Education
Law School: Thomas Jefferson School of Law
College: Rollins College. I also completed courses at Harvard University and University of Florence, Italy, during college.
Major Cases
I have negotiated and prepared a variety of agreements on behalf of local public agencies such as disposition and development agreements, owner participation agreements, purchase and sale agreements, site assistance agreements, cooperation agreements, and financial assistance agreements for development projects (including commercial and mixed use affordable and market rate housing) involving financing structures of up to $95 million. I have assisted local public agencies with implementation of the California laws enacted in 2011 and 2012 governing the dissolution of redevelopment agencies and the wind down of such agencies’ business and fiscal affairs, and with the appropriate uses of former tax increment and property tax. I have been instrumental in obtaining compliance with local regulations through the successful prosecution of numerous city code enforcement cases and public nuisance abatement matters.
Professional Background
I have been practicing specifically in the areas of municipal, public and redevelopment law for almost two decades and have represented a variety of public agencies such as municipalities, community service districts, redevelopment agencies, public financing authorities, and public cemetery districts throughout the State of California. During this time, I have advised on all pertinent areas of public law and acquired a wide range of skills through my unique experiences of advising public agencies on transactional matters and governmental processes and representing public agencies in court on various criminal and civil litigation matters.
I am a principal attorney with Kane, Ballmer & Berkman, and serve as special counsel to several of the firm’s public agency clients, with a focus of advising on governmental processes, redevelopment and real estate development projects. In this regard, I negotiate and prepare the requisite documents for housing, mixed-use and commercial real estate development projects, real property and development project workouts, and real property acquisitions and dispositions. In addition, I advise cities and successor agencies to redevelopment agencies and their oversight boards and housing entities on the implementation of state regulations governing the dissolution of redevelopment agencies and the wind down of such agencies’ business and fiscal affairs, and on the appropriate uses of former tax increment and property tax. Further, I advise on various other public agency matters including, without limitation, environmental review, land use, planning, zoning, mapping, capital projects, public contracting, open government, public record, conflicts of interest, and pending and potential litigation matters.
Prior to joining Kane, Ballmer & Berkman, I served as Senior Deputy City Attorney/Senior Deputy General Counsel with the San Diego City Attorney’s Office, where I was the primary legal advisor to the Redevelopment Agency of the city of San Diego and supervised and managed the Redevelopment Unit of the San Diego City Attorney’s Office. In addition, from the beginning of my legal career practicing public law and for a decade thereafter until joining the city of San Diego, I was a senior associate attorney with the law firm of Green, de Bortnowsky & Quintanilla, LLP based in Rancho Mirage and Calabasas, where I served as Assistant City Attorney, Assistant General Counsel and City Prosecutor for several of the firm’s public agency clients.
I conduct training sessions for public officials on governmental processes, new legislation, ethics, open government, public records and conflicts of interest.
I have served as a program speaker for several organizations on public law issues, such as for the City Clerk’s Association of California on municipal law issues, the San Diego County Bar Association on redevelopment law issues, and the San Diego Chapter of City Attorneys of the League of California Cities on redevelopment agency dissolution matters.
In 2013, I assisted with opening the Tallahassee, Fla., office of Kane, Ballmer & Berkman, in which I serve as managing attorney.
Professional Affiliations
I am licensed to practice law in the states of California, Florida, and Connecticut, and before the United States District Court, Southern District, and the United States Supreme Court.
I am a past recipient of the Athena Award in recognition for contributions to the business community and community service, and was a finalist for the 2013 Women Who Mean Business Award from the San Diego Business Journal. In addition, I served as pro bono counsel for CASA for Riverside County Inc., (which assists children who are dependents of the juvenile court), a past president of the Cathedral City Rotary Club, and a member of the Inns of Court.
I serve on the Municipal Law Handbook editorial committee of the City Attorney’s Department of the League of California Cities, the board of trustees of the Thomas Jefferson School of Law, and the alumni association board of directors of the Thomas Jefferson School of Law. I am a member of the San Diego County Bar Association and the Florida Redevelopment Association.
Personal Affiliations
I am a member of the California Cowboy Lawyer’s Association, which is a good-hearted group of attorneys and judges who share mutual interests in horseback riding, spending time outdoors and relaxed camaraderie. I am also a member of the Junior League of San Diego Inc., which is a dynamic group of women who are committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community.
View our Top Attorneys Emeritus, attorneys who have been named finalists four years or more from 2009 through 2013.
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| Nominations Open | February 10 |
| Nominations Close | April 11 |
| Sponsorship/Advertising Close | July 19 |
| Publication Date | July 30 |
| Reception | August 13 |
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