Downey Brand Names New Partner

December 31, 2024

Downey Brand is pleased to announce that Austin Cho has been elected to the firm partnership effective January 1, 2025.

Austin is a member of the firm’s water law practice and resides in the firm’s Sacramento office. Passionate about all things water, he counsels local public agencies and private clients alike in a wide variety of matters, including water rights permitting and litigation, flood control, groundwater management, and project development and financing. Additionally, Austin regularly advises on public agency law (including the Brown Act, Public Records Act, public bidding, contracting, and elections), the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Austin is also a frequent contributor to the California Water Law & Policy Reporter and the Environmental, Energy, & Climate Change Law and Regulation Reporter. From 2023 to 2025, he was recognized by Best Lawyers in America© as a member of “Ones to Watch” in natural resources law. Austin earned his J.D. from the University of California at Davis School of Law in 2015 and his B.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 2006.