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Laura joined McDonough Holland & Allen PC in 2006 as a member of the firm’s Public Law Practice Group. She is involved in both litigation and advisory work for cities, counties, and other public agencies in the Bay Area. She has significant experience litigating eminent domain cases including acquisition of multiple properties for large public works projects. Laura has a great deal of knowledge and experience related to regulation of mobile home parks including conversion of rental parks to resident ownership; mobile home park rent control; and age-related residency restrictions. In these areas, Laura has drafted local regulation; advised on land use applications; and defended local agency decisions in related litigation.
Laura serves as assistant general counsel for a number of Bay Area public agencies. She regularly advises those clients on complying with the Brown, the Public Records Act, the Permit Streamlining Act and various conflict of interest codes. She has successfully prosecuted code enforcement actions related to public nuisance, dangerous animals and unsafe buildings. Laura attends public meetings and advises on compliance with LAFCo procedures under the Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Local Government Reorganization Act. She has done extensive research and provided advice on compliance with the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Person’s Act (RLUIPA) in various contexts.
In 2005, Laura was a summer associate with McDonough's Public Law Practice Group in the firm’s Oakland office.
During law school, Laura served as an extern for Justice Simons of the California Court of Appeal researching and preparing draft opinions. As a law clerk for the Center for Community Solutions Legal Clinic, she assisted in providing legal services to survivors of domestic violence. She gained valuable experience as a volunteer for the San Francisco Superior Court’s Access Center, and as a teaching assistant in the Hastings College of the Law, Writing and Research Department. Before law school, she served as an intern with the Federal Defenders of San Diego. | 