MONCHAMP MELDRUM - Key Persons
Amanda Monchamp is a partner at Monchamp Meldrum LLP. She practices in the areas of land use, natural resources, and environmental law with an emphasis on project land use entitlement, regulatory permitting, and litigation regarding the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) throughout California.
Amanda advises clients on various aspects of complex residential, industrial, commercial, and life science land use and real estate development projects, as well as linear projects for utilities such as telecommunications, power companies, transportation and transit projects. Her work on these projects includes due diligence review, local entitlement processing, environmental review under CEQA and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), site remediation, state and federal resource agency permitting, and associated land use transactions. Amanda works closely with her clients to help guide them through the complex entitlement process, including reviewing environmental documents and technical reports to ensure accuracy and defensibility. Amanda also advises clients on how to negotiate administrative and political entitlement hurdles at each step of the approval process.
Amanda brings her knowledge of CEQA and NEPA documents to the courtroom and defends challenges to project approvals under CEQA, NEPA, and other land use laws. Amanda is currently defending several major projects.
Prior to forming Monchamp Meldrum LLP, Amanda was a partner at Holland & Knight LLP where she also served as Deputy Section Leader of the Government Section. Earlier she worked at the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) in Washington, D.C., where she represented the electronics industry in state, federal and international environmental regulatory, legislative, and policy arenas.
Amanda is currently a lecturer in Land Use Controls at the University of California Berkeley College of Environmental Design's Master of Real Estate Development + Design program. She also is engaged in her community and served on the Oakland Planning Commission.
Ashley Nance joined Monchamp Meldrum LLP as Counsel in 2021. Ashley has a wide range of experience in environmental law, land use, natural resources, and real estate. She advises clients on a variety of matters, including California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance, brownfields redevelopment, environmental due diligence, permitting, project entitlement, and real estate transactions. Ashley has worked on several brownfields projects and has extensive experience drafting and negotiating land use and real estate transactional agreements, including regulatory agreements, consulting agreements, purchase and sale agreements, lease agreements, land use covenants, and easements. Ashley has worked on diverse range of residential, commercial, and industrial projects, including mixed use, high-density residential, affordable housing, and complex redevelopment projects.
In addition to her practice in environmental and land use law, Ashley also has experience with corporate transactions relating to emerging companies, venture capital finance, securities offerings, and public company representation. Ashley uses her insight into the challenges faced by companies at all stages of development to give her clients practical, business-focused advice.
Prior to joining the firm, Ashley practiced at Holland & Knight and Sidley Austin.
Carlyn Drivdahl joined Monchamp Meldrum LLP as Counsel in 2020. Carlyn brings a wealth of public agency experience and adds an insightful perspective to the firm's land use practice. Prior to joining the firm, Carlyn spent twelve years as a Deputy County Counsel for the County of Tuolumne with a primary focus on development and public contracting. She provided legal counsel to the Board of Supervisors on land use issues and she also advised many County departments, including the Community Development Department, Public Works Department, County Administrator's Office, Code Compliance, Auditor/Controller, Environmental Health, Agricultural Commissioner, and the County Surveyor. This experience gives Carlyn a deeper understanding of challenges that arise in project development beyond the initial approval, such as issues involving public works permit processing, addressing code violations, or environmental health compliance. Carlyn also specializes in ethics compliance and the Brown Act and can help clients navigate the procedural and substantive requirements to ensure the project approval process is compliant with all state and local ethics laws.
Carlyn has significant experience in land use litigation. While at the County, Carlyn defended numerous Board actions in CEQA litigation on development projects, including a challenge to the County's 2018 General Plan EIR.
Prior to the County, Carlyn was an associate with Best, Best & Krieger in Sacramento, where she specialized in land use law. She served as the City Attorney for the City of Escalon, Assistant City Attorney for the Cities of Galt, Clearlake and Jackson, and Deputy County Counsel for the County of Alpine.
Education
University of California, Davis, King Hall School of Law, Juris Doctor, Order of the Coif
Duke University, Bachelor of Arts, Political Science
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Counsels Public Agencies and Developers to Ensure Defensible California Environmental Quality Act
With more than 25 years of experience as a regulator and lawyer in state and federal land use, environmental and energy law, Hope Schmeltzer provides public agencies and private clients with practical legal advice in the development and operation of complicated projects. Her projects include renewable power generation and energy storage, EV charging sites, high speed rail, high-tech and biotech research and development campuses, hospitals, wastewater treatment plants, and high-density residential and mixed-use developments.
Hope counsels public agencies and developers to ensure defensible California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Coastal Act and other land use and environmental approvals. She understands the complexities of working with lead agency counsel, advising elected and appointed boards, including the nuances of the Brown and Bagley-Keene Acts and the Political Reform Act.
She is adept at guiding intricate developments through required land use and environmental, health and safety approvals, with a particular focus on renewable energy project strategies. Hope's hazardous waste management and brownfields redevelopment experience includes managing multi-party chlorinated solvent groundwater sites, radioactive contamination, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), petroleum hydrocarbons and heavy metals contamination.
Prior to joining the Monchamp Meldrum LLP, Hope served as Chief Counsel of the California Coastal Commission, Director of the Governor's Clean Energy Green Team, Environmental Group Leader for the University of California's Office of Legal Counsel, and Assistant Regional Counsel, U.S. E.P.A. Region 9. She also served for 12 years as the public member of San Francisco's Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), which enabled the creation of CleanPowerSF, and worked at the law firms of Landels, Ripley & Diamond, LLP and McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enersen, LLP. She is an active volunteer with the Cleantech Party, the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, and the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition. She is a member of the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, and a Trustee of the Drew School.
Memberships
California Bar Association- Environmental Law Section
Education
University of Michigan, A.B., Philosophy and English
Georgetown University Law School, Juris Doctor, cum laude
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Adjunct Professor of Land Use Regulations Law at the University of California College
Joey Meldrum is a partner at Monchamp Meldrum LLP. Ms. Meldrum advises clients on environmental, land use and natural resources law, including due diligence, permitting, regulatory compliance, and litigation. Joey's practice focuses on brownfields redevelopment, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance and litigation, land use entitlements, land use and environmental due diligence, environmental compliance, and permitting for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Joey's legal practice is informed by over a decade of experience working as a licensed civil engineer and geologist on development projects in California. She draws on this experience to help clients navigate both the technical and legal aspects of the CEQA and related permitting processes. Her particular expertise in groundwater and soil chemistry means that Joey is fluent in the complex language of environmental clean-ups and brownfields development. She has worked on projects involving chlorinated solvents, petroleum hydrocarbon compounds, MTBE and other oxygenates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), PCBs, PFAS, various pesticides, and metals.
While an engineer, Joey led multidisciplinary teams on high-profile litigation cases and insurance claims. Her expertise in groundwater and soil chemistry was applied to contaminated sites, as well as to failure analysis of water distribution systems, boilers, oil and gas pipelines, foundations, and underground storage tanks. Joey also has extensive experience with soil/structure interactions, including expansive soils, corrosion, water intrusion, landslides, and loss of foundation support related to adjacent construction. Joey is fluent with green building practices and has been a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional since 2002.
Prior to forming Monchamp Meldrum LLP, Joey was an associate at Holland & Knight. She also worked at the California Coastal Commission and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), and thus knows the regulatory process inside and out.
Joey is currently an adjunct professor of Land Use Regulations Law at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco.
Joey was a civil engineer for 12 years before becoming a lawyer. This gives her the ability to understand and untangle technical issues, and to maintain excellent relationships with consultants and agency staff alike.
Katie Ferrier is a partner at Monchamp Meldrum LLP. Katie handles a wide variety of commercial real estate transactional work, focusing on commercial leasing as well as the sale and acquisition of commercial property. Her extensive experience includes the representation of retail, office, industrial, and agricultural clients, including both tenants and landlords, buyers and sellers.
Katie advises clients in all aspects of a real estate transaction, from negotiating and drafting documents to assisting with due diligence and handling post-closing matters, as well as negotiating and resolving disputes. Katie has counseled apparel retailers, technology companies, restaurants, health clubs, medical offices, dental practices, manufacturing companies, small businesses, non-profits and individuals in complex leasing and other commercial real estate transactions.
Prior to joining Monchamp Meldrum LLP, Katie was a partner with Wendel Rosen LLP, which she joined after having served as in-house counsel for The Gap, Inc.'s Retail Leasing Group. Prior to joining The Gap, Inc., Katie was an associate with Morrison & Foerster LLP's Real Estate Group.
Education
University of California, Berkeley School of Law; J.D.
University of California, San Diego; B.S., magna cum laude
Madeline Stone joined Monchamp Meldrum LLP as Counsel in 2023. Madeline's practice focuses on environmental and land use matters, with an emphasis on regulatory compliance, and the California Environmental Quality Act and entitlement process. Madeline has worked on complex land use entitlement projects and offers perspective from multiple sides of the table.
Previously, Madeline worked at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (District) as Assistant Counsel. At the District, Madeline counseled regional air district staff on a variety of legal matters, including permit issuance, compliance obligations, and rule development - including District compliance with CEQA. Madeline regularly interacted with members of both the regulated and regulating community, and successfully fostered communication between them. Madeline also led administrative proceedings to abate violations of District regulations.
Prior to working at the District, Madeline worked in-house as Senior Environmental Counsel for the environmental remediation subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corporation. At Oxy, Madeline negotiated environmental remediation obligations with State and Federal environmental agencies, and counseled clients on regulatory compliance obligations. Madeline worked extensively with outside counsel, and knows first-hand the important role that high-quality, high-integrity outside counsel fills, and the value of clients and attorneys working collaboratively.
Madeline was also an associate with Holland & Knight and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, where she worked on complex regulatory compliance and land use entitlement projects. Prior to these positions, Madeline was a fellow at Shute Mihaly & Weinberger.
Education
Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., Environmental Law
Brown University, B.A., Environmental Studies
Peter Landreth joined Monchamp Meldrum LLP as Counsel in 2020. He practices in the areas of land use, natural resources, environmental and real estate law, with an emphasis on land use entitlements, resource agency permitting and environmental due diligence.
Previously, Peter spent eight years in various roles at NRG Energy and its predecessor companies, and he brings a wealth of perspective from his time on the client side in the private sector. At NRG, he served first as Director of Environmental Policy for the company's fleet of California energy generation assets, leading major permitting efforts for new and existing gas-fired power plants in northern and southern California, including negotiating complex permit requirements with the California Energy Commission, federal and state resource agencies, air quality management districts, environmental agencies and local land use jurisdictions. In that role he also represented the company's interests in policymaking before California legislative and regulatory bodies. Later, he was a Senior Director of Business Development, with primary responsibility for overseeing NRG's real estate assets, with an emphasis on creative reuse of brownfield sites. He led the company's efforts to identify sites with significant redevelopment value and position them for transactions, including removing title encumbrances, minimizing environmental liabilities, conducting redevelopment feasibility studies and negotiating transactional agreements. Throughout his time at NRG, he also provided legal advice to internal clients on environmental compliance and permitting matters at both fossil-fueled and renewable energy generation facilities.
Prior to NRG, Peter was an associate at Holland & Knight. Most recently, Peter was a Director of LL.M. Professional Development at UC Berkeley Law School.
Education
Stanford Law School, JD; Stanford University, BA, International Relations
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Adjunct Professor at U.C. Law SF
Rob Taboada is a California land use and environmental attorney who counsels both private and public clients on all aspects of land use regulation including compliance with state and local planning and zoning laws, the Subdivision Map Act, and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Rob regularly advises life science, residential, and industrial developers on successfully entitling projects with a strong administrative record and CEQA review, and defends projects against challenges in front of administrative agencies and in court.
In addition to securing and defending project entitlements, Rob has experience negotiating, drafting, and interpreting a wide range of transactional land use agreements. These include affordable housing agreements, development agreements, regulatory and maintenance agreements, as well as easements, use covenants and other burdens on land title resulting from the subdivision process. Rob uses this experience to counsel clients during diligence, entitlement, and build-out of projects, and to provide practical land use counsel on purchase and sale agreements, leases, and other real estate agreements.
Before practicing law, Rob spent 12 years as a general building contractor and custom cabinetmaker. He has extensive experience with green building practices and is a Certified Green Building Professional. Rob's years working with property owners and developers in the construction of residential and commercial projects in the Bay Area and Southern California provides him with insight into the practical and business sides of development; that experience is invaluable in developing solutions that are both legally sound and also consistent with the strategic needs of the project.
Rob is an adjunct professor at U.C. Law SF (formerly known as U.C. Hastings) where he teaches Land Use Regulation. He has served on the advisory council for the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and as editor for the California Land Use Law & Policy Reporter. Prior to joining Monchamp Meldrum LLP, Rob practiced land use in both big law and boutique firms. He has also worked for the California Attorney General in the Natural Resources Section, and for judges on both the U.S. District Court for Northern District of California and the Marin County Superior Court.
Rob ran his own building contractor business and has himself faced the hurdles of what our clients must overcome to get building. This unique experience allows him to appreciate our clients' perspective in land use transactional matters.
We bring our unique perspectives to our work and understand the political, practical, strategic and technical side of this practice.
Carlyn's experience as a government lawyer provides her with insight into how to effectively engage public agencies to proactively resolve issues and ensure our clients' projects stay on track.
Katie's work as in-house real estate counsel for a major retailer gives her a business mindset and an understanding of her client's perspective. Katie's practical background, combined with Big Law technical expertise, enables her to deftly counsel clients on a wide range of real estate transactional matters.
Peter worked in-house at a publicly traded energy company and saw first-hand the many factors our clients have to take into account to achieve their business goals, from legal, political and regulatory risks to financial hurdles to management approvals.
Shivaun Cooney is a partner at Monchamp Meldrum LLP. Shivaun's practice focuses on land use, environmental, and real estate development matters. She counsels property owners and developers through all stages of the entitlement and development process, advising on local planning and zoning regulations as well as governmental approvals and related environmental matters.
Shivaun is based in Los Angeles and advises clients on complex land use and real estate development projects throughout California, including residential, institutional, industrial, commercial, and energy projects. Her work on these projects includes diligence, initial permitting and entitlement strategy, obtaining land use entitlements and environmental approvals from local, state, and federal agencies, and implementation. Shivaun's representative experience includes advising on legislative and regulatory matters related to the California Environmental Quality Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, the federal and California Endangered Species Acts, the California Coastal Act, and historic preservation laws.
Prior to joining Monchamp Meldrum LLP in 2022, Shivaun practiced for 19 years in the Los Angeles and San Francisco offices of the law firm Latham & Watkins LLP. Shivaun volunteers as a Board member of the Westside Food Bank and currently serves as Board Chair and as a member of the Executive Committee.
Memberships
California Bar Association
Education
Claremont McKenna College, B.A., International Relations & Government, cum laude
Duke University School of Law, Juris Doctor
Job Titles:
- Scholarship for Environmental