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Jennifer Faye Novak

Law Office of Jennifer F. Novak

28 years of experience
Environmental Law, Gov & Administrative Law
California

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Biography

I have practiced law in California for more than 23 years with a career that includes private practice, as a Deputy Attorney General with the California Department of Justice, and as a clerk to an appellate court judge. Our firm represents property owners and businesses in environmental litigation and as advisors for matters involving soil and groundwater remediation, Clean Water Act citizen suits, Water Board investigation orders, and more.

We work with our clients to identify the best strategies for their needs. What matters most is our clients’ comfort level and for them to know they have a supporter, advisor, and advocate in their corner. We help our clients assess their risks and liabilities, develop a strategy, and then see it through to the end. Our clients range from Fortune 500 companies and national corporations to individual landowners and small businesses. For some, the best result is to minimize financial liability. Other clients seek quick resolution without endangering their reputations, causing unnecessary stress, or damaging their relationships with regulatory agencies. Others simply want a second opinion. But when the need arises, we are prepared to litigate in state and federal court, and all the way through appeal.

I have represented or worked alongside of a wide variety of local, state and federal agencies, including U.S. EPA, State Water Resources Control Board, various Regional Water Quality Control Boards, Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Department of Toxic Substances Control, Department of Fish and Wildlife, Air Resources Board, U.S. Department of Justice, and the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General.

The Law Office of Jennifer F. Novak is certified as a small business enterprise and as a woman-owned, minority-owned, business.

Practice Areas

Environmental Law

Gov & Administrative Law: Administrative Law, Election Law, Government Contracts, Government Finance, Legislative & Government Affairs

Video Conferencing

Zoom
Microsoft Teams

Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice

California
Since 1996

Languages

English

Professional Experience

Founder and Managing Attorney: Law Office of Jennifer F. Novak; 2013 - Current; Represent and advise clients on general and environmental litigation, compliance, and transactional matters involving groundwater and soil contamination, water quality, water rights, air quality, remediation, and administrative law. Recent matters include: trying a Clean Water Act citizen suit case to jury verdict; representing a metal plating company in a CERCLA/RCRA action involving the Omega Superfund Site; representing property owners in cost recovery lawsuit by California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC); negotiating with DTSC on behalf of a research facility to allow on-site hazardous waste storage; representing a former transmission rebuilding company in a CERCLA/RCRA action; negotiating with the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board on behalf of landowners and industrial facilities identified as potentially responsible parties for soil and groundwater contamination; representing a Central Valley fertilizer manufacturer in negotiations with local and state agencies; advising a statewide transportation trade organization for an administrative challenge under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); advising environmental non-profit organizations in permit adoption proceedings and general water quality matters; and acting as co-counsel protecting agricultural interests from damage caused by underground injection wells.

Attorney: Egoscue Law Group; 2012 - 2013; Represented and advised clients, including investor-owned and public utilities, municipalities, industrial facilities, a dairy, developers, and property owners in regulatory compliance, and administrative enforcement matters.

Deputy Attorney General: California Department of Justice; 2002 - 2012; Responsible for all stages of case management, from inception through appeal, primarily as lead trial and appellate counsel. Significant cases included: prosecution of companies responsible for groundwater and soil contamination; defense of storm water permits, basin plan amendments, and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) implementation; protection of California’s water rights; recovery of fire suppression costs; defense against claims that state regulation and policies violated the Endangered Species Act; and prosecution of illegal importation of diseased citrus products. Represented numerous agencies and departments, including: State Water Resources Control Board; various Regional Water Boards; Parks and Recreation; Forestry and Fire Protection; Air Resources Board; Fish and Wildlife; Conservation; and Food and Agriculture. Worked with other federal and state agencies, including U.S. EPA, U.S. Attorney’s Office, U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Toxic Substances Control, Department of Public Health, and California Public Utilities Commission.

Litigation Associate: Robie & Matthai; 1998 - 2002; Responsible for all aspects of case management for professional malpractice, insurance coverage, and product liability cases, including trial preparation, depositions of percipient, party, and expert witnesses, law and motion, selection and preparation of expert witnesses, arbitration, trial assistance, and client relations.

Litigation Associate: Bonne, Bridges, Mueller, O’Keefe & Nichols; 1997 - 1998; Responsible for case management and work up for trial for medical malpractice defense firm.

Judicial Law Clerk: California Court of Appeal; 1996 - 1997; Researched civil, criminal, and juvenile dependency cases, and prepared draft opinions for the Honorable Norman L. Epstein, Justice of the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division Four.

Education

University of California - Davis: J.D. (1996); 1993 - 1996; Honors: U.C. Davis Law Review: Staff Editor, 1995-1996; Member, 1994-1995; Order of Barristers; American Jurisprudence Award for Appellate Advocacy; Winner, Carr Trial Competition; Winner, 27th Annual Neumiller Competition and Best Oral Advocate; Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition Team Member 1994-1996 and Best Oral Advocate (1st place 1996, 3rd place 1995) in regional competitions; Legal Writing Teaching Assistant, Spring 1996

University of California - Berkeley: B.A. (1993) | City and Regional Planning; 1989 - 1993

Awards

Attorney General's Award Recipient: California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General; 2007

Attorney General's Award Recipient: California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General; 2005

Professional Associations

California Lawyers Association: Chair, Environmental Law Section; 2019 - Current

California State Bar # 183882: Member; 1996 - Current

Publications

Articles & Publications

The Value of Simplifying Case Presentation: Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine; February, 2005

A Trial Preparation Checklist: Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine; February, 2002

Speaking Engagements

Jennifer Novak: Finding Balance In Everything: April 22, 2024; Nice Guys on Business podcast

Building Trust with Jennifer Novak: March 20, 2024; Lawyer Business Advantage podcast

Jennifer Novak: Environmental Issues & Small Business Net Profit: March 1, 2024; Accelerate Your Profits podcast

Microplastics in Groundwater, 2024 California Groundwater Conference: February 7, 2024; American Ground Water Trust and Association of Ground Water Agencies

Jennifer Novak: Sidestepping Environmental Traps That Can Taint Family Wealth: February 7, 2024; Master Your Millions podcast

"Sp[oil]ing” For A Fight, 2023 Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite: October 21, 2023; California Lawyers Association

Reverse Your Thinking About Environmental Impact: October 13, 2023; Reverse Your Thinking podcast

Environmental Legal Issues: May 10, 2023; Provisors: LAX/Long Beach Real Estate Affinity Group

Jennifer Novak on Representing the Environment in Court: June 20, 2023; The California Appellate Law Podcast

What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You: How Environmental Law Can Help Your Practice: May 9, 2023; Riverside County Bar Association

Environmental Laws and Regulations for Emerging Microplastics Concerns Series– Near-Term and Future Potential Regulatory Efforts: March 21, 2023; Environmental Law Explored: A Podcast SEERies, American Bar Association

IGP Compliance & Enforcement Review: March 16, 2023; Industrial Environmental Coalition of Orange County (IEC/OC)

The Potential Impacts of the Proposed Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional (CII) Stormwater Permit on Facilities Within the Los Angeles and Long Beach Watersheds, California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA) 2022 Annual Conference: Celebrating Milestones: Taking the Next Step for Stormwater: October 26, 2022

The Clean Water Act at 50: Clean Water Act Enforcement Panel: October 7, 2022; U.C. Davis King Hall School of Law/California Environmental Law and Policy Center

Updates and Demo for California Construction Stormwater Permits: August 10, 2022; Alameda County Bar Association

Getting the Dirt: How to Keep Real Estate Transactions Free from Environmental Problems: May 19, 2022; Provisors Orange County Real Estate Affinity Group

What Is Environmental Law and How It Might Help Your (Yes, Your!) Own Practice: May 18, 2022; California Lawyers Association Solo & Small Firm Section

Updates and Demo for California Construction Stormwater: April 29, 2022; The Bar Association of San Francisco

Provisors Los Angeles Estate and Succession Planning Affinity Group: July 8, 2021

A New Business Environment or More of the Same?: March 14, 2021; Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce

Environmental LawyHERing: Overcoming Bias and Making Change: March 17, 2021; MSheLe

Eye on the Prize: How We Use Standards of Review to Negotiate Environmental Law Disputes and Play the Long Game in Case of Government Overreach: November 17, 2020; Los Angeles County Bar Associations Monthly Brown Bag Series

Split the Check, Please: Dividing Costs Among Responsible Parties: June 4, 2020; California Lawyers Association

Buyer Beware: How Your Location, Neighbors, and Changing Regulations May Affect Your Environmental Liabilities: February 7, 2020; South Bay Association of Realtors

2020 Focus on Agency Enforcement, Los Angeles County Bar Association: December 17, 2019

The Ports in An Environmental Storm, 2019 Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite, Yosemite, California: October 19, 2019; California Lawyers Association; Organized and moderated panel to look at the complexities in regulating California's ports and addressing air and water quality pollution.

Los Angeles River Stormwater Use and River Restoration: Competing or Compatible Visions?, 2019 Annual Meeting, Monterey, California: October 12, 2019; California Lawyers Association; Co-presenter, looking at the history of the Los Angeles River and proposed future uses for its water and span.

California Environmental Laws Every Small Business Should Understand, Solo & Small Firm Summit: the 21st Century Law Firm, Newport Beach, California: June 15, 2019; California Lawyers Association; Co-presenter to look at the variety of environmental laws affecting small businesses and how they are enforced.

The Storm Over Implementing TMDLs in the Industrial Storm Water General Permit, 2018 Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite, Yosemite, California: October 19, 2018; California Lawyers Association; Organized and moderated panel to look at proposed changes to California's General Industrial Stormwater NPDES permit and its enforcement.

Environmental Enforcement 101, First Annual Sections Meeting, San Diego, California: September 15, 2018; California Lawyers Association; Organized and moderated panel to look at the basics of enforcing national, state, and local environmental laws.

Building the Brick House: Identifying the Environmental Laws that Might Affect Your Business and Keeping the Big, Bad, Wolf at Bay: June 6, 2018; Palos Verdes Peninsula Chamber of Commerce

Cost Recovery Under California’s HSAA: New Cases Clarify the Right to Sue and Causation: March 6, 2018; American Bar Association Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources

It’s Raining. It’s Pouring. Are We Ready for Storing?, California Bar Association Environmental Law Section's Your Voice Riverside, Riverside, California: May 5, 2017; California State Bar Association; Organized and moderated panel to look at how the Inland Empire is increasing groundwater storage and its scientific and legal challenges.

California Water Quality: Federal and State Law Basics and Enforcement Issues, Semi-Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, California: January 26, 2017; Southern California Environmental Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Association; Co-presenter to discuss basics of the federal Clean Water Act and its enforcement.

High Stakes CERCLA Litigation: Lessons Learned from the Rialto-Colton Basin Litigation, 28th Annual Environmental Law Symposium: Saving Our Environmental Dollars and Sense, Los Angeles, California: April 4, 2014; Los Angeles County Bar Association; Co-presented to look at how CERCLA cases become increasingly complex and lessons to learn from the Rialto perchlorate litigation to avoid unnecessary costs and problems.

Litigating Contamination Property Claims as a Solo or Small Firm: It Takes a Village, MCLE program, Los Angeles, California: February 20, 2014; Los Angeles County Bar Association; Co-presenter to provide insight into how small firms can handle complex soil and groundwater contamination investigation and cleanup matters.

Clean Water and Stormwater in Southern California, Water Law, Los Angeles, California: December 10, 2012; Law Seminars International; Conference co-chair and speaker on panel discussing recent cases before U.S. Supreme Court and potential impacts on water quality regulation.

The Attorneys’ Perspective on Civil Cost Recovery Actions, Fire Investigators’ Conference, Pismo Beach, California: February 22, 2012; California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection; Assisted in training fire investigators with the basics of cost recovery litigation, participating in depositions, and legal issue-spotting.

So You Think It Never Rains in Southern California? An Update on Municipal, Construction, And Industrial Enforcement and Compliance, MCLE program, Los Angeles, California: June 17, 2010; Los Angeles County Bar Association; Co-presenter to look at latest issues in stormwater litigation and regulation, including enforcement and cases involving claims of unfunded state mandates.

Rialto Basin Perchlorate Groundwater Dispute, California Water Law Conference, Palm Springs, California: November 5, 2009; Water Law Institute; Co-presenter to discuss state enforcement of groundwater contamination case.

Investigate, Remediate, Compensate: The Keys to Federal and State Cleanups, MCLE program, Los Angeles, California: April 7, 2008; Los Angeles County Bar Association; Co-presenter for program discussing basics of voluntary and enforcement-related soil and groundwater investigations and cleanups.

Clean Water Act: Empower the People Workshop #3, Community Workshop, Redondo Beach, California: September 20, 2006; Santa Monica Baykeeper; Co-presenter to explain basics of stormwater litigation.

Parenthood and the Practice of Law, Part II, MCLE program, Los Angeles, California: April 7, 2005; Los Angeles County Bar Association; Organized and moderated panel to look at strategies for balancing home and work lives.

Storm Water Permitting in California: Strategies for Keeping Your Municipality, Agency or Business in Compliance, MCLE program, Pasadena, California: March 30, 2005; Lorman Education Services; Co-presenter to discuss basics of storm water permitting and law.

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