Hannah Bentley, Esq. is a California attorney practicing environmental, municipal and land use law. She brought and settled some of the first known citizen enforcements of federal and California state environmental labeling requirements and also has experience regarding disclosure laws. She has significant experience litigating financial and other public law disputes affecting the interests of municipalities and local government agencies. Her cases have been covered by CNN, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times among others.

EXPERTISE

Hannah Bentley has broad experience in litigation in both state and federal court, and advice on environmental and municipal law matters in California:

• Environmental and land use including the California Environmental Quality Act, the California Global Warming Solutions Act, the federal Endangered Species Act, and the federal Clean Air Act
• Public law and municipal issues including the Brown Act and Public Records Act
• Quo warranto proceedings
• Environmental labeling under California state and federal law
  
  

She has also advised individuals, nonprofits and municipalities on open government and CEQA compliance.

EXPERIENCE

• Prosecuted and obtained monetary and injunctive relief in citizen enforcement actions of Federal Clean Air Act, California Green Label statute, and Endangered Species Act.
• Prosecuted, defenced, and settled quo warranto actions in proceedings before Attorney General's office and in Superior Court.
• Drafted amicus briefs on winning side involving federal preemption and First Amendment issues.
• Obtained preliminary injunction under Copyright Act against internet music service on behalf of recording artists.
  
  

REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS

California League of Cities, California State Association of Counties, Cities of Los Angeles, Sierra Madre, Calabasas, and Barstow, water agencies throughout California, Sierra Club, and Greenpeace

PUBLICATIONS

Hannah Bentley has authored numerous chapters on litigation in state and federal court in California Matthew Bender Practice Guides relating to civil litigation and procedure, as well as a number of articles on environmental law including California's climate change law:

• AB 32 and CEQA for Local Agencies: Matthew Bender California Environmental Law Reporter
• Water Infrastructure and and Climate Change Funding: Argent Communications California Water Law & Policy Reporter (November 2007 issue)
  
  

EDUCATION

Hannah Bentley graduated from Columbia Law School as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar in a 3-3 year accelerated program with her undergraduate college, Occidental.