior to joining JMBM, Lara was an associate at a municipal law firm where she represented numerous cities and special districts in complex litigation matters, including real estate, eminent domain, breach of contract, environmental, water, and employment cases in both state and federal court.

Lara received her J.D. from the UCLA School of Law. She served as the Comments Editor for the UCLA Journal of Environmental Law & Policy. During law school, Lara developed her land use and environmental law experience as a legal research...

Brandon is committed to direct, effective representation of clients and their interests. His practice includes complex environmental litigation, insurance coverage, and business disputes. Brandon represents clients in a wide variety of toxic tort litigation, bad faith insurance cases, and construction disputes. He successfully argued before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. He collected over $2.0 million in construction funds. He won summary judgment motions for clients in a number of cases. Brandon represented clients in environmental and personal injury defense cases, including several substantial exposure federal and state environmental clean-up litigations involving CECRLA and RCRA, as well as analogous state statutes...

Allison Ross is an associate at Bick Law LLP. Before joining Bick Law, Allison was an associate in the Litigation Department at O’Melveny & Myers, where she handled matters pertaining to qui tam actions; False Claims Act litigation; derivative claims; class actions; contract disputes; intellectual property litigation; and employment discrimination. She also has arbitration, discovery, and significant motions practice experience in both state and federal trial and appellate courts. Allison graduated from the University of Southern California Law School in 2014. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Allison studied opera, performing at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, and at Vassar College,...

I am a native of Kansas City. I received my B.A. from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY, a Ph.D. in cellular biology from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS and a J.D. from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA. I represent businesses and individuals in transactions, including purchase and sale of real estate, commercial, retail and industrial leasing, and commercial, retail and industrial financing. I am a frequent speaker in real estate leasing and real estate financing. I also serve as a board member for IRBCo, an independent review board for medical...

Based out of Santa Clara County, The Law Office of Eben L. Kurtzman has been providing reliable legal advice and representation in criminal law defense and personal injury prosecution cases for over two decades. Eben has handled over one thousand cases and has had more than fifty jury trials. His practice is centered on the idea that the client is the most important part of any case, and that a straight-forward, honest approach is the best way to succeed. He will give you a realistic, honest assessment of your case. He encourages all of his clients to ask questions and...

Mr. Brodsky earned his Bachelor's Degree in English from the University of California at Berkeley, with highest honors in English and highest distinction in general scholarship, graduating first in his class and earning the University Medal as the most distinguished graduate of 1994. He earned his Juris Doctor Degree from Yale Law School in 2001 and clerked for the Honorable Dorothy W. Nelson at the United States Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit in 2001–2002.

Prior to completing his undergraduate and law degrees, Mr. Brodsky was a construction sub-contractor in the San Francisco Bay Area for fourteen years, installing ceramic...

David L. Axelrod began work as a teenager, selling scorecards in Dodger Stadium. After attending college, David L. Axelrod entered a career as Park Ranger and Fire Fighter, at the East Bay Regional Park District of Northern California. In 1988, David L. Axelrod graduated law school at the University of California, Berkeley, California, passed the bar, and commenced the practice of law. David L. Axelrod worked as Deputy Attorney for CALTRANS Legal Division in Los Angeles, California, and then as Deputy Tuolumne County Counsel in Sonora, California. Mr....

Mr. Donadio was raised in Concord, Massachusetts, where he graduated in the top 10% of his high school class. In 1985 he graduated with a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania. After moving to California, Mr. Donadio went to the University of San Francisco Law School (USF), where he was president of the Environmental Law Society. After graduating from USF, Mr. Donadio spent a summer clerking for the White House's Council on Environmental Quality and obtained a masters degree in law, with a concentration in environmental law, from Vermont Law School. Mr. Donadio began work...

Amy is a member of the Water & Public Lands Group. She has specialized experience in Colorado River Issues and Endangered Species Act compliance. She represents public water agencies, special districts, private landowners and water utilities in both litigation and transactional matters. Amy works on a broad range of water and land use issues, including California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance, water rights permitting, administrative proceedings, complex groundwater adjudications, and water supply planning under SB 610/2210.

As a dedicated Rancho Santa Fe attorney at LiMandri & Jonna LLP, Charles LiMandri has had a lot of success. His extensive legal history includes many successful trials and cases. Through hard work, tenacity, and the relentless pursuit of excellence, he has obtained tens of millions of dollars on behalf of his clients. He started his legal career at the University of San Diego and went on to Georgetown University Law Center. His list of accolades include inclusion into the Million Dollar Advocates Circle, recognition as one of “San Diego’s Top 120 Top Most Influential, and more. If you want...

Terrance J. Evans is a partner in the Trial Practice Group of Duane Morris in San Francisco. He concentrates his practice in representing the financial services industry, which includes international, national and community banks; loan service companies; and insurance companies.

With respect to the insurance industry, Mr. Evans concentrates his practice in complex commercial litigation and policy interpretation and analysis. He has represented commercial primary, excess and umbrella insurers in a wide range of multimillion-dollar cases, including declaratory relief, bad faith, rescission, subrogation, indemnity, additional insurance, interpleader and reformation actions.

In relation to the banking industry, Mr. Evans has represented international,...

Jeff LaFave has gained an outstanding reputation for his expertise as a plaintiff’s trial attorney. Mr. LaFave has an impressive 19-year track record representing injured families, homeowners, renters, workers and children. For almost two decades, he has specialized in environmental litigation, including representing adults and children made sick by poor indoor air quality in their homes, workplaces and schools. Mr. LaFave has pioneered indoor air quality litigation since helping to successfully resolve the first known mold exposure lawsuit brought in 1992. He has represented hundreds of injured people in poor indoor air quality, sick building, water damage and toxic exposure...

Mr. Perry practices in the areas of land use, real estate, mortgage finance & structured products and business law. He represents clients before various administrative and planning agencies, including County of Sonoma, City of Santa Rosa, Town of Windsor, City of Petaluma, City of Rohnert Park, City of Sonoma, City of Cotati, City of Sebastopol, Sonoma County Airport Land Use Commission and Water Quality and Air Quality Boards. Mr. Perry also represents clients in general real estate, environmental and contractual litigation. He has significant experience with California Environmental Quality Act compliance and litigation.

Mr. Perry has practiced law in Sonoma County...

A partner and co-founder of Carmel & Naccasha LLP, Tim Carmel has practiced law extensively in San Luis Obispo County for over 37 years in the areas of municipal law, land use, real property transactions, and related matters. Tim has devoted much of his practice to public sector clients, including cities, community services districts, sanitary and other special districts, and he served in the office of the City Attorney for the City of Arroyo Grande for 30 years. In that role, he was responsible for advising the City Council, City Manager, and all City departments on points of law and ensuring...

Santino Tropea is a founding partner of Tropea McMillan. A significant portion of his practice includes representation of clients in toxic tort claims, actions brought under the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and all phases of CERCLA and the Superfund process. He has successfully represented clients in regulatory disputes and negotiations with both state and federal agencies, and has implemented supplemental environmental projects/pollution prevention plans to reduce or eliminate fines and penalties. He defends Proposition 65 cases and citizen's suits alleging False Claim Act violations and other related matters. Santino's experience includes representation of California municipalities, large chemical,...

The Law Offices of Matthew Emrick practices throughout California in both state and federal courts. The firm also appears before administrative agencies including the State Water Resources Control Board and the Interior Board of Land Appeals. The firm focuses on water rights, real estate, environmental (wetlands, CEQA/NEPA, fishery issues), land use (development, easements), flood damage, and business/real estate litigation. The firm's statewide water rights practice includes groundwater rights and surface water rights (riparian and appropriative); water rights permitting and valuation; SGMA; and water rights litigation. The firm has recently represented clients in San Luis Obispo, Madera, Mendocino,...

Sean T. Cahill, the principal of the firm, is an experienced litigator and trial attorney emphasizing practice areas in commercial transportation, high risk operation claims, construction, personal injury, real estate, business, sports & entertainment and employment. The firm's clients seek and rely on Mr. Cahill's common sense approach to simplifying otherwise seemingly complex legal matters. Mr. Cahill is an arbitrator for the Contractors State Licensing Board and Better Business Bureau in which he presides over a variety of business and construction disputes and has been involved in numerous industry boards and organizations. He has served on the Board of Directors...