Marisa Blackshire is a senior associate focusing her practice on environmental permitting, regulatory compliance and litigation. Marisa assists clients in obtaining environmental permits, and provides advice regarding environmental issues, including environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), air compliance, water quality, global climate change, toxics, chemical regulations, pesticides, endangered and threatened species, Proposition 65 and permitting under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. In these contexts, she has experience negotiating with regulatory agencies, coordinating with engineers and environmental consultants and conducting administrative hearings, and has been successful in obtaining regulatory amendments. Marisa also represents clients in legal actions challenging the sufficiency of CEQA/NEPA documents, including Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) and Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), and has represented local agencies in actions alleging the failure to prepare an environmental document.

Marisa was recently accepted to the inaugural class of the Southern California Leadership Network’s fellowship, California Connections. Her pro bono legal and community involvement includes handling adoptions for Public Counsel; handling matters for the Disability Rights Legal Center; mentoring students in the South Central Scholars program; and sitting on the Junior Board for the After-School All-Stars of Los Angeles.