Shartsis Friese’s environmental attorneys skillfully guide clients through all manner of state and federal compliance and permitting, litigation, and insurance coverage issues on behalf of both private sector and public agency clients.
Litigation
Our environmental litigators handle a wide range of environmental, natural resource and land use issues. We are experienced trial lawyers who represent both plaintiffs and defendants in complex federal court, state court and administrative agency settings. We defend federal, state and local agency environmental enforcement actions, prosecute and defend citizen lawsuits under federal environmental laws, advocate for insurance coverage and recovery, participate in cost recovery litigation, file and defend actions under CEQA and NEPA, and address a full range of hazardous waste, wetlands and endangered species problems. We litigate many types of water issues, including actions under California’s new Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), groundwater contamination cases, as well as water rights, water supply and water quality matters.
Government Representation
Our environmental practice is closely related to our robust government representation practice, in which we represent governmental agencies, constitutional officers, municipalities and state agencies, often in high-stakes litigation. Our environmental lawyers have represented many cities and counties in California and in other western states, as well as similarly situated clients such as universities and a national laboratory operator. Because of our deep experience in representing government clients, we understand and are adept at managing the special regulatory, institutional and political issues implicated by such litigation.
Compliance/Permitting
Complementing our environmental litigation practice is our environmental compliance, permitting and regulatory representation practice. We have the background and experience to help guide our clients through the complexities of environmental regulation. Our lawyers have obtained environmental and land use permits for many projects ranging in size from a large solar facility to small real estate development projects. In addition, we have often acted as special counsel for clients who need to resolve difficult environmental issues with California or federal agency regulators. Experienced in conducting due diligence on environmental issues and/or permitting in connection with project financing or sales transactions, we frequently collaborate with our corporate and real estate attorneys.
