Press Releases

Attorneys Specialize in Environmental, Municipal, Business and Labor Law

For Immediate Release: Jan. 30, 2013
Media Contact: Jennifer Bowles • 951.826.8480 • jennifer.bowles@BBKlaw.com

RIVERSIDE, Calif. _  Best Best & Krieger LLP promoted ten attorneys based in Southern California to partner for 2013, the law firm announced.

“We are pleased to welcome into the partnership a group of attorneys with diverse legal experience, which will continue to provide a strong foundation of legal knowledge for our clients,” said Eric Garner, BB&K’s managing partner. 

The new partners are based in Riverside, Los Angeles, San Diego, Ontario and Indian Wells, and focus on a wide range of legal fields including environmental, labor, municipal and business law.

In all, BB&K has nearly 200 attorneys based at nine offices in California and Washington, D.C., who work with public agencies and private clients.

In the Riverside office, the new partners are:

Charity B. Schiller, whose environmental law practice focuses on helping public and private clients navigate through the maze of state and federal environmental laws that apply to transportation, infrastructure and other development projects as they undergo the proposal and approval processes. With a focus on the California Environmental Quality Act, Schiller is a member of the firm’s environmental and natural resources practice group. She is currently the chair of the Riverside Downtown Partnership, a not-for-profit organization that partners with the city’s businesses and others to sponsor or organize summer concerts, festivals, book signings and outdoor movies designed to attract visitors to downtown Riverside. Schiller joined BB&K in 2004 after receiving her law degree from Pepperdine University.

Mona M. Nemat, an eminent domain attorney who advises public entity clients on project planning and right-of-way acquisition through the various stages of complex, high-stakes litigation. Although her practice largely involves the public sector, she also represents individuals and businesses as a member of BB&K’s eminent domain and business services practice groups. Nemat is a founding member of Project Graduate, a pilot program comprised of members of the Riverside County legal community that helps foster kids in local high schools to graduate. She received her law degree from the University of California, Davis, in 2004, and has been with BB&K since 2007.

Joseph T. Ortiz, who provides advice to private and public agency employers on such issues as wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment, and related claims of fraud, negligent misrepresentation and breach of contract. As part of the firm’s labor and employment practice, Ortiz also litigates employment matters before state and federal courts, administrative agencies and arbitration tribunals. Ortiz is chair of the Downtown Business Council, which is part of the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce in Riverside; president of the Greater Riverside Dollars for Scholars; and a commissioner on the Riverside Community Police Review Commission. Ortiz received his law degree from the University of Minnesota in 2001, and joined BB&K in 2008.

In Los Angeles, the new partners are:

Scott H. Campbell, who serves as city attorney to Avalon on Catalina Island and as general counsel to the Lake Arrowhead Community Services District in the San Bernardino mountains. A member of the firm’s municipal law and litigation practice groups, Campbell’s work concentrates on municipal and public entity representation, construction management and litigation, and business and commercial litigation. Campbell is the former president of the City Attorneys Association of Los Angeles County and currently sits on the board of directors for St. Anne’s Maternity Home, which provides a home for pregnant or parenting teen-agers in Los Angeles County. Campbell received his law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1987, and joined BB&K in 2005.

John H. Holloway, a litigator and transactional attorney who represents public agencies and businesses in real estate, eminent domain, environmental and land use matters. His experience includes acquisition of property for several public projects, including the right of way property for construction of the Los Angeles to Pasadena Gold Line, and representation of clients in environmental matters, including Los Angeles County in negotiations with regulators and potentially responsible parties in the investigation and clean-up of the former BKK Main Landfill in Carson. Holloway also is currently working with the Los Angeles Community College District on a number of projects, including development of a new satellite college campus and a major telecommunications initiative aimed at connecting the district’s nine campuses and its headquarters through a fiber optic ring and wireless transmission network to improve the district's data security and communication abilities. Holloway received his law degree in 1995 from Tulane University in New Orleans, and joined BB&K in 2005.

In San Diego, the new partners are:

Shannon M. Erickson, who represents a variety of clients in business and general civil litigation matters, with a focus on real property and title insurance issues. Her clients include title insurance and escrow companies, banks, religious organizations, public and private entities, and individuals. Erickson provides pro bono legal services as a volunteer for the Casa Cornelia Law Center, a San Diego-based nonprofit that assists victims of human and civil rights violations. Last year, she and another BB&K attorney won a significant victory when they helped secure political asylum for a young African woman seeking protection from religious persecution in her native country of Eritrea. Erickson received her law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2004 and joined BB&K in 2006.

Lindsay D. Puckett, whose practice focuses on environmental and land use law. She represents public and private clients in transactional and litigation matters involving the California Environmental Quality Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, state and federal endangered species laws, coastal development, alternative energy, water issues and American Indian law issues. She served for four years on the board of the Solana Center for Environmental Innovation, a nonprofit in Encinitas that provides educational outreach on recycling, composting, pollution prevention, sustainable living, conservation and habitat protection to businesses, schools and others in San Diego County. Puckett received her law degree in 2004 from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. She joined BB&K in 2006.

In Ontario, the new partner is:

G. Ross Trindle, III, who works on police-related legal issues and assists cities in developing consolidated, shared services and regionalization agreements for public safety services. His public safety litigation experience involves Pitchess motion defense, sex offender registration issues, and state and federal civil rights defense. As part of the firm’s municipal law practice and as leader of its police services team, Trindle serves as deputy city attorney for Arcadia, Azusa, Claremont, Covina, Colton and Shafter for public safety and public liability issues. In addition, his practice focuses on municipal defense litigation. Trindle volunteers with California high school mock trial, including as an attorney coach for Claremont High School in Los Angeles County, and previously with Upland High School in San Bernardino County. He earned his law degree in 2003 from Santa Clara University School of Law and joined BB&K in 2007.

In Indian Wells, the new partners are:

Kira L. Klatchko, who chairs the firm’s appellate practice and handles civil appeals in state and federal courts for cities, businesses and families. Klatchko is the only appellate law specialist in Riverside County certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. Among other notable cases, Klatchko is handling a high-profile case before the California Supreme Court on behalf of a city client involving the use of red-light cameras at traffic intersections. Klatchko is acting chair of the State Bar of California’s Standing Committee on Appellate Courts, and she sits on the Riverside County Bar Association’s executive board.  She is a board member of Angel View, a nonprofit based in the Coachella Valley that is dedicated to serving disabled children and adults throughout the Inland region. Klatchko received her law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2004, and joined BB&K the following year. She also holds an executive master's degree in business administration from the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.

Carlos L. Campos, who serves as city attorney for Coachella and represents Palm Desert and Indian Wells in various capacities. He is also general counsel to the Desert Healthcare District and the Coachella Valley Enterprise Zone. A member of the firm’s municipal and special district practice groups, Campos' practice focuses on open meeting laws, conflicts of interest, land use and planning, and the Public Records Act. Campos serves as a trustee of the Desert Bar Association and sits on the board of directors of the Dr. Carreon Foundation, which seeks to increase educational opportunities for Mexican-American youth in the Coachella Valley. Fluent in Spanish, Campos earned his law degree in 2002 from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. He joined the firm in 2002.