Intro
Beth represents private companies, individuals and public agencies in environmental and real estate disputes in communities throughout California, bringing deep experience addressing emerging contaminants in California's waters, ranging from MTBE in the 1990s and 2000s, Chromium IV in the 2000s, and PFAS from the 2010s to the present.
Beth focuses on obtaining dismissals of complaints, narrowing allegations, and eliminating causes of action by pre-answer law and motion, summary termination of claims and lawsuits, and settlement ahead of trial. Where pretrial resolution has not been possible, Beth has successfully tried bench and jury trials in the Superior Court. Beth also has represented clients in arbitration, in adversary proceedings in Bankruptcy Court in and for the Central District of California, and in petitions for writ of mandate to and appeals in the California Court of Appeal.
In addition to prosecuting and defending environmental contamination cases for Fortune 500 entities and other clients, Beth currently represents a public agency in a Proposition 218 class action alleging excessive charges for water service.
Following college, Beth was a research and development chemist in specialty chemicals for J&W Scientific (now a division of Agilent), then built on that experience as an environmental regulator with the California Integrated Waste Management Board (now CalRecycle) regulating solid waste landfills. She has called on her scientific and regulatory training to solve her clients' challenges, and her recent successes include negotiating a dismissal of an HSAA contribution claim.
Beth also has handled commercial and real estate litigation relating to lease and boundary disputes. She successfully staved off regulatory enforcement for a Fortune 500 commercial landlord following an environmental mishap at one of its tenants' leaseholds.
Areas of Focus
Education
Admissions and Courts
Los Angeles County Bar Association Real Property Section, Land Use Planning and Environmental Law, Subcommittee Chair (2016-2018)
German American Business Association (GABA), Member
Los Angeles County Business Federation (BizFed)
"Hanson Bridgett Adds Attorneys," Los Angeles Business Journal (February 2020)
"Claire Collins Leads Five-Attorney Team from Lewis Brisbois to Hanson Bridgett," Daily Journal (February 2020)
"On the Move: Tracking the Ins and Outs of California Lawyers," The Recorder (January 2020)
California Lawyers Association, Wiley W. Manuel Pro Bono Legal Services Award (2023 - 2024)
"How Justices Upended The Administrative Procedure Act," co-author, Law360 (August 2024)
"PFAS – A Primer for Real Estate Lawyers on a New Environmental Risk," co-author, American College of Real Estate Lawyers News and Notes (April 2020)
"PFAS Settlements Impact on Companies' Liabilities & Compliance with EPA Water Regulations," Executive Environmental Summit (September 2023)
"SB 1383: What it is and How it Impacts Every Jurisdiction," co-presenter, League of California Cities, City Attorneys Spring Conference (May 2023)
"PFAS Today: Where are regulations going & How are we treating it in water discharges," Executive Environmental Summit (September 2022)
"PFAS: From Common Use to Concern," Environmental Law Institute Master Class (May 2020)
"The Road to and From Los Angeles' Measure S," Luskin School of Public Policy, UCLA (February 2017)
"Measure JJJ Panel Discussion," (2017)
""reCode LA," (2017)