Julie C. Riley is a Partner at Lagerlof, LLP in the Public Agency practice.  

Ms. Riley gained extensive public policy experience throughout her decades of service at the City of Los Angeles and the California Legislature. Prior to joining Lagerlof, LLP, she served as the General Counsel for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. In that role, she advised the governing board on the responsibilities of overseeing the nation’s largest municipal utility, including but not limited to risk management, compliance with laws relating to water and power, bond covenants, conflict of interest laws, and government transparency laws.  

She has real-world experience advising clients on cutting-edge legal challenges, especially those involving the intersection of natural resource protection laws and public agencies’ efforts to improve the sustainability of water and power supplies. She understands her clients value efficiency and expediency when aiming to construct infrastructure projects and can help them navigate the path ahead.  

Ms. Riley was involved in the adjudication and administration of several groundwater basins in Southern California and the Eastern Sierra, negotiated complex air quality settlements related to dust mitigation obligations at Owens Lake, and oversaw historic settlements designed to clean polluted groundwater in the San Fernando Valley. She is a firm believer in utilizing a variety of tools to collaborate with clients on resolving disputes and achieving their goals for strategic long-term planning.  

Ms. Riley is admitted to practice in all State courts in California, the United States District Court for the Central District of California, and the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. She has served on the Los Angeles County Bar Association Environmental Section and the Association of California Water Agencies Legal Affairs Committee