Arthur J. Friedman

Arthur J. Friedman is a partner in the Land Use, Environmental and Natural Resources Practice Group in the firm's San Francisco office.

Areas of Practice

Mr. Friedman's practice encompasses land use and commercial litigation.  He also leads the land use litigation subcommittee for the firm's Global Climate Change practice group.

Land Use Litigation

Mr. Friedman has extensive experience litigating disputes under California's Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA").  He has been lead litigation counsel in more than 30 CEQA cases.  His CEQA practice involves representation of public agencies, project applicants and petitioners.  He is currently lead counsel for the City of Sacramento in its defense of the high profile Sacramento Railyards Specific Plan Project, one of the largest urban development projects in the state, which has been challenged in three separate CEQA lawsuits.  Mr. Friedman's project applicant clients include national retailers Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and Lowe's HIW, and national developers Syufy Enterprises L.P. and Thomas Enterprises, Inc.  In recent years, Mr. Friedman has successfully defended a variety of commercial, residential and mixed-use projects challenged under CEQA in more than a dozen communities throughout Northern California.  He also is a frequent speaker at professional conferences in California and throughout the nation on various environmental topics ranging from CEQA to global climate change.

Commercial Litigation

Mr. Friedman's commercial litigation practice encompasses contract disputes, unfair business practice claims, insurance coverage, real estate and construction defect disputes.

Recently, Mr. Friedman was co-lead counsel in obtaining a defense verdict for a large food manufacturer, in a $1.3 million breach of contract claim, following a three-week jury trial in the San Jose Federal District Court.  The matter was listed as one of the "2006 Top Defense Verdicts" by the San Francisco Daily Journal (See San Francisco Daily Journal, February 8, 2007, page 8).  Also in 2006, he was lead counsel in obtaining a $717,000 verdict for a large real estate investor in a non-disclosure and construction defect case following a three-week jury trial in the Sacramento County Superior Court.

Education

• JD., University of Texas, Austin, 1992, With Honors
• B.A., Yale University, 1989, cum laude

Admissions

• U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, and Central Districts of California
• Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

• Mr. Friedman was an associate at Hancock, Rothert & Bunshoft, LLP in San Francisco from 1992 to 1998 during which time the bulk of his practice consisted of representing Lloyds of London and other London-based insurers in complex environmental insurance coverage disputes. In 1998 Mr. Friedman joined Tatro, Coffino, Zeavin, Bloomgarden LLP in San Francisco, where his practice spanned a variety of commercial matters.  Prior to joining Sheppard Mullin, Mr. Friedman was a partner at Steefel, Levitt & Weiss, where his practice focused on land use and commercial litigation

Articles

• Analyzing Climate Change Under CEQA in a Climate of Uncertainty, Judy V. Davidoff, Arthur J. Friedman, and Miriam Montesinos, Real Property Law, Vol. 30, September 1, 2007
• The Use and Misuse of Motions to Stay the Project in CEQA Litigation, May 29, 2007

Published Decisions

• Gilroy Citizens for Responsible Planning vs. City of Gilroy (2006) 140 Cal. App. 4th 911
• Preservation Action Council v. City of San Jose (2006) 141 Cal. App. 4th 1336
• Bodega Bay Concerned Citizens vs. County of Sonoma (2005) 125 Cal. App. 4th 1061
• Anderson First Coalition v. City of Anderson (2005) 130 Cal. App. 4th 1173
• Schnall v. Hertz Corporation (2000) 78 Cal. App. 4th 1144
• Aerojet-General Corporation v. Transport Indemnity Company (1997) 17 Cal. 4th 38

Publications

• "Analyzing Climate Change Under CEQA In A Climate Of Uncertainty." Real Property Law Vol. 30 (September 2007).

• "The Use and Misuse of Motions to Stay the Project In CEQA Litigation," California Real Estate Journal (May 29, 2007).

• "Attention Developers:  Your Tentative Map May Be in Jeopardy - Or May Have Expired," California Real Property Journal (Spring 2004)

Speeches

• "Policy Initiatives in California", Climate Change and Land Use Conference, Tarrytown, NY (May 5, 2008)
• "AB 32," presented to American AgCredit, Santa Rosa, CA (2007)
• "Climate Change and EIS's," CLE International Conference on Climate Change Law, Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles (February 28-29, 2008)
• "AB 32," Law Seminars International Conference on Climate Change Impacts On Land Use Planning and Project Approvals, White Plains, NY (May 5-6, 2008)