Overview

Lauren Neuhaus is an associate in the firm’s Environment, Land Use, and Natural Resources group.  Lauren advises clients in permitting, compliance, and enforcement matters arising under state and federal environmental laws.  Lauren provides guidance on complex issues including cleanup of contaminated properties, hazardous waste management and disposal, managing environmental risks in transactions, stormwater and wastewater compliance, land use approvals and permit processes for development, and environmental review for projects under the California Environmental Quality Act.  She also regularly defends and represents clients in enforcement actions brought by federal and state agencies and in environmental litigation actions.

Lauren has experience working with clients on issues related to the Clean Water Act (CWA); Clean Air Act (CAA); Emergency Planning & Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA); Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and California environmental laws such as the California Hazardous Substance Account Act (HSAA) and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Whether working on a complex regulatory issue, defending a client in an agency enforcement action, or representing a client in litigation, Lauren enjoys working with clients to identify solutions and favorable outcomes.  Professionally, Lauren has been recognized by Best Lawyers®: Ones to Watch in America, and Rising Stars Northern California Super Lawyers ® for her work in environmental litigation.

Prior to her work at Stoel Rives, Lauren completed the environmental law certificate and graduated first in her class from the University of California, Davis School of Law.  Lauren completed undergraduate degrees in Rhetoric and Society & Environment from the University of California, Berkeley.  Lauren has former experience working with environmental agencies and nonprofit organizations. 

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

  • Represented biomass facility in a federal Clean Water Act citizen suit.
  • Represented antenna systems manufacturer in a multi-party groundwater environmental contamination claim arising from prior operations at the facility.
  • Represented commercial agribusiness company in an enforcement defense specific to an EPA request related to Risk Management Program, Process Hazard Assessment, and emergency response issues under the Clean Air Act and EPCRA.
  • Represent the County of San Luis Obispo and the San Luis Obispo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District in a 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 the County of San Luis Obispo in the Santa Maria groundwater adjudication.
  • Advised client with regard to discretionary permitting, environmental review (CEQA), access rights, and multi-jurisdictional issues, including drainage and endangered species, for a new state university site in Placer County, California.
  • Represented Harrison Street as environmental and real estate counsel for acquisition from Ecoplexus of a 52 MWdc portfolio of 18 commercial and industrial solar projects at State of California facilities.
  • Advised Transwestern Ventures on the acquisition of a significant commercial property in the Bay Area of California and permitting and environmental due diligence and development of the property.
  • Defended California Resources Corporation in a lawsuit brought by the City of Seal Beach, California alleging the failure to pay business license taxes to the City of Seal Beach arising under the company’s operation of offshore oil wells in State Lands Commission Lease PRC 186.
  • Represented owner of oil and natural gas exploration and production company in claims against Southern California Edison for failure to communicate re-energization plans following a public safety power shut off during a high wind event and wildfire related damages.

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
  • University of California, Berkeley, Enviromentorship Program, Student Environmental Resource Center, Mentor, 2019–2021
  • Legal Research and Writing II Teaching Assistant, University of California, Davis School of Law, 2018
  • Environmental Law Teaching Assistant, University of California, Davis, 2017–2018

Civic

  • She Shares, former Mentee
Jump to Page