Robert W. Hargreaves practices general municipal, land use and energy law. He is a partner in the Municipal Law practice group of Best Best & Krieger LLP. Bob is the city attorney for the City of Palm Desert and represents the cities of Indian Wells, Coachella, Needles, San Jacinto and Calexico in various capacities. He is general counsel to the Salton Sea Authority, the Valley Sanitary District, the Mt. San Jacinto Winter Park Authority and the Anza Electric Cooperative.

In addition to general representation of local governmental entities, Bob focuses on land use law. He 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. Bob 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.

Bob has represented municipal utilities on a variety of issues, including the negotiation of a power purchase agreement for a utility-scale thermal-solar project near Needles.

Bob is president of the Friends of the Desert Mountains and a former board member of the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership and the Palm Springs Air Museum. Bob previously served on the advisory boards of the University of California, Riverside’s Southern California Research Institute for Solar Energy 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.

Between undergraduate and law school, Bob served in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica. His law studies focused on land use, environmental and water law. 

Education

• University of California, Berkeley, J.D.
• University of California, Berkeley, B.A., computer science, with great distinction

Admissions

• California

Awards

• Palm Springs Life Top Lawyers, 2016-2019
• Top 70 Lawyers in Coachella Valley, Palm Springs Life, 2014