Laura D. Beaton
Partner
She/Her/Hers
Joined Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger in:
2013
Primary Practice Areas:
Litigation & Appeals, Renewable Energy Policy, CEQA & NEPA, Land Use, Planning & Zoning, City Attorney & General Counsel Services
Career Highlights
- Representing the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc. in utilities commission proceedings nationwide to improve consumer access to solar energy.
- Advising public agency and nonprofit clients on contracting, including public contracting, competitive bidding, and state and federal grant compliance.
- Successfully representing Tahoe-area environmental organization in multiple lawsuits challenging a sprawling expansion of a ski resort. (Sierra Watch v. Placer County, et al. (2021) 69 Cal.App.5th 86 (CEQA); Sierra Watch v. Placer County, et al. (2021) 69 Cal.App.5th 1 (Brown Act)).
- Helping Mendocino County residents reverse the County’s vested rights determination that would have let a quarry operate without a use permit or other limits and environmental oversight (Keep the Code, Inc. v. County of Mendocino, et al., No. A147544 (Cal. Ct. App. Nov. 30, 2018)).
Community Service, Publications, and Recognitions
- Northern California SuperLawyer Rising Star, 2022.
- Amicus Service Award from International Municipal Lawyers Association for amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in Knick v. Township of Scott.
- Laura D. Beaton and Matthew D. Zinn, Knick v. Township of Scott: A Source of New Uncertainty for State and Local Governments in Regulatory Takings Challenges to Land Use Regulation, 47 Fordham Urb. L.J. 623 (2020).
- Guest lecturer on land use at Stanford Law School and UC Berkeley School of Law.
- Board President, Sierra Nevada Alliance.
- Past Board Member, Cascadia Wildlands.
Bar Memberships
Member of the Bar, State of California and State of Montana (Inactive), United States Supreme Court, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Eastern Districts of California.
Education
University of Oregon School of Law, JD, 2011, Order of the Coif
Southern Oregon University, BS, 2008
About Me
Before becoming a lawyer, I devoted my time to defending old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest, which included scaling ancient Douglas fir trees in search of the threatened Oregon red tree vole. I enjoy adventurous travel with my partner and our kids.