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Ian Forrest
Of Counsel
Ian leverages over 25 years of experience navigating diverse and unique regulatory challenges in support of a wide range of development projects and matters, including the development of real estate, renewable energy and infrastructure, regulatory compliance, as well as administrative and environmental litigation.
As a former environmental consultant, Ian facilitated the permitting and implementation of over 60 public and private development projects, including utility lines and corridors, rail, rapid urban transit, energy capacity and infrastructure, mixed-use residential and water quality enhancement. Ian also served as a technical point of contact and public spokesperson, representing client interests before the media and in environmental negotiations with community groups, local municipalities, and regulators.
Most recently, Ian provided a variety of strategic, legal, risk management and business advisory services in his role as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel for Google Development Ventures, a joint venture between Lendlease Americas, Inc. and Google LLC. Prior to that, Ian served as a Senior Attorney with Southern California Edison Company (SCE), where he was regulatory counsel for the successful entitlement, defense, and development of over $3.5 billion of energy infrastructure projects. While at SCE, Ian also served as the Decommissioning Environmental Affairs Manager for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS).
Ian is a frequent lecturer regarding renewable energy development, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and climate change legislation and policy.
