Jennifer Meeker Named To “40 Under 40” List

Jennifer Meeker, Co-Chair of Nossaman’s Insurance Practice and leader of the Firm’s Appellate Practice, was named to the Daily Journal’s annual “40 Under 40” list (subscription required). The list recognizes the 40 top young lawyers in California.

The Daily Journal’s article highlights Jennifer’s work leading the “appellate team that prevailed for the San Francisco County Transportation Authority on the important question of whether it is an agency of the state and not of the City and County of San Francisco.” The win at the 1st District Court of Appeal in December 2019 “affirmed the trial court’s finding that as a state agency the SFCTA is not subject to San Francisco’s Sunshine Ordinance.”

Commenting on the matter, Jennifer said that it was a “wonderful win…The SFCTA was authorized by the state Legislature, it has its own budget and issues its own bonds and it’s not subject to the city attorney. The ruling hopefully nipped any future similar claims in the bud, which enables the two entities to function as they were intended to function. We had the law and the facts on our side.”

The Daily Journal also noted her win for Laguna Beach Golf and Bungalow Village LLC. The case involved a dispute over a coastal development permit issued for a resort known as “the Ranch” in Aliso Canyon, an environmentally sensitive area. In this matter, the owner of the property wanted to preserve the resort and remodel it. The Coastal Commission agreed to the plan, with conditions, but a local resident, Mark Fudge, who has filed anti-development suits, protested. Ultimately the trial court dismissed the action against the defendant and an appellate panel affirmed that decision. “We were on the same side as the attorney general and the commission. We showed the court that everything complied with the rules,” Jennifer added.