The City and County of Los Angeles have long ranked among the most progressive of metropolitan areas, a vanguard of innovative policies that frequently serve as templates for the rest of the country. Yet the same forces that account for its forward-thinking reputation—innovative regulation, strong unions, and firm government oversight and approval—can make the city and county a complicated place to do business.
Whether you are bidding for or negotiating a government contract, tackling land use problems, navigating the regulatory framework, or reacting to public policy issues, you are apt to find the legal and political challenges unusually daunting. To make real headway, it pays for you to seek guidance from people who know from long experience how to get things done in this highly complex environment.
We work with the County, Los Angeles and all of its departments, other cities within the County, regional authorities such as Metro and Metrolink, the South Coast Air Quality Management District; the Coastal Commission and most of the other government agencies within the region.
The Home Team
Manatt has deep roots in the Los Angeles area. The firm was founded here and has been our home for over 50 years, over the course of which we have become a fixture in its civic and political life. Our strong team of government lawyers and other professionals, who are vested in the success of your undertaking, can deftly guide you through the inner workings of the myriad authorities, agencies and departments you encounter. We can provide you with strong and credible representation with councilmembers, supervisors, administrators and other policymakers; help you to obtain funding, grants, and contracts, and ensure compliance with state and local laws.
We have a solid track record of successfully advocating on behalf of clients. Our lawyers have long-standing relationships with officials at every level of government, and on both sides of the aisle—including key commissioners with jurisdiction over transportation, infrastructure and other development projects. Many have public service backgrounds themselves—serving on legislative or executive staffs, or in senior government positions—and bring the skills and contacts to bear on your matter.
With Manatt, your reach extends well beyond the Los Angeles area. Through our highly regarded government affairs practices in Sacramento, New York City, Albany, and Washington, D.C., we have the resources to advocate on your behalf at the state, regional and national levels, and to bring those resources to bear locally as well.
We take a strategic as well as creative approach in helping you solve the complex problems that may arise concerning the development, entitlement and utilization of land and natural resources.
We seek to resolve issues. But should your dealings with a government entity result in litigation, we can provide focused advocacy on your behalf.
Manatt represents clients from a wide range of industries—including the transportation, infrastructure, energy, healthcare, technology, real estate development and financial services sectors.
What we do
- Preparation of responses to public contract procurements
- Public policy and regulation
- Land use
- Ordinances and regulations
- City legislation
- Interpretation of City Charters and Administrative Codes
- Public franchise agreements
- Defense and protests of contract awards
- Prosecution and negotiation of contract claims
- Administrative hearings
- Writs and litigation
- Advice on public records, open meetings, ethics and election law
- Budget matters
- Government and community relations
- Dispute resolution
- Business strategy