Elijah W. Griffen

Elijah W. (“Eli”) Griffen is an associate in the Real Estate, Energy, Land Use & Environmental Practice Group and a member of the Multifamily Housing and Transportation Industry teams in the firm's Los Angeles office.

Areas of Practice

Eli's practice spans real estate, land use, and environmental law, with a particular focus on land use entitlements and California Environmental Quality Act compliance. He represents clients at all stages of the entitlement process, from initial due diligence through project approval. Eli counsels clients on innovative state and local land use tools, including CEQA streamlining, density bonuses, and adaptive reuse. With additional experience in transactional real estate diligence, leasing, and environmental remediation, Eli brings a comprehensive perspective to developers and property owners.

Eli also maintains an active pro bono practice, with specific expertise in immigration matters.

Eli received his law degree from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. While in law school, he served as Executive Senior Editor of the Southern California Law Review and earned a Graduate Certificate in Business Law (Real Estate Concentration). Prior to law school, Eli helped communities develop multiuse trails while working for the nation's largest advocacy organization for trails, walking, and bicycling.

Eli is a registered lobbyist with the City of Los Angeles.

Articles

Real Estate, Land Use & Environmental Law Blog Posts

• "Environmental YIR: 2024 Regulatory Legacies and Impacts," April 1, 2025
• "A New Hope for the Future of Mitigated Negative Declarations: The Logistics of Warehouse Storage Greenhouse Gas Analysis," October 16, 2024
• "California Continues Trend of Pushing Housing Legislation to Address Ongoing Housing Shortage," February 14, 2024
• "U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Consider Appeal of Ninth Circuit Ruling that Sober Living Homes Do Not Have to Prove Each Resident Is Disabled to Survive Summary Judgment in Challenge to Allegedly Discriminatory Zoning Laws," January 16, 2024
• "California Court Holds Proposed Ballot Measure Excluding Community Plan Area from Height Limit Is Not a “Later Activity” For Purposes of a Within-the-Scope Analysis," July 26, 2023
• "Ninth Circuit Strikes Down Berkeley’s Ban on Natural Gas in New Construction, Dealing Blow to California’s Electrification Efforts," April 26, 2023
• "Los Angeles City Council’s Public Safety Committee Votes to Move Forward with Expanding Fire Rating Requirements for New Construction," June 11, 2021