Eric L. Garner

Partner

As managing partner of Best Best & Krieger, Eric L. Garner oversees one of California’s largest law firms with nearly 200 attorneys in nine offices across the state and in Washington, D.C.

Garner is one of the leading experts on water in California. He has litigated cases and negotiated key agreements involving major water bodies across the state, including the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the Mojave River, the Santa Ana River, and the Santa Maria, Chino, Monterey and Antelope Valley groundwater basins. He also has worked with renewable energy firms in their efforts to obtain water supplies for solar plants in the California desert.

Garner has also worked internationally, helping to craft water laws in South Africa, Trinidad and Pakistan. He was the first American to chair the International Bar Association’s Water Law Committee, and served as a member of the IBA Council that oversees the Section on Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Infrastructure Law. The Daily Journal, citing Garner’s expertise in water law and his role in the International Bar Association, has named him as one of the "Top 100" lawyers in California.

Garner also received the prestigious California "Lawyer of the Year" award from California Lawyer magazine for helping to settle a dispute among hundreds of farmers, ranchers and urban dwellers for the rights to the groundwater in the Santa Maria area, north of Santa Barbara.

As an author, Garner co-wrote California Water and the 2nd edition, California Water II – widely considered to be the leading text on the history, law and policy of the state’s most precious natural resource.

Garner is an adjunct professor of water law at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and also has taught water law at UCLA and UC Riverside extension programs.

In addition, he is a member of the board of directors of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, one of the largest film festivals in North America.

Education

• University of Michigan, J.D. (1987)
• Earlham College, B.A.

Bar Admissions

• California (1987)

Awards

• The Best Lawyers in America®, environmental litigation and water law (2012-2013)
• Southern California Super Lawyers®, environmental law (2012-2013)
• "Top 100" Lawyers in California, The Daily Journal (2009)
• California "Lawyer of the Year," California Lawyer magazine (2006)

Eric L. Garner

Partner

• Author, "Why Californians Should Care About Water Rights," PublicCEO.com, June 2012
• Author, "Harnessing The Sun's Power Can Negatively Impact Another Natural Resource," North American Clean Energy Magazine, December 2010
• Co-author, "Navigating the Desert Terrain and Legal Landscape," Solar Industry, July 2010
• Co-author, "California Water II," Solano Press (2007 edition)
• Co-author, "California Water," Solano Press

Eric L. Garner

Partner

Memberships

• Palm Springs International Film Festival, member of the board of directors
• International Bar Association, Section on Energy, Environment, Natural Resources and Infrastructure Law, Council Member (2011-2012)
• International Bar Association, Water Law Committee Chair (2009-2010)

Community Involvement

• University of Southern California Law School (adjunct professor of water law)
• UCLA and UC Riverside extension programs (taught water law)