Land Use Specialist Ellia Thompson Elevated to Equity Partner at Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP

LOS ANGELES – February 16, 2017 – Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP (ECJ) is proud to announce  that expert land use attorney and litigator Ellia Thompson has been promoted to Equity Partner, the firm announced today.

Unlike many land use attorneys, Thompson has experience litigating conflicts between neighborhood groups, developers and city officials who have levied civil and criminal prosecutions, including code violations and code enforcement actions. She and the other land use attorneys also work on a number of issues related to local and state housing regulations.

“Since Ellia and her team arrived here, they have bolstered our land use practice to one that’s much broader in scope,” said Barry MacNaughton, the firm’s managing partner. “We now handle land use and entitlement disputes throughout Southern California, both on the planning and development side and in litigation. We work on projects ranging from spec homes and smaller developments to multi-use projects and large commercial matters.”

Thompson, who spent 17 years in various positions with the federal government, media outlets and in private practice as a land-use attorney before arriving at ECJ, emphasizes that her priority is to keep her clients out of the courtroom – but in the event that a lawsuit is filed, she and her team are ready. “The lawyers at ECJ are some of the smartest, toughest and most experienced attorneys I have ever had the honor of working with. I now have the ability to confidently offer top legal service in almost every area of the law which allows me to better serve my clients.

Thompson received  her undergraduate degree from UCLA and  attended George Washington University Law School.  She specializes in land use entitlements, with particular emphasis on zoning and subdivisions, governmental administrative law , community outreach, projects located in the hillside and historical areas  and environmental compliance, especially in relation to the California Environmental Quality Act. She also has broad experience in environmental review processes and administrative proceedings.