Eminent Domain

Kronick’s eminent domain practice offers equally experienced counsel for public agencies and private property owners on both sides of eminent domain proceedings. Our attorneys provide guidance through all steps of property acquisition, whether you are advancing a project or responding to property condemnation. We also assemble expert support teams of appraisers, engineers, and environmental consultants to support your claims.


Public Agencies

Kronick’s eminent domain experience dates to our work in the 1960s on the California State Water Project (SWP) and Lake Oroville development. We counsel cities and counties as well as special and school districts on public projects requiring the acquisition of multiple parcels of agricultural land, industrial space, and residential and commercial parcels for transportation, flood control, water supply, and public building projects, including schools and highways.

We advise our public agency clients through the acquisition process, including project planning, site selection, pre-acquisition appraisals, Resolutions of Necessity, and purchase negotiations. While we work to avoid litigation, our team’s strong eminent domain litigation experience includes defending against right-to-take challenges and inverse condemnation claims, obtaining possession before judgment, and litigating just compensation for losses of both actual property and business goodwill.


Private Landowners and Business Owners

Kronick’s eminent domain work also includes protecting the property rights of individuals, families, and businesses whose properties are targeted for acquisition. We offer counsel throughout the precondemnation process to maximize initial compensation offers and minimize property and business impacts. We also work with landowners asserting inverse condemnation claims, including claims relating to flood damage.

During this process, we partner with residential and business relocation experts as well as real estate and business appraisers to ensure our clients understand and receive the compensation and relocation benefits to which they are entitled by law. When purchase offers are unacceptable to our clients, we employ our skilled litigation team to obtain just compensation. As many of our attorneys have public agency experience, we also offer informed counsel on when challenges to property acquisition may be unsuccessful.



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