Free event! No MCLE

Explore career opportunities for environmental attorneys in city government! Deputy city attorneys from four different regions will discuss the intersection of municipal law, land use, and environmental compliance.

Moderator: Claire McLeod Ruiz

Speakers: Miles Hogan, Nargis Choudhry, Andrea Ruiz-Esquide, and Darcy Brown

Miles Hogan | Senior Assistant City Attorney, City of Ventura

Miles joined the City Attorney’s office in 2016, first as an Assistant City Attorney II and then as the Senior Assistant City Attorney – Transactional since April 2022. In addition to general municipal law, he specializes in water, wastewater, and environmental law, and advises the Ventura Water department and the City’s Water Commission. Miles previously worked for a private law firm representing cities and other public agencies.

Miles received his Bachelor of Science degree in marine biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and his law degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law, graduating with the school’s Environmental Law Certificate and Public Interest Law Certificate. He was the inaugural fellow for the California Environmental Law & Policy Center and now serves on its Advisory Board of Directors. Miles currently serves as Chair of the Environmental Law Section of the California Lawyers Association.

Nargis Choudhry | Deputy City Attorney, Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office

Nargis Choudhry is a Deputy City Attorney at the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office where she advises Los Angeles World Airports which owns and operates Los Angeles International Airport, Van Nuys general aviation airport, and has significant airport-related real property holdings in Palmdale.  She oversees a range of environmental, water law, and real property law matters.  She previously worked at large law firms, at a Fortune 200 Oil Company, and as an officer of an S&P 500 Real Estate Investment Trust.

Ms. Choudhry is an Advisor to the Environmental Law Section of the California Lawyers Association.  She is a former Advisor and Chair (in 2005-2006) of the Real Property Law Section of the State Bar of California.

Ms. Choudhry received her J.D. from UCLA School of Law where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Pacific Basin Law Journal and as Editor of UCLA Law Review.  She also received an M.A. from USC and a B.A. from Occidental College in American Studies.

Darcy Brown | Land Use Attorney, Fresno City Attorney’s office

Darcy Brown is a land use attorney in the Fresno City Attorney’s office where she provides legal guidance on a range of issues, including extensive work in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance for development projects. In support of Fresno’s mission to develop an inclusive and prosperous city, Ms. Brown regularly provides detailed review of numerous environmental planning documents, including EIRs, Negative Declarations, Initial Studies, Notices of Exemption, Supplemental EIRs, Addenda to EIRs and Negative Declarations, and various public notices and staff reports. Ms. Brown has over 15 years of experience in environmental compliance and resource management throughout California’s forests, wetlands, and urban landscapes. Her work has included federal, state and local land use law, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), CEQA, planning and zoning laws, California forest management regulations, endangered species law, dam safety and energy regulation, fair housing, and historic preservation. She currently serves as Secretary of the Environmental Law Section of the California Lawyers Association.

Claire S. McLeod Ruiz | Associate Attorney, Beveridge & Diamond, P.C.

Claire is an Associate Attorney at Beveridge & Diamond, P.C., where she advises clients across private and public sectors on a broad range of environmental regulatory and litigation matters. Her practice covers issues related to air quality regulations, the Clean Water Act, and environmental tort claims. Additionally, Claire counsels clients on integrating environmental justice, ESG, and international environmental disclosure considerations into their business practices. Previously, Claire was a Fellow at the Global Center for Environmental Legal Studies at the Elizabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University.  Claire received her Bachelor of Science degree in environmental policy and planning from the University of California, Davis, and her law and LL.M degrees from the Elizabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, graduating with certificates in both environmental and international law. Claire currently serves as the New Lawyer Section Liaison to the Environmental Law Section of the California Lawyers Association.