Robert W. Hargreaves

Partner

Robert W. Hargreaves is a partner in the Municipal Law practice group of Best Best & Krieger LLP. He specializes in general municipal, land use and energy law.

Mr. Hargreaves currently represents the cities of Needles, Palm Desert, Indian Wells and San Jacinto in various capacities. He is general counsel to the Salton Sea Authority, the Valley Sanitary District and the Mt. San Jacinto Winter Park Authority.

In addition to general representation of local governmental entities, Mr. Hargreaves focuses on land use law. Mr. Hargreaves has assisted both public and private clients in the entitlement process for large desert development projects. He has also represented public agencies in multi-party negotiations regarding use of Colorado River water and groundwater management. Mr. Hargreaves has litigated land use, environmental, takings and Native American law issues before state and federal courts and administrative agencies, and has represented both Native American tribes and private individuals with respect to Native American law disputes.

Mr. Hargreaves has represented municipal utilities on a variety of issues and recently negotiated a power purchase agreement for a utility scale thermal solar project near Needles. He represents solar developers in large, customer-serving applications.

Mr. Hargreaves sits on the Board of Directors of the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership and is a leader of its Renewable Energy Roundtable. He sits on the advisory board of the U.C. Riverside’s Southern California Research Institute for Solar Energy (SCRISE) and Wilson Center for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Systems . He is past-president of the Family YMCA of the Desert, a charter member of the Coachella Valley Autism Society of America, and has been an assistant Boy Scout leader.

Mr. Hargreaves graduated with great distinction from the University of California, Berkeley with an undergraduate degree in computer science. After serving in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica, he received his Juris Doctorate degree from U.C. Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law in 1988, where he focused on land use, environmental and water law.

Education

• University of California, Berkeley, J.D. (1988)
• University of California, Berkeley, B.A., with great distinction

Bar Admissions

• California (1988)

Court Admissions

• California (1988)

Community Involvement

• Coachella Valley Economic Partnership (legislative committees )
• Desert BIA (legislative committees )
• Green Building Council (legislative committees )
• Salton Sea Authority (general counsel )
• Valley Sanitary District (general counsel )
• Mt. San Jacinto Winter Park Authority (general counsel)