Andrée Blais and Lori Anne Dolqueist Named to "Top Women Lawyers" List

Andrée Blais, a Partner in Nossaman’s Infrastructure Group, and Lori Anne Dolqueist, a Partner in the Firm’s Water Group, were recognized as Top Women Lawyers for 2019 by Daily Journal, California’s leading legal newspaper. The Top Women Lawyers supplement annually recognizes female lawyers whose work has had an impact in the state and nationally.  

Daily Journal highlighted the work Andrée did on the commercial and financial close of [the] $4.9 billion deal for the Automated People Mover (APM) project, which is a key aspect of the Landside Access Modernization Program at Los Angeles International Airport. Commenting on her work on the project, Andrée said that one of her primary roles was helping her client ensure that the deal was fair and bankable…that risk allocations in the deal [were] reasonable, encouraging private finance to come to the table. Daily Journal also highlighted that Andrée is currently working with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority on the $5 billion Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor that proposes to connect the San Fernando Valley with Los Angeles’ West Side. When asked what she enjoys most about her work, Andrée said the best part of my job is seeing the public infrastructure projects I work on built and functioning and knowing that I helped make it happen.  

Lori was praised by Daily Journal for her work securing approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for the $322 million Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project—a project led by her client, the California American Water Company. The project’s goal is to expand water supplies in the company’s Monterey District [and create] new water sources, including [through] desalination. Discussing her work on the project, Lori said that as part of [the] review, the CPUC considered the need for the project and whether it was the best solution to address the water supply constraints facing the Monterey Peninsula…[D]uring the course of the proceeding we addressed issues related to the CPUC’s jurisdiction, projections of future water demands and the appropriateness of desalination technology. She added that what made the project a success was that she was fortunate to work with a great team at California American Water Company, both legal and non-legal, who remained focused on the goal of providing a water solution for Monterey.

The full supplement can be found here (subscription required).