Partner
Lauren Langer
She/Her
Lauren serves as City Attorney for the City of West Hollywood, as legal counsel for the Westside Cities Council of Governments, as special land use counsel for many of the firm’s clients and served as the interim City Attorney for the City of Downey from 2022-2023.
Lauren’s practice consists of advising city clients on land use, zoning, environmental and housing laws (including Density Bonus Law, the Housing Accountability Act, the Housing Crisis Act (SB 330) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)). Lauren also drafts legislation and contracts and advises on all other legal issues associated with Municipal Law practice, such as the Brown Act and California Public Records Act.
In addition to her land use and Municipal Law experience, Lauren is highly skilled in drafting and implementing other critical and complex municipal ordinances for her city clients in areas such as tenant protection, cannabis regulation, density bonus and wireless infrastructure. Lauren also handles litigation matters for her city clients. Lauren enjoys practicing Municipal Law, as it allows her to work on issues that are critical to the community and impact people’s daily lives — everything from safe streets to housing to the environment. Lauren focuses on building relationships with clients and consensus among all stakeholders to help cities run well and manage their issues. Before joining Best Best & Krieger LLP, she practiced at Jenkins & Hogin for 12 years.
Lauren served as the chair of the League of California Cities City Attorneys’ Cannabis Regulation Committee, and served on the Committee from 2011 to 2021. She also served as a member of the League’s Attorney Development and Succession Commission. She regularly presents trainings and seminars on housing and land use issues, and the Brown and Public Record Acts. Lauren lives in Los Angeles, where she spends her free time gardening, cooking and exploring the City with her husband and daughters.
- Los Angeles Business Journal Top 100 Lawyers, 2022
- Daily Journal 40 Under 40 List, 2018
- Named a Cannabis Law Expert by Databird, November 2018
- League of California Cities’, City Attorney’s Department, Cannabis Regulation Committee, 2011-2021; chair, 2020-2021 and Attorney Development and Succession Committee, 2019-2023.
Publications
- "Implementing the Brown Act in the Digital Age," Daily Journal, Sept. 13, 2018
- "Navigating RLUIPA: Recent Developments in Religious Land Use Litigation" League of California Cities City Attorneys' Department, 2015
- "Municipal Regulation of Medical Marijuana: A Comprehensive Review of Federal and State Law" League of California Cities City Attorneys' Department, 2012
- "The Legal Basis for Allowing Medical Marijuana Operations," Western City Magazine, 2010
Presentations
- Conference Co-Chair and Welcome Remarks, California Land Use Law, Policy and Planning Annual Conference, Feb. 15, 2024
- "What the Bleep!' Limits of Public Comment," UCLA Extension CEQA Updates: Issues and Trends in 2023. Dec. 6, 2023
- "'What the Bleep!' Limits of Public Comment," League of California Cities Annual Conference, Sept. 21, 2023
- "Under One Roof: Summary of New Housing Laws for 2023," BBK Webinar, March 29, 2023
- "Practicum on Discretionary Review of Development Projects," League of California Cities Attorney's Department, March 2023
- "Understanding Public Service Ethics Laws and Principles (AB 1234)," League of California Cities New Mayors and Council Members Academy, Feb. 2, 2023
- Conference Co-Chair and Moderator, California Land Use Law, Policy and Planning Annual Conference, Dec. 7, 2022
- "When The Going Gets Tough: Navigating the Brown Act in Tricky Situations," CLA Open Meetings and Open Records Conference, April 7, 2022
- Conference Co-Chair, Moderator, and Presenter, California Land Use Law, Policy and Planning Annual Conference, Nov. 2021
- "Housing Law Update," League of California Cities Annual Conference , Oct. 8, 2020
- "The Brown Act: The People’s Business and the Right to Access," BBK Webinar, Sept. 16, 2020
- "Development and Land Use in the Age of COVID-19," Continuing Education of the Bar Webinar, May 26, 2020
- "Clearing the Smoke: 3 Years of Legal Cannabis in California," BBK Webinar, Nov. 20, 2019
- "The Commission’s Tribal Consultation Guidance: Update on the Tribal Consultation Policy," Continuing Legal Education International Annual California Coastal Law Conference, Nov. 15, 2018
- "Brown Act Traps and Escape Routes," Public Law Section of the California Lawyer’s Association California Public Records and Open Meetings Conference, April 27, 2018
- "New Considerations in Preparing Administrative Records: How the San Jose Case Has Impacted Traditional Practices," LSI Advanced CEQA Seminar, Sept. 2017
- "Workshop on Cannabis Rules and Regulations," South Bay Cities Council of Governments, Aug. 2017
- "Marijuana and California Real Estate," Los Angeles County Bar Association, May 2017
- "Navigating RLUIPA: Recent Developments in Religious Land Use Litigation," League of California Cities City Attorneys' Spring Conference, May 2015
- "Seminar on the Los Angeles County MS4 Permit," Los Angeles County Bar Association, Jan. 2013
- "Stormwater Regulation 101," Tri-Counties Government Attorneys' Association, Feb. 2013
