+ Kathleen O'Prey Truman

Practice Areas:

Land Use, Environmental Law, Litigation, CEQA, NEPA, and Related Environmental Clearances

Kathleen O’Prey Truman counsels clients, typically owners or proponents of large and challenging development projects, throughout the entire entitlement and permitting process, represents them during administrative hearings, and defends them against lawsuits brought under a variety of environmental laws.

She has extensive experience with federal, state and local environmental laws, including the California Environmental Quality Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the Clean Water Act, the federal and state Endangered Species Acts, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, CERCLA, Prop 65 and the Unfair Business Practices Act.

She has shepherded projects through a variety of local, state and federal agencies, including the City and County of Los Angeles, the City of Anaheim, the City of West Hollywood, the City of Santa Monica, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, the California Department of Fish and Game, the California State Office of Historic Preservation, the California State Lands Commission, the California Coastal Commission, the California Coastal Conservancy, the California Public Utilities Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Prior to forming Truman & Elliott LLP, Ms. Truman practiced for thirteen years with the international law firm of Latham & Watkins LLP. She also served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Cynthia Hall, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1992.

Ms. Truman has been recognized as a Super Lawyer since 2014.

Professional Affiliations:

American Bar Association; Los Angeles County Bar Association; Women Lawyers of Los Angeles; UCLA Chancellor’s Associates

Education:

J.D., University of California, Hastings College of the Law,
1991, magna cum laude
B.A., University of California, Los Angeles, 1988, cum laude

+ Todd Elliott

Practice Areas:

Land Use, Real Property Transactions, Litigation, CEQA, NEPA, and Related Environmental Clearances, Historic Preservation Issues, Business Transactions, Alcoholic Beverage Law

Todd Elliott’s practice focuses on land use, real property law and land use litigation. He has extensive experience in securing planning, zoning, environmental and other project entitlements. His expertise includes due diligence research, site acquisition negotiations and providing advice on project approval feasibility. He often supervises the entire entitlement process, including oversight of project teams of architects, designers, planners, brokers and political consultants. Additionally, he advises clients on issues pertaining to community outreach and political relations. His clients include landowners, developers and builders in the commercial, residential and hotel development industries, corporations, partnerships and Real Estate Investment Trusts.

Mr. Elliott regularly represents clients in appearances before planning commissions, city councils, county boards of supervisors and other governmental entities. He also has represented clients in litigation in state and federal courts. In addition, he has considerable experience with processing applications with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control and has successfully made appearances before Administrative Law Judges to defend the merits of these types of licensing applications.

Mr. Elliott has been a licensed commercial real estate broker in California since 1984 and was the Chief Executive Officer of a prominent Los Angeles real estate and land use consulting firm prior to commencing the practice law. He served as Judicial Extern to the Honorable Candace D. Cooper, Presiding Justice (Ret.) of the California Court of Appeal, Second District (Los Angeles). Prior to forming Truman & Elliott LLP, Mr. Elliott practiced law with Nossaman LLP.

Mr. Elliott has been recognized as a Super Lawyer.

Academia:

Adjunct Professor, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles (2013-Present)

Professional Affiliations:

American Planning Association (APA); American Bar Association; California Licensed Real Estate Broker (1984-Present); Appointed Official: City of West Hollywood Business License Commissioner (1990-1994); Elected Official: City of West Hollywood Redevelopment Agency (1996-2004); Board of Directors, West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation (2003-2011); Board of Directors, West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce (2003-2011); West Hollywood Chamber Board of Governors (2011 to present); Life Member Stonewall Democratic Club: Life Member N.A.A.C.P.

Education:

J.D., Loyola Law School, Donald Hagman Land Use Scholar;
B.A., University of California, Los Angeles, magna cum laude,
Phi Beta Kappa

+ Shanda M. Beltran

Practice Areas:

Land Use, Water Law, CEQA, and Related Environmental Clearances, Business Transactions

Shanda Beltran is an experienced environmental and land use attorney with an emphasis on water resources and CEQA matters. Shanda is recognized state-wide as an authority in water quality enforcement and has handled all types of water resource matters. She is also adept at complex CEQA and land use projects, having worked on numerous high-profile and complex projects throughout California.

Shanda has defended numerous clients in water quality compliance and enforcement actions, both at the state and federal administrative levels and in citizen-initiated lawsuits, as well as represented other clients in water rights disputes, water supply and wetlands determinations, and drainage and flooding matters. She also has prepared and defended complex CEQA and other land use documents. She has represented some of the largest landowners and homebuilders in the state and nation as well as major industrial operators, the energy sector, and agricultural operators.

Prior to joining Truman & Elliott, Ms. Beltran worked for major law firms including Nossman LLP and Allen Matkins, and spent nine years with the international law firm of Latham & Watkins. She also previously served as the Executive V.P. and General Counsel to the Building Industry Association of Southern California and Building Industry Legal Defense Foundation, directing all legal activities for both organizations on local, state and national levels.

Ms. Beltran has been recognized as a Super Lawyer.

Professional Affiliations:

Public speaker and author of numerous articles on water law; member of the Construction Industry Coalition on Water Quality; Board of Directors for the Construction Industries Alliance, a fundraising arm of the City of Hope National Cancer Center.

Education: J.D., University of Texas, 1997 B.A., University of Texas, with honors, 1994