Our Team

Attorneys

Mr. Bornholdt is an attorney of-counsel with the firm who has been in practice for more than 35 years. He represents primarily landowners and developers, as well as public agencies in the areas of real estate, land use and environmental law.

Legal Experience

Mr. Bornholdt’s vast legal background representing both public and private sector clients enables him to provide practical and insightful representation on a broad range of transactional, land use and environmental issues. His experience working as an attorney representing the County of Los Angeles has provided valuable insight into how public agencies operate and make decisions from the inside. His experience as general counsel of Bixby Ranch Company, a privately held, diversified real estate company, has given him broad exposure to diverse real estate interests, projects and land use issues in the coastal zone and elsewhere in California from the client’s perspective.

His representation over the past 15 years of owners of large and small ranches and farms in the tri-county area of the Central Coast has provided him with in-depth experience dealing with landowner real estate issues in small and large transactions. Additionally, through his extensive experience representing developers of large projects in the Central Coast and around airports throughout California, he has gained invaluable expertise dealing with land use, transactional and environmental law issues. His specific areas of expertise include:

• Application of federal, state and local regulations relating to land use and environmental law issues, including:
  • California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
  • National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
  • Endangered Species Acts (Federal and State)
• Military and civilian airport land use, including working with Federal Aviation Administration, California Department of Transportation and local airport land use plans and airport land use commissions
• Representation of landowners, including general representation in connection with business operations, governmental regulations, adjoining landowner, lender and user issues
• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating a wide variety of real estate deeds, contracts and agreements, including:
  • Licenses
  • Permits
  • Private easements
  • Open space and agricultural easements
  • Purchase and sale agreements

Professional Activities & Affiliations

Mr. Bornholdt’s professional activities and affiliations include:

• Member, California State Bar Association
• Member, San Luis Obispo County Bar Association
• Member, Government Relations Committee of Home Builders Association of the Central Coast (2000-present)
• Director, Home Builders Association of the Central Coast (1994-2003)
• Director, Advisory Board to Institute of Corporate Counsel in Los Angeles (1984-1992)

Academic Background

B.S. University of the Pacific, 1965
J.D. University of California, Hastings College of Law, 1968