Richard Montevideo

Richard Montevideo is the Chair of the firm’s Environmental Law Practice Group since 1992, which represents a concentration of the firm’s environmental expertise in both the transactional and litigation settings. He is also a partner in the Government and Regulatory Section, where he specializes in environmental law, emphasizing Superfund and cost recovery litigation under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”), the Hazardous Substance Account Act (“State Superfund”) and related provisions and common law theories of recovery.

Richard has worked on a number of matters involving various National Priority List Superfund Sites, such as the San Gabriel Valley Superfund Site, the McColl Site in the City of Fullerton, the Montrose Chemical NPL Site in Los Angeles (the Palos Verdes Shelf and the Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors Complex), as well as various other State and federal Superfund sites throughout Southern California.

He advises clients on a regular basis on a number of regulatory compliance matters, including issues arising under the Clean Water Act (including NPDES and TMDL issues), the California Porter-Cologne Act, State and federal Underground Storage Tank Laws, State and federal laws addressing hazardous materials and acutely hazardous materials, lender liability issues, Proposition 65 (the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986), the Polanco Act (H&S Code § 33459 et seq.) the California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989 (AB 939), and related laws and regulations.

He has extensive experience in dealing with local, State, and federal regulatory agencies, including the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the California Environmental Protection Agency (the Department of Toxic Substances Control), the California Regional Water Quality Control Boards, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, as well as local health departments, public works departments, and fire departments.

Richard also regularly advises clients in real estate transactions involving Brownfield properties and the purchase and sale of properties contaminated and potentially contaminated with hazardous substances and hazardous waste, including advising public entities in their acquisition and/or condemnation of contaminated properties.

He is the past Chair of the Orange County Bar Association, Environmental Law Section, having acted in that capacity from January 1995 to January 2016. He is also a former Adjunct Professor of Environmental Law at Chapman University College of Law.

He is further trained in the skills of mediation, having completed training at Pepperdine University’s Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution.