Stephen L. Kostka
- San Francisco
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Steve, a member of Perkins Coie's Environment, Energy & Resources practice, represents clients that need federal, state and local agency permits and approvals for development projects.
Steve Kostka counsels public agencies and other clients on compliance with CEQA, NEPA and other environmental and land use laws.
Considered one of California's foremost environmental and land use litigators, Steve's practice also focuses or representing clients in trial and appellate courts throughout the state in cases brought under CEQA, NEPA, state water laws, federal and state clean air, clean water and endangered species acts, the Subdivision Map Act, and the Planning and Zoning Law.
Projects and cases Steve has worked on include development plans for colleges and universities, military base reuse plans, maritime terminal and airport expansion plans, water supply programs, general and specific plans, wastewater treatment plants, reservoirs, thermal power and cogeneration plants, vineyards and wineries, medical research facilities, aggregate and hard rock mines, industrial parks, as well as office, retail, housing and mixed use developments.
Steve is coauthor of Practice Under the California Environmental Quality Act, a two-volume treatise, now in its 21st year of publication, that practitioners, planners, environmental professionals and the courts rely on as the leading authority on the interpretation and application of CEQA.
He also regularly speaks at conferences and teaches classes on CEQA, land use law and environmental law for organizations such as California Continuing Education of the Bar, League of California Cities, University of California Extension, State Bar Environmental Law Section, Association of Bay Area Governments and the Association of Environmental Professionals.
Areas of focus
Education & Credentials
Education
- UC Berkeley School of Law, J.D., Editor-in-Chief, California Law Review, 1973
Bar and Court Admissions
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California
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
Related Employment
- Bingham McCutchen LLP, San Francisco, CA, Partner
Professional Recognition
Named the Best Lawyers' San Francisco "Lawyer of the Year" for Land Use and Zoning Law, 2016, 2018; Litigation - Land Use and Zoning, 2014; Litigation – Environmental, 2019
Listed in The Best Lawyers in America 2007-2021: Appellate Practice; Environmental Law; Land Use & Zoning Law; Environmental Litigation; and Land Use & Zoning Litigation
Selected by American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell as a 2013 Top Rated Lawyer for Energy Law, Environmental Law, Land Use Law and Real Estate Law
BTI Client Service All-Stars: recognized by corporate counsel as among the leading environmental lawyers in the nation in client service excellence.
Listed in Super Lawyers, Northern California 2004-2020; one of the top 100 Northern California lawyers, 2008-2009
California Continuing Education of the Bar: 2014 recipient of "Spirit of CEB Award"