Margaret has over 26 years experience representing Public Agency clients including Cities, Counties, Housing & Redevelopment Agencies, Airports and Special Districts, in both an advisory and litigation capacity, on matters involving public agency law, environmental law and land use. Her environmental and land use practice focuses primarily on regulatory interface and compliance issues, remediation and cost recovery, insurance coverage and complex environmental litigation.

Margaret has successfully appeared before, and negotiated, complex land use and regulatory compliance and clean up standards with environmental regulatory agencies including the State and Regional Water Quality Control Boards, the Department of Toxic Substances Control, the Integrated Waste Management Board, the State Department of Fish & Game, and the United States Fish & Wildlife Agency in addition to local regulatory oversight agencies. She has successfully represented her Public Agency clients in multi-party actions and has been instrumental in resolving complex litigation involving negotiations with responsible parties, regulators and insurance carriers.

Margaret has also been successful in locating and recreating valuable historical general liability insurance policies for her clients which have led to the recovery of hundreds of thousands of dollars in defense and indemnity proceeds as a result of her expertise in insurance archaeology and insurance coverage. In 2005 as Amicus Curiae on behalf of the California State Association of Counties she authored a brief to the California Supreme Court addressing pivotal issues relating to environmental insurance coverage on behalf of public agency insureds.

Margaret has also been active in drafting state environmental legislation and working with local and state officials in the legislative process including drafting substantive revisions to the Polanco Redevelopment Act, (California Health & Safety Code § 33459 et. seq.).

Margaret is known for her no nonsense practical approach to resolving complex environmental and land use problems. She is admitted to practice in all California Courts and the United States District Court for the Southern, Central, Eastern and Northern Districts of California.