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Richard McNeil

Retired Partner
Retired Partner
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Overview

Rick McNeil is a retired partner in the Environment and Natural Resources Group and the Commercial Litigation Group. Rick was a trial attorney with numerous jury, bench, and administrative trials to his credit, particularly in the areas of environmental, land use, tort and product liability, real estate, and business litigation.

Rick’s environmental experience spanned nearly all aspects of federal and California law, including Superfund, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, Proposition 65, and green chemistry, including numerous matters involving chemicals in food and consumer products.

Rick also had substantial experience in cases involving claims for personal injury or property damage claimed to be the result of exposure to mold, lead, asbestos, pathogens, and other toxins (such as under Proposition 65 and federal and Cal-OSHA), as well as regulatory enforcement involving these types of claims.

Rick handled dozens of matters before the USEPA, the SCAQMD, the DTSC, and the Los Angeles and Santa Ana RWQCBs.

Rick was recognized for his knowledge about CEQA (the California Environmental Quality Act) and counseled clients on land use planning and zoning as well as strategies for obtaining land development entitlements. Rick served as lead counsel or co-counsel in numerous CEQA cases through the trial and appellate phases and also counseled clients on strategies to avert CEQA lawsuits.

Rick was a member of the American Law Institute, where he contributed to the current revision of the Restatement of the Law, 4th, Property. He also was a member of the Litigation Section and the Environment, Energy and Resources Section of the American Bar Association and the Real Estate, Business Litigation, and Environmental Law Sections of the Orange County Bar Association.

Rick was also appointed a member of the City of Newport Beach Water Quality and Coastal Tidelands Committee.

Rick just completed a six-year term as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Orange County Bar Association while remaining the Co-Chair of the OCBA’s Diversity Committee.

Rick also was a Member of the Board of Directors for Legal Aid of Orange County and was the Chair Emeritus of the Pacific Chorale, a symphonic choral organization that provided free after-school music education to inner city children.

Rick was also an experienced mediator, having mediated many land use, environmental, and business cases.

Career & Education

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    • Yale University, B.A., 1981
    • University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, J.D., Member, California Law Review, 1984
    • Yale University, B.A., 1981
    • University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, J.D., Member, California Law Review, 1984

    • California
    • United States District Court
    • U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
    • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
    • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
    • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
    • California
    • United States District Court
    • U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
    • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
    • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
    • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California

  • Professional Activities and Memberships

    • American Bar Association
    • State Bar of California
      • Environmental Law Section (Former Member, Executive Committee)
      • Litigation Section
    • Orange County Bar Association
      • Environmental Law Section, Member (1998-present), Chair (2016-2017)
      • Real Estate Law Section (Secretary)
      • Diversity Committee  Co-Chair (2015-present)
      • Elimination of Bias Subcommittee, Chair (2016-present)
    • American Law Institute (1997-Present)

    Professional Recognition & Awards

    • Southern California Super Lawyers, Environmental (2004-2009)
    • Top 20 Under 40, Los Angeles Daily Journal (1997)

    Community Involvement

    • Pacific Chorale, Board of Directors (1997-present)
      • Chairman of the Board (2014-2015), Chair Emeritus
    • Legal Aid Society of Orange County, Board of Directors (2016-present)

    Professional Activities and Memberships

    • American Bar Association
    • State Bar of California
      • Environmental Law Section (Former Member, Executive Committee)
      • Litigation Section
    • Orange County Bar Association
      • Environmental Law Section, Member (1998-present), Chair (2016-2017)
      • Real Estate Law Section (Secretary)
      • Diversity Committee  Co-Chair (2015-present)
      • Elimination of Bias Subcommittee, Chair (2016-present)
    • American Law Institute (1997-Present)

    Professional Recognition & Awards

    • Southern California Super Lawyers, Environmental (2004-2009)
    • Top 20 Under 40, Los Angeles Daily Journal (1997)

    Community Involvement

    • Pacific Chorale, Board of Directors (1997-present)
      • Chairman of the Board (2014-2015), Chair Emeritus
    • Legal Aid Society of Orange County, Board of Directors (2016-present)