Expert Legal Solutions for Land, Water, and Business.

The firm’s attorneys practice in the areas of California Water Law, Environmental Regulatory Compliance, Land Use and Real Estate, and Business Formation and Regulatory Compliance.

California Water Law

The firm specializes in California water law, emphasizing water rights, water rights permitting, water rights ligation, and compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.

    • Appropriative Rights – analyze whether appropriative rights have been perfected and maintained

    • Riparian Rights - analyze the complete chain of title of a property from original land patent to present, with mapping of watercourses

    • Compliance - verify whether a water right has been maintained in compliance with applicable requirements

    • Transferability - verify whether the title to a water right is transferable to a new owner and whether water diverted under the right is transferable to a new location

    • Represent parties in civil court disputes concerning competing claims to water, water-sharing agreements, and rights of access

    • Defend water rights in the comprehensive watershed and groundwater basin adjudications Page 7 of 15

    • Represent water districts in administrative hearings before the State Water Resources Control Board

    • Advise the watermaster district responsible for administering water rights decrees

    • Permitting new surface water rights

    • Prepare Statements of Water Diversion and Use

    • Draft water sale and transfer agreements and obtain regulatory approvals to transfer water

    • Develop groundwater sustainability plans

    • Strategize subbasin coordination

    • Confirm legal adequacy of hydrogeological analyses

Environmental Regulatory Compliance

The firm helps clients comply with environmental regulatory programs affecting the use of land and water, including:

  • California Environmental Quality Act and National Environmental Policy Act compliance and litigation

  • State and federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) compliance and permitting

  • Lake and Streambed Alteration Agreements

Land Use and Real Estate

The firm helps clients advance their real property interests by articulating clients’ rights, securing entitlements, asserting those rights and entitlements during negotiations, and obtaining agreements in the following contexts:

  • Boundary and Title Disputes

  • Easements

  • Agricultural Leases

  • Real Estate Due Diligence and Transactions

  • Wetlands and Endangered Species Regulations

  • Water Right Due Diligence

  • Local Land Use and Zoning Code Compliance and Use Permits

  • Lot Line Adjustments

Business Formation, Maintenance, and Transactions

The firm assists clients with business formation, regulatory compliance, and transactions in the following ways:

  • Drafting of Governing Documents (e.g., Operating Agreement)

  • Filing Articles and Statements with the California Secretary of State

  • Drafting Business Proposals and Agreements

  • Negotiating with Counterparties

  • Corporate Transparency Act Compliance

  • Formation of Mutual Water Companies and Water Districts

  • Navigating Local Agency Formation Commission Processes

Questions before getting started? Get in touch.