Overview
Joseph Larsen’s practice includes the representation of public entities, as well as private clients, in both litigation and transactional matter. He specializes in public labor and employment, condemnation and property valuation, public contracting, land use and real estate issues.
Joseph has extensive experience in all aspects of labor and employment law in the public sector, including counseling and litigation with respect to discrimination, wage and hour disputes, the Meyer-Milias-Brown Act, the Educational Employment Relations Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, Family Medical Leave Act, employee benefit plans, and discipline of municipal and school employees.
As chair of the firm’s Education Practice Group, he serves the firm’s school district, community college, and college and university clients by providing legal counsel in various litigation and transactional settings including labor and employment, property acquisition/disposition, public contracting/bidding, contract management and open government.
Joseph’s property acquisition and valuation practice includes assisting public agencies with property acquisitions, from the preliminary stages all the way through condemnation trials, and appellate work. He also represents landowners whose properties are acquired with both real property and business valuation issues, defenses to the right to take, and CEQA-related or other project challenges.
Experience
Areas of Expertise
- Municipal/Governmental Agency Law
- Public Sector Labor and Employment
- Condemnation/Property Valuation
- Education Law
Representative Matters/Cases
- General and special counsel services to several Cities throughout California, including City of Huntington Park, City of Irvine, City of Adelanto, City of Anaheim and City of Yorba Linda
- General and special counsel services to several public school districts throughout California, including Saddleback Valley Unified School District, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, Redondo Beach Unified School District, Fullerton Elementary School District, Alta Loma School District, Coast Community College District, Palomar Community College District, MiraCosta College
- General and special counsel services to several community college districts, including Lake Tahoe Community College District, Palomar Community College District, MiraCosta College, Coast Community College District
- Former Interim Assistant City Attorney for the City of Huntington Park
- Successfully defended several administrative appeals of employee termination and/or suspensions.
- Represented public agencies in state court litigation involving discrimination and teacher reemployment rights
News & Insights
Publications
- No Longer United, Yet Not Subdivided, IRWA Newsletter, November 2015
- “Kelo: The Case That Made Eminent Domain Infamous,” The Override (Los Angeles Association of Professional Landmen), March 2015
Recent Presentations
- “Overview of Eminent Domain and Related Valuations Issues” (35th West Coast Landmen’s Institute), October 2017
Awards & Affiliations
Awards & Honors
Southern California Super Lawyers, Rising Stars Edition, 2013-2016
Foreign Language
Conversant in Portuguese
Memberships & Associations
- Orange County Bar Association
- State Bar of California