Nossaman


Nossaman LLP is a national law firm with 170 attorneys and policy advisors located in eight offices throughout the United States. The Firm focuses on distinct areas of law and policy, as well as in specific industries, ranging from transportation, healthcare, and financial services to real estate development, water, and government. Clients of the firm include multinational corporations, public agencies, private businesses, trade associations, nonprofits, and individuals. E. George Joseph serves as Nossaman's managing partner.
The firm was founded in 1942 in Los Angeles by Walter L. Nossaman. As a result of several mergers and acquisitions, the firm's name has morphed throughout the years. In 2008, Nossaman merged with the Washington, D.C. law firm O'Connor & Hannan and shortened its name from Nossaman Guthner Knox & Elliott.
Chambers and Partners continually recognizes Nossaman's Eminent Domain, Environment & Land Use, Healthcare, and Infrastructure Practice Groups in its guide to top law firms in the U.S. Nossaman has also been named to Law360's lists of the "100 Best Law Firms for Minority Attorneys" three times and “Best Law Firms For Female Attorneys” three times and ranked in the top quarter of law firms on the National Law Journal’s “500 Women’s Scorecard.” Nossaman has also been recognized for the past two years as one of the “Best Midsize Law Firms For Diversity” by Vault.
Nossaman’s Litigation Department was recognized by BTI Consulting as one of the "Most Feared Litigation Firms” in its 2019 Litigation Outlook report. According to BTI, Nossaman was one of 37 law firms that general counsel view as highly competent litigators, and that they least wish to see on the other side of the table. Law360 has named Nossaman's Infrastructure Practice Group a "Transportation Practice Group of the Year" for the past four years and a "Project Finance Practice Group of the Year" three out of the last four years. Nossaman's Environment and Land Use Practice Group has also been recognized twice by Law360 as an “Environmental Practice Group of the Year.”
Nossaman is a member of The Bridge Group, a non-exclusive network of law firms in the United States and Europe that offers expanded geographic reach and depth of experience to clients, including the resources and expertise of more than 1,500 legal professionals in numerous cities around the world.

Key practice areas and industries

  • Corporate
  • Eminent Domain and Valuation
  • Employment
  • Environment and Land Use
  • Financial Services and Bankruptcy
  • Healthcare
  • Infrastructure
  • Insurance Recovery and Counseling
  • Intellectual Property and Media
  • Litigation
  • Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Protection
  • Public Pensions and Investments
  • Public Policy
  • Real Estate
  • Water

    Notable people

Robert M. Adler is known for his successful defense of Gerald Lankford, a former director of human resources at Tyson Foods, in a seven-week criminal trial brought against Tyson Foods and a number of its employees for allegedly hiring workers know to be undocumented immigrants. The National Law Journal named the acquittal the biggest defense win of the year.
Edward V.A. Kussy is a current partner at Nossaman in Washington, DC and the former chief deputy counsel to the Federal Highway Administration.
Kurt W. Melchior was inducted into the California Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame in 2004. He is a Nossaman Partner and serves as the Firm's General Counsel.
Bonnie Neely was a six-term Humboldt County Supervisor and a 12-year member of the California Coastal Commission. She served on the Commission — which she chaired in 2009 and 2010 — as a governor's appointee. She is currently a senior policy advisor at Nossaman.
Lloyd Pellman served as County Counsel of Los Angeles County for 31 years. He is a partner in Nossaman's Los Angeles office.
Robert D. Thornton pioneered the Habitat Conservation Plan concept creating the first such plan for the area around San Bruno Mountain. He authored and advocated the HCP provisions of the Endangered Species Act. Since 2006, Mr. Thornton has been ranked as one of the top 10 environmental lawyers nationally by United States Lawyer Rankings. He is a partner at Nossaman and located in Orange County.
Geoffrey S. Yarema was appointed in 2007 by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters to the National Surface Transportation Financing Commission and contributed to the recently enacted Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, a measure to reauthorize transportation funding through the end of 2014. Signed into law by President Obama on July 6, 2012 and funding surface transportation programs at over $105 billion for fiscal years 2013 and 2014, MAP-21 is the first long-term highway authorization enacted since 2005.

Notable alumni

Dick Ackerman is former California Senate Republican leader. He left office in mid-2008 after reaching his term limit.
William T. Bagley is a former California state assemblymember representing Marin. A Segment of the California 101 is named the "William T. Bagley" Freeway.
Charles Calderon is a former Majority Leader of the California State Assembly as well as the California State Senate.
John F. Foran was a former California state senator and assemblymember. A segment of the California I-280 freeway is named after John F. Foran for his service to the California Transportation Commission.
Karen J. Hedlund was appointed Deputy Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration in November 2011, having previously served as Chief Counsel at FRA. She also served as Federal Highway Administration Chief Counsel where she helped implement the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
George J. Hochbrueckner is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
John T. Knox was a former California state assemblymember and speaker pro tempore. He authored the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975. A segment of the California I-580 is named the John T. Knox Freeway.
Linda Morgan was appointed Chairman of the former Interstate Commerce Commission by President Clinton in 1995. The ICC became the Surface Transportation Board in 1996. In 1999, the Senate confirmed Ms. Morgan for a second term, and in 2001, President Bush asked for her continued service as Chairman until he designated a new Chairman in December 2002.
Richard Riordan is the former mayor of Los Angeles. He also co-founded The Riordan Programs at UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Jose J. Solorio is a former California State Assemblyman and Santa Ana City Councilmember. While in the Legislature, he chaired the Assembly's Insurance and Public Safety committees, and also served on the Transportation, Appropriations and Education committees. In addition, he chaired the Assembly's Select Committee on Addressing the State's Water Crisis through Regional Approaches.
James Symington is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives. In March 2008 he received Russia's Order of Friendship, the highest award available to a non-citizen.
Robert S. Thompson is a former associate justice of the California Court of Appeal.
Ann Veneman is the former executive director of UNICEF and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
Laughlin E. Waters is a former California state assemblymember, served as U.S. attorney for the Central District and served as a U.S. district court judge.

Offices

  • Los Angeles
  • San Francisco
  • Orange County
  • Sacramento
  • San Diego
  • Washington, DC
  • Austin
  • Seattle