Courtney Rae Ross-Tait

Biography

Courtney Rae Ross-Tait began her career defending complex civil litigation matters, including construction defect actions, employment and trade secret actions, toxic tort, and products liability. Courtney now heads up the Firm’s California practice which focuses on all aspects of litigation, as well as regulatory compliance and public policy. She is frequently engaged in matters involving entitlements, land use, coastal development, energy law, CEQA and associated environmental law, Proposition 65, insurance, and tribal law on behalf of public and private companies, community groups, governmental and quasi-governmental entities, and individuals.

Over the past decade, Courtney has been instrumental in obtaining significant successes for clients. She was responsible for the permitting and entitlements, both locally and statewide, necessary to redevelop a large coastal parcel governed by the Public Tideland’s Trust Doctrine into one of the first outlet center developments on the coast of California. Courtney was also successful in forming and obtaining regulatory approval on a national level for a Managing General Underwriter in record time. She is heavily involved in both the compliance and litigation aspects of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), an environmental law unique to the State of California, as a representative for both Petitioners and Respondents, including legal review and analysis of exemptions, mitigated negative declarations, and full environmental impact reports. With an undergraduate background in the hard sciences, Courtney is skilled at working with, reviewing, and analyzing scientific expert reports related to her environmental and energy law practices.

In addition to her practice of law, Courtney is a dedicated member of her community and fierce advocate for the historically underrepresented. She has twice served as Co-Chair for Liberty Hill Foundation’s Change L.A. event which celebrates and honors young philanthropists and young community organizers, spotlighting the contributions of new generations of local social justice visionaries. While preparing her undergraduate dissertation in Washington, D.C. related to favorability ratings of nongovernmental organizations, Courtney interned at Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (“PFLAG”), increasing accessibility and outreach to its over 350 chapters nationwide. Courtney has consulted for political candidates, community groups, businesses, and other non-governmental organizations in strategy and fundraising.

Education

• J.D., Concord School of Law at Purdue University Global, Los Angeles
• B.S., University of California, Santa Barbara