BB&K In The News

Attorneys Specialize in Labor, Municipal and Land Use Law, and Environmental Litigation

Four Best Best & Krieger attorneys were named among the Northern California lawyers most respected by their peers. In addition, two BB&K lawyers are among the top up-and-coming attorneys in Northern California under 40 years of age or practicing less than 10 years.

The attorneys on the 2012 Northern California Super Lawyers list are Susan L. Schoenig for employment and labor law, Stacey N. Sheston for employment and labor law, Harriet A. Steiner for government and municipal law, and Gene Tanaka for environmental litigation. Super Lawyers’ 2012 Northern California Rising Stars are Sarah E. Owsowitz for land use and zoning law, and Kara K. Ueda for government and municipal law.

Schoenig advises a diverse group of public and private employers in all types of employment and labor matters. She handles wrongful termination and unlawful harassment matters from the filing of the initial complaint through investigation, subsequent litigation and trial. She has served as the California Public Employees Retirement System’s litigation supervisor.

Sheston is co-leader of the firm’s labor and employment practice group. Her practice includes providing day-to-day employment advice to both public and private employers. Sheston also represents employers in employment-related mediations, arbitrations, administrative hearings and court proceedings.

Steiner, who is city attorney of Davis, also represents special districts and joint powers agencies as general counsel and special counsel. Her areas of specialty include land use, environmental law, telecommunications law and cable television franchising, wastewater and municipal water, and public financing.

Tanaka is a public agency litigator. He has litigated many land use cases, including the successful Los Angeles Superior Court challenge to the Ward Valley Low Level Radioactive Waste Facility. Tanaka also represents clients in toxics cases for cleanup or damages. He has worked on the Stringfellow cleanup litigation in U.S. District Court.

Owsowitz’s practice focuses on advice and litigation regarding the California Environmental Quality Act, with a concentration on urban decay, climate change, water supply and cultural resource issues. She has substantial experience obtaining entitlements and preparing and defending environmental impact reports for large-scale development projects, hospital retrofits and renewable energy projects.

Ueda specializes in municipal law, conflicts of interest, elections, land use, and the California Environmental Quality Act. She also assists public agencies on general plan updates, LAFCO matters, Proposition 218, and Brown Act and Public Records Act compliance. In addition, Ueda routinely litigates CEQA, land use and elections cases in state and federal courts.