Brett Jolley joined Shore McKinley & Conger, LLP as a partner in 2015 bringing with him fifteen years of respected experience in land use, real estate development, public agency, and appellate law.
Mr. Jolley heads the firm’s Land Use and Real Estate Development practice group and assists developers, property owners, public agencies, and nonprofit organizations with issues involving the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Subdivision Map Act, State Planning and Zoning Law, the Mitigation Fee Act, the State Elections Code, eminent domain proceedings, and other land use statutes and ordinances. He regularly appears before city councils, county boards of supervisors, planning commissions, and LAFCOs, and litigates related matters in trial courts and courts of appeal. He is attorney of record on several reported appellate decisions. A selection of his representative experience is provided below.
Assisting with development entitlements and CEQA compliance for residential subdivisions and specific plans (various cities and counties including Stockton, Atwater, Merced, Shasta Lake City, Lathrop, Mountain House), auto dealerships (Stockton), mixed use and commercial development projects (various cities and counties including Fresno, Stockton, Manteca, Lodi, and Mariposa), a high-tech silicon wafer manufacturer (Tracy), waste processing/recycling facilities (Stockton, Tracy, Stanislaus County), and agricultural processing facilities (San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties).
Representing the University of the Pacific (Stockton) regarding various land use and environmental matters.
Representing a publicly traded provider of correctional, detention, and community reentry services on California land use matters, including securing development entitlements, zoning determinations, and public and private leases for the operation of reentry facilities under contract with Federal, State, and local corrections authorities.
Defending administrative and court challenges to land uses such as residential subdivisions (various cities and counties), a rendering plant (Stockton), a dairy (Madera County), irrigation district dredging activities (San Joaquin County), and the 2035 Stockton General Plan.
Representing 7-time American Motorcycle Association Supercross champion, X-Games Gold Medalist, and Lucas Oil Off-Road Series competitor Jeremy McGrath in defeating lawsuit seeking to prevent client’s use of his property for off-road recreation.
Intervening in proceedings before California Public Utilities Commission to oppose SDG&E Sunrise Powerlink Project route that would have bisected client’s rural San Diego County ranch, resulting in re-alignment of route to avoid client’s property.
Opposing various big box and supercenter development projects in communities such as American Canyon, Antioch, Bakersfield, Ceres, Chico, Clovis, Elk Grove, Lodi, Milpitas, Selma, and Sonora.
Drafting and negotiating various real estate sale and lease agreements for agricultural, commercial, and government properties on behalf of buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants.
Mr. Jolley received a B.A. in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he earned Dean’s Honors and raced for the UCSB Alpine Ski Team. He received his law degree from the University of Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento where he was awarded the Honors at Entrance Scholarship. Between college and law school Mr. Jolley worked for Senator Patrick Johnston (Stockton) in the State Capitol — which bolstered his interest in public policy, the legislative process, and issues affecting the Central Valley, Bay/Delta, and Sierras. During law school, Mr. Jolley interned with two State regulatory agencies: The cabinet-level California Resources Agency (where he assisted in the rulemaking process on 1998 revisions to the CEQA Guidelines) and the Office of the Chief Counsel at the California Integrated Waste Management Board (now called the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery or “CalRecycle.”)
