Mr. Morrison is a partner and chair of the Land Use and Natural Resources practice at Cox, Castle & Nicholson. He has over 25 years of experience in the permitting and development of large and controversial projects. His clients include residential and commercial developers, public agencies (universities, water districts, airports, cities, and counties), alternative energy companies, domestic and international commercial and industrial firms, and wineries and other agricultural concerns. Mr. Morrison’s areas of expertise include general and specific plans, development agreements, CEQA and NEPA, infrastructure finance, school facilities agreements, the Subdivision Map Act, Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg, SB 610 and SB 221, and all other California laws affecting the development of real property. He is also regarded as one of Northern California’s top experts in wetlands and endangered species matters. Mr. Morrison is Adjunct Lecturer in land use at his alma mater, U.C. Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall).

Land Use and Development

Mr. Morrison’s state-wide land use practice is focused primarily on the entitlement, defense and development of mixed-use master-planned communities. He advises many of the largest developments in California, including several projects with proposed build-outs of between 10,000 and 25,000 dwelling units. Mr. Morrison currently is working on some of the Bay Area’s best-known urban infill projects, including bayside and military base reuse projects, which have involved the development of innovative legal and planning concepts to address the growing body of laws promoting the reduction of greenhouse gases. He was a pioneer in the evolution of California’s laws requiring evaluation of water supply resources in connection with new development, having successfully represented the controversial Dougherty Valley project since 1991. Mr. Morrison is skilled in all aspects of land development, from the preparation of specific plans and environmental impact reports and the negotiation of development agreements, to the defense and settlement of complicated multi-party CEQA lawsuits, and ultimately to the implementation of fully-permitted projects through the finance, mapping and construction processes.

Wetlands and Endangered Species

Mr. Morrison is one of a handful of attorneys in Northern California with significant expertise in wetlands and endangered species laws and regulations. He advises a broad spectrum of clients in this area, including land developers, alternative energy companies, mining and agricultural interests, and public agencies including water districts, cities and counties and universities. Mr. Morrison assists clients in negotiating the approval processes of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Fish and Game, U.S. EPA, and California's Regional Water Quality Control Boards. His experience includes permitting and litigation under Sections 401 and 404 of the Clean Water Act, Sections 7 and 10 of the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and Sections 2081 and 1603 of the California Fish and Game Code. He has participated in the development of numerous large-scale habitat conservation plans, natural community conservation plans, and mitigation banks, and presently is handling some of California’s most complex wetlands and endangered species matters. In connection with this work Mr. Morrison has become an important authority on NEPA, having managed the preparation of over a dozen environmental impact statements.

Water Supply Evaluation and Planning

Mr. Morrison is one of the firm’s primary resources on water rights and related issues. He regularly advises water districts, cities and counties and other public agencies, developers, industrial concerns and agricultural interests in all aspects of water law. His matters include water rights permitting, water transfers, conjunctive use arrangements, wastewater treatment and reuse, urban water management planning, water supply/demand evaluations under SB 610 and SB 221, infrastructure development and finance, and all other matters associated with the development, use, management, and transfer of water resources. He is also experienced in handling the myriad state and federal regulatory structures affecting the use of water, including the state and federal Endangered Species Acts, Magnussen-Stevens, the Clean Water Act and Porter-Cologne, CEQA, NEPA, Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg, and other laws.

Speaking and Writing

Mr. Morrison writes and lectures extensively on land use, natural resource, and environmental issues. He serves as Adjunct Lecturer in land use at U.C. Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall), and is on the advisory board of California Land Use Law and Policy Reporter. He has also lectured or written for USF Law School, San Jose State University, U.C. Davis Extension, U.C. Berkeley Extension, Chapman University, the American Bar Association, the Association of Environmental Professionals, CLE International, Law Services International and a number of other professional organizations and periodicals.