ABOUT ME
I spent my first six years as an attorney serving as Staff Council to the State of California's Department of Industrial Relations. After gaining that experience, I opened my private law practice Rena Rickles, Attorney at Law. By 1989, my practice focused exclusively on Land Use cases. My extensive community involvement, interaction with leaders and decision makers, and broad networking; combined with my legal skills, makes me uniquely suited to obtain the best possible results in the most controversial disputes. Throughout the past twenty-five years of representing clients in Land Use cases, I can proudly say that I have been exceptionally successful for my clients. Our office's win-rate is over 95%!
While I offer the same in-depth knowledge of the law and access to decision-makers provided by big firms, I provide a small firm's personal care and attention to detail that is required by this area of the law. I pride myself in offering the highest quality service in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Because my credibility and expertise, as well as my dogged perseverance, are well known within the community, my clients enjoy an edge in having their views heard with respect.
The strongest testimony to this is that my business is composed almost entirely of referrals from past clients, other attorneys, elected officials and commission members familiar with my work. I am also very active serving the communities we all call home. I have been involved and led numerous legal and community organizations committed to giving back. In addition to being interested in these areas as a citizen, this involvement has had the fortunate byproduct of bringing me into regular contact with the decision-makers in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano counties and incorporated cities.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES OF A LAND-USE ATTORNEY
A Land Use attorney advocates and guides project proponents and opponents through the difficult and, at times, labyrinthine procedure of the public agency process. I walk my clients through the Planning and Zoning Departments, the permitting procedures, the public hearing process, and any community and neighborhood outreach that needs to be done in order to obtain a successful result. A project can be something that is as 'simple' as building a new home; or constructing an addition to an existing home. It can be as complex as expanding or building large scale developments; restaurants; and/or residential projects; mixed-use and multi-use projects, commercial properties and negotiating public/private land use partnerships.
This can include obtaining Use Permits, Variances, navigating environmental (and CEQA/EIR) issues, and/or arguing for or against appeals of a particular project. Sometimes it means figuring out how to bring something to a neighborhood that everyone wants—just not anywhere near them. It can also mean advocating for the comparatively little guy—who doesn't want to necessarily stop a new project or installation; but wants it done in a way that is the least negatively impactful on their view, light, privacy or neighborhood character.
I have long been recognized throughout Alameda and Contra Costa County as one of the most effective land use attorneys and have earned that reputation by maintaining active contact/relationships with decision makers and staff planners and through consistent uncompromising standards of professionalism. My goal is to seek win-win, creative solutions which enable my clients to achieve their desired result without resorting to expensive and often lose-lose litigation. Rarely, litigation may be necessary. In those cases, I am one of the few attorneys in the State with Administrative Mandamus experience--the litigation required to enforce or overturn public agency action. (In order to remain available to clients, this firm does not engage in any other types of court litigation.)
PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AND STANDARDS
I have obtained the highly-sought after "AV" rating, administered by Martindale-Hubbell, the legal community's directory for over 135 years This peer review process measures two components of a lawyer's practice: Legal ability and professional ethics. The "A" signifies legal ability that is "Very high to preeminent." The "V" signifies professional ethics that "Adhere to the strict standards of the Bar." The "AV" represents the highest possible rating, and is obtained by only 15% of the bar nationwide.