David Hunt

David R. Hunt is Special Counsel in the Real Estate, Land Use and Natural Resources and Environmental Practice Group in the firm's Orange County Office.

Areas of Practice

Mr. Hunt has over 25 years of experience serving public and private clients alike dealing with real property, land use and development, and natural resource issues, with a special focus on land use and natural resource litigation.  He has handled entitlement and resource matters throughout Southern California, with extensive experience on the Central Coast of California.  He is experienced in representing clients before permitting agencies, including cities, counties, Local Area Formation Commissions, Regional Water Quality Control Boards, the State Water Resources Board, and the California Coastal Commission. 

Litigation has been a continual component of Mr. Hunt's practice since admission to the Bar.  He has extensive court and jury trial experience before the California Superior Court in several counties and has litigated actively in the United States District Court in the Central and Eastern Districts of California.  His litigation career includes defense and prosecution of matters under the California Environmental Quality Act, challenges to actions by the California Coastal Commission, writ proceedings addressing decisions by the State Water Resources Control Board, Local Area Formation Commissions, and other local permitting agencies.  He has handled several appeals to the California Courts of Appeal and the 9^th Circuit Court of Appeal, and has assisted in a matter before the United States Supreme Court.

Prior to joining Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, Mr. Hunt practiced law representing public and private clients for over 20 years on the Central Coast of California.  During that time, Mr. Hunt served as the City Attorney of the cities of Pismo Beach and Morro Bay,  and as General Counsel for the San Simeon Community Services District and the San Miguel Sanitary District and represented many of the public agencies on the Central Coast in litigation.

Education

• J.D., University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, 1983, Dean's Honor Roll; Traynor Scholastic Honor Society; AmJur in Labor Law; Charles Driscoll Labor Law Scholarship; National Moot Court Competition Team; Academic Merit Scholarship Recipient; Honors at Entrance.
• B.A., University of California Irvine, 1979, Political Science, Transfer from United States Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, New York

Admissions

• California, 1983
• United States Supreme Court
• 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
• United States District Court of the Central and Eastern Districts of the State of California

Representative Matters

• Managed and actively litigated ongoing CEQA litigation protecting industrial and manufacturing businesses against residential encroachment in Irvine.
•  Represented property owners resisting the adverse impacts of the Salinas Valley Water Project on Nacimiento Lake in San Luis Obispo County.
• Represented the City of Pismo Beach in renewal and formalization of the "Gentlemen's Agreement" between the water agencies in the southern San Luis Obispo for division of ground water from the Arroyo Grande Creek sub-aquifer.
• Oversaw the representation of the interests of the City of Pismo Beach in the Santa Maria Basin Ground Water Adjudication.
• Oversaw the defense of the City of Pismo Beach in litigation over approvals and annexation of the Los Robles del Mar subdivision.
• Negotiated water transfer rights of State Water Project water through County of San Luis Obispo distribution facilities at Lopez Lake on behalf of the City of Pismo Beach.
• Negotiated water delivery rights for the Chorro Valley Pipeline transferring State Water Project water to the City of Morro Bay.
• Defended the City of Morro Bay's approval and construction of an emergency desalination plant in complex litigation asserting CEQA, Coastal Act, Clean Water Act, and Public Contract Code violations.

Memberships

• Member, Real Property, Environmental, and Public Law Sections of the California State Bar Association
• Former member, City Attorney Department of the California League of Cities
• Former Director and Chairman, Paso Robles Chamber of Commerce
• Member, Orange County Bar Association

Articles

• "Doing Mixed-Use Right By Avoiding The Legal Pitfalls," California Real Estate Journal, (Summer 2008).
• More on How to Control the Cost of Your City Attorney, Western City Magazine, (February, 1995).
• Litigation and Liens, Central Coast Claims Seminar, (July, 1990).
• Liability for Peace Officer Conduct, Central Coast Public Entity Liability Seminar, (February, 1989).
• Indemnity Agreements and Tenders of Defense, Mid-Coast Adjusters Claims Seminar, (September, 1988).

Speeches

• Writing Defensible Environmental Impact Reports, Lorman Enterprises, Stockton, January of 2008
• Real Estate Development from Start to Finish in California, Lorman Enterprises, December of 2006 and 2007
• Lecturer, California Polytechnic State University of San Luis Obispo, Adult Extension Program, Labor and Employment Programs.
• Lecturer, California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, Paralegal Program, Legal Research.