Author Description
Damien Schiff of Alston & Bird LLP represents the successful appellant/petitioner in the CARF decision along with attorneys from Pacific Legal Foundation. Damien Schiff has over nine years of experience litigating cases concerning a variety of federal and state environmental and land use issues. In 2012, he argued and won Sackett v. US Environmental Protection Agency, a groundbreaking decision in which the US Supreme Court upheld the right of project applicants to challenge Clean Water Act compliance orders issued by the Environmental Protection Agency. For that victory, California Lawyer Magazine recognized Damien as an Attorney of the Year in Appellate Law. In addition to the Clean Water Act, Damien’s practice focuses on enforcement and permitting issues arising under the Endangered Species Act and the California Coastal Act. He has litigated or filed friend-of-the-court briefs in cases concerning the federal Clean Air Act, California Endangered Species Act, California Environmental Quality Act, Z’berg-Nejedly Forest Practice Act, and Mello-Roos Community Facilities Act. Before joining the firm, Damien was a principal attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation, a public interest organization committed to litigating pro bono for property rights.