Andrea Clark is an attorney in Downey Brand's water rights practice. She represents and counsels public agencies on a wide variety of regulatory matters related to water rights and flood control. She has developed expertise in public agency law, including the Brown Act, Public Records Act, public bidding, and elections. She also counsels flood control agencies on regulatory matters as well as contractual and financing issues with respect to large levee improvement projects. 

Before joining Downey Brand, Andrea was an associate in the environmental practice group at Bingham McCutchen, where she advised clients on hazardous waste management and litigated Proposition 65 claims at the trial and appellate levels.

Experience

Andrea has significant experience in the area of water transfers, negotiating purchase agreements and facilitating the regulatory process with state and federal agencies. She has advised public and private clients on compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act and Proposition 65. She has also represented clients with water right applications or change petitions before the State Water Resources Control Board. 

MEMBERSHIPS

Central Valley Flood Management Planning Program, Lower Sacramento Regional Conditions Work Group, Member

Center for Land-Based Learning, Board Member

United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Admitted to Practice

American Bar Association, Environmental Energy Resources, Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice and State & Local Government Law Sections, Member

Sacramento County Bar Association Environmental Law Section, Executive Committee Member

EDUCATION

University of Michigan Law School (J.D., 2002)
University of California, Berkeley (B.A., With Honors, 1998)
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (Education Abroad Program)

PUBLICATIONS

Floodplain Management and Liability Reporter, "California's Central Valley Flood Protection Plan: An Opportunity to Limit Liability," Vol. 1, No. 7 (April 2010), Co-authored with Timothy Washburn

Floodplain Management and Liability Reporter, “A Look Back -- Flood Management in California Since Hurricane Katrina, Vol. 1, No. 1 (October 2009), Author

Floodplain Management and Liability Reporter, Editorial Board, Member

Western Water Law and Policy Reporter, "Climate Change and Water in California," Vol. 13, No. 6 (April 2009), co-authored with Steven P. Saxton

Sacramento Lawyer Magazine, “Responding to Impacts of Climate Change on California 's Water Resources,” May/June 2008, Author

Washington , D.C. : Conservation International, Lightening the Lode: A Guide to Responsible Large-scale Mining (2000), co-authored with Amy Rosenfeld Sweeting

PRESENTATIONS

Association of California Water Agencies Ethics Training for Water Agency Officials: "Ethics and Public Service Laws and Principles," 2009 Fall Conference, San Diego, Speaker

Floodplain Management Association: "Financing Strategies and Proposition 218," 2009 Annual Conference, San Jose, Speaker

Association of California Water Agencies Ethics Training for Water Agency Officials: "Ethics and Public Service Laws and Principles," 2009 Spring Conference, Sacramento, Speaker

Association of California Water Agencies: "California Water Transfers – Vintage 2008 and Beyond," 2008 Fall Conference, Long Beach, Moderator

Northern California Water Association and Downey Brand Ethics Training for Local Agency Officials: “AB 1234: Laws Relating to Personal Financial Gain by Public Servants,” Yuba City, 2006, Speaker

Northern California Water Association and Downey Brand Ethics Training for Local Agency Officials: “AB 1234: Laws Relating to Personal Financial Gain by Public Servants,” Sacramento, 2006, Speaker

Lectured on waste disposal and river conservation in Portoviejo, Ecuador