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Catherine W. Johnson, Partner

Practice Areas/Industries
Real Estate; Environmental Law

Based in our San Francisco Office
415-995-5835 Direct Phone
415-995-3598 Fax
cjohnson@hansonbridgett.com
vCard | PDF bio

Catherine has more than 20 years of experience as an environmental lawyer. Her practice includes remediation and development of contaminated properties, brownfields, environmental due diligence, environmental reporting requirements, hazardous waste, postclosure uses of landfills, Proposition 65, OSHA appeals, asbestos notifications, air permits, asbestos premises liability, mold-related counseling and litigation, and environmental litigation to recover cleanup costs. Catherine represents clients from many industries, including homebuilders, REITs, public agencies, an agricultural cooperative, a scrap mental recycling facility, an international manufacturing facility, retail and commercial property owners and a national recreational vehicle rental company. Catherine has been named as a Northern California "Super Lawyer" in the field of environmental law by the publishers of San Francisco Magazine.

Representative Work

  • Remediation and development of contaminated properties into multifamily housing projects and single family housing projects
  • Securing insurance defense costs for a dry cleaner sued for cleanup
  • Advising clients on environmental accounting matters, including FIN 47
  • Securing Coastal Commission approval of an affordable housing project
  • Securing cleanup costs for a creditor in bankruptcy proceedings
Presentations
Catherine has lectured on a variety of environmental topics for state and city bar associations, trade associations, national seminar groups, and educational institutions. Recent speaking engagements include:

  • Contaminated Property in Financial Distress - Who is Left Holding the Bag in a Down Economy? (panelist), Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean LLP (May 7, 2009)
  • Contaminated Property: Insolvency, Bankruptcy, and Lender Liability Issues (panelist), Bar Association of San Francisco (March 26, 2009)
  • New ASTM Standards for Environmental Due Diligence: All Appropriate Inquiry for Indoor Air Intrusion, and Mold Surveys (panelist), Annual Meeting of the California Bar Association (September 25, 2008)
  • Environmental Enforcement 2008: Spills, Leaks and Discharges (panelist), Bar Association of San Francisco (June 18, 2008)

Publications

  • "Update: Tenant Liability Under CERCLA," State Bar of California,
    Real Property Section E-Bulletin     (July 1, 2009)
  • "Contaminated Property and Insolvency: Who Pays When Responsible Parties File for Bankruptcy?" California Real Estate Journal
    (September 21, 2009)
  • "Costly Cleaning," (co-author) San Francisco and Los Angeles Daily Journal (September 27, 2007)
  • "New Standards for Environmental Due Diligence," California Environmental Insider (August 31, 2006)
  • "Firms Must Be Mindful of Assets' Environmental Obligations," San Francisco and Los Angeles Daily Journal (May 4, 2006)
  • Property Purchasers Must Heed New Standards for Environmental Due Diligence," East Bay Business Times (March 24, 2006)
  • "Counsel Must Advise Potential Buyers About New CERCLA Liability Defenses," San Francisco and Los Angeles Daily Journal (November 12, 2002)
  • "Recent Superfund Amendments: New Defenses to CERCLA Liability and New Standards for Pre-Acquisition Environmental Due Diligence," (co-author) Vol. 20, No. 4, California Real Property Journal (Fall 2002)
  • "Dirty Land, New Laws Will Promote Remediations of Brownfields," San Francisco and Los Angeles Daily Journal (November 12, 2001)
  • "New Regulations for Prop 65 Disclosures," Prop 65 News (July 15, 2000)
  • "Evil Additive: State Board Releases Draft MTBE Guidelines," San Francisco and Los Angeles Daily Journal (May 2000)
  • "Stigma Stymie: Compensation for the Lingering Effects of Contamination," San Francisco and Los Angeles Daily Journal (March 13, 1999)
  • "Parent Trap: Liability Under CERCLA for a Subsidiary's Pollution," San Francisco and Los Angeles Daily Journal (June 12, 1998)
  • "Environmental Insurance Coverage for Contaminated Property," San Francisco and Los Angeles Daily Journal (January 23, 1998)

    • Professional Affiliations
    Bar Association of San Francisco (Environmental Section, Executive Committee, 2009 to present)
    State Bar of California (Environmental Subsection of the Real Property Law Section and the Executive Committee for Northern California; Chair, 1998 to 2009)
    Bay Area Legal Aid (Board of directors, 2003 to 2005)

    Honors
    Northern California SuperLawyers, Environmental Law by Law & Politics, San Francisco Magazine (2004 - 2007)

    Education
    J.D., The University of Virginia School of Law (1985)
    B.A., Smith College (1979)

    Admissions and Courts
    State Bar of California
    United States District Court, Northern, Central and Eastern Districts of California
    United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit