Practice Areas
Donovan C. Collier
Shareholder
Print PDFMr. Collier has extensive experience counseling clients to ensure compliance with complex federal and state environmental laws and regulations including the California Environmental Quality Act, National Environmental Policy Act, Federal and California Endangered Species Acts, Clean Water Act, and Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act. Mr. Collier has acted as lead entitlement counsel for numerous complex and controversial land use projects, successfully appearing before local agencies throughout Southern California. Mr. Collier assists clients with assessing, developing, and implementing strategies for land use and regulatory compliance, which includes providing practical and pragmatic counsel on legislative and administrative land use approvals such as development of impacted properties, redevelopment projects, development agreements, tentative maps and subdivision map issues, zoning, general plan amendments, specific plans, traffic and transportation issues, conditional use permits, and variances.
Mr. Collier represents national and multi-national clients in obtaining local land use entitlements for the development of large commercial developments, many of which are controversial and face legal challenge. Mr. Collier’s experience enables him to provide effective guidance and management of the entitlement process to ensure the entitlements obtained are legally defensible. He has successfully guided clients through permitting of development projects involving water rights, wetlands, waste materials, species protection, the Surface Mining and Reclamation Act (SMARA) and other environmental matters, including CEQA/NEPA document review and project entitlement. Mr. Collier has developed strong relationships with public agencies and elected officials, enabling him to help his clients navigate the conflicting interests and motivations of decision-makers, as well as the community, and successfully balance these competing interests.
Mr. Collier also represents high-profile clients in Federal lands issues, including mine permitting and reclamation, Federal Land Exchanges, environmental compliance issues, and other natural resource and environmental matters. His practice also includes CEQA litigation matters, including trials and appeals, as well as administrative hearings and appeals.
Education
- University of San Diego School of Law, San Diego, California, J.D., 1999, Magna Cum Laude
- California State University San Bernardino, B.A., 1996
Bars
- California, 1999
Affiliations
- Association of Environmental Professionals, Member
- Cal CIMA
- The State Bar of California, Environmental Law Section
- Rotary Club of Rancho Cucamonga
- Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation
Honors
Editor of San Diego Law Review, Volume 36