Overview

Lauren Neuhaus is an associate in the firm’s Environment, Land Use, and Natural Resources group. She advises clients on environmental compliance, enforcement, and litigation matters with a focus on hazardous waste management, contaminated sites, and land use issues. Lauren represents clients in enforcement actions brought by federal and state agencies and in environmental litigation involving the storage, management, and disposal of hazardous materials. Her experience includes counseling clients on hazardous materials management, emerging regulatory issues, and environmental litigation trends, including matters related to PFAS.

Lauren regularly assists clients with contaminated site liability and remediation matters, from negotiating cleanup orders with state and federal agencies to representing clients in litigation under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and California Hazardous Substance Account Act (HSAA).

In the land use space, Lauren works with clients on permitting, due diligence, and environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). She also represents clients in land use litigation including nuisance and trespass claims, defense of land use approvals, and wildfire cost recovery actions. 

Across her practice, Lauren works closely with clients to develop practical strategies and achieve favorable outcomes in complex regulatory, enforcement, and litigation matters. She has been recognized by Best Lawyers®: Ones to Watch in America, and Rising Stars Northern California Super Lawyers ®.

Education

University of California, Davis School of Law, J.D., 2019; Graduated number 1 in class; Order of the Coif; Executive Editor, Environs Environmental Law & Policy Journal; Dean’s Merit Scholarship; King Hall Academic Excellence Scholarship

University of California, Berkeley, B.A., Rhetoric; B.S., Society & Environment, 2016, with distinction

Admissions

California

United States District Courts for the Central, Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts of California

Experience

Contaminated Sites & Remediation

  • Represent commercial property owner in cleanup process with the Department of Toxic Substances Control and in toxic tort and cleanup related litigation resulting from property contaminated with chlorinated solvents from prior dry-cleaning operation in Tuolumne County. 
  • Represented antenna systems manufacturer in a multi-party cleanup litigation related to chlorinated solvents from prior industrial manufacturing operations in Southern California.
  • Represented multinational oil and gas company in defense of cleanup related claims in Southern California related to prior operations of pipelines and fuel stations.
  • Represented aerospace forging company in negotiating cleanup order for remediation of prior military site in Massachusetts.

PFAS

  • Assisted bulk liquid storage company in the Bay Area in response to PFAS site investigation by the California State Water Resources Control Board.
  • Provide regulatory compliance advice to clients related to federal and state PFAS developments in California, Virginia, Louisiana, Illinois, New Jersey.
  • Represented major manufacturing client in responding to state subpoena regarding a PFAS/PFOS investigation and characterization related to in-state facility.
  • Defended titanium supplier in PFAS cost recovery action filed by public water system.

Land Use Litigation

  • Represent homeowners’ association in noise nuisance litigation against ski resort owners and operators in Truckee.
  • Represented private property owner in defense of permit received from Tahoe Regional Planning Agency for private pier in Lake Tahoe.
  • Represented clients in several industries, including timber and oil and gas, in cost recovery actions following California wildfires.
  • Defended waste management company’s conditional use permit approved by Solano County for waste transfer facility.  

Environmental Litigation

  • Defended oil and gas client in lawsuit alleging the failure to pay business license taxes for operation of offshore oil wells.
  • Represent public water supplier in multi-phase trial concerning quiet title claims to the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin asserted by over 700 plaintiffs, and the competing appropriative and prescriptive rights of public water suppliers to groundwater resources within the basin.
  • Represent clients in a variety of industries, including biomass facility, food processing facilities, and industrial manufacturing facilities, in federal Clean Water Act citizen suits.
  • Represent oil and gas client in lawsuit regarding a franchise agreement to operate a natural gas pipeline in the City of Antioch. 

Land Use

  • Advised client and negotiated land use agreements regarding grant of property for future campus site and related discretionary permitting, environmental review (CEQA), access rights, and environmental issues, including drainage and land disturbance permitting, for multi-phase campus project in Northern California.
  • Represented power company in claims related to management of conservation lands against land trust organization.
  • Conducted permitting and environmental due diligence for projects involving acquisition of commercial properties for variety of uses, including commercial development and industrial solar projects. 
  • Negotiated grant of exclusive easement between private property owner and Tahoe City Public Utility District for multipurpose trail and public recreation.   

Compliance, Enforcement, and Regulatory Counseling

  • Represent commercial food processing company in enforcement defense specific to an EPA Region IX information request related to Risk Management Program, Process Hazard Assessment, and emergency response issues under the Clean Air Act and EPCRA.
  • Represented industrial manufacturing client in response to EPA Region IV information request and negotiation of consent decree related to Superfund site.
  • Advise clients regarding compliance with California’s Construction Storm Water General NPDES Permit and Industrial Storm Water General NPDES Permit.
  • Defended commercial property owner in response to County of Fresno Public Health and CalRecycle investigation into prior dumpsite and alleged landfill gas contamination.

Insights

Insights & Presentations

Recognition

  • Included in Best Lawyers®: Ones to Watch in America (Litigation—Environmental), 2024–present
  • Listed among Rising Stars (Environmental Litigation) Northern California Super Lawyers ®, 2023–present
  • Listed in Sacramento Magazine’s Top Lawyers, 2022
  • Recipient of the 2019 UC Davis Law School Medal for Highest Academic Achievement
  • Witkin Award Recipient (highest class grade) in Legal Research and Writing II, Land Use & Planning, Property, Constitutional Law II, California Environmental Law, Energy Law, Food & Agriculture Law, and Marital Property
  • Environmental Law Certificate and Public Service Law Program Recipient
  • 2nd Place Winner at the 2018 California State Bar Environmental Negotiations Competition

Affiliations

Professional

  • Association of Women in Water, Energy and Environment, Member, 2017–present
  • Memberships/bar associations – Environmental Law Institute; Bar Association of San Francisco

Civic

  • She Shares, former Mentee
  • University of California, Berkeley, Enviromentorship Program, Student Environmental Resource Center, former Mentor
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