Allen Matkins Expands its Renowned Environmental Group with Addition of Partner Stuart I. Block

SAN FRANCISCO – September 7, 2023 – Allen Matkins announced today that Stuart I. Block has joined the firm as a partner in its Land Use, Environmental, and Natural Resources Group, in the firm's San Francisco office. Stuart will serve as co-leader of the firm’s Contaminated Sites Practice.

Stuart is an award-winning environmental lawyer with more than 30 years of experience assisting clients with the redevelopment and management of contaminated sites throughout California. He provides strategic guidance and legal counsel to commercial developers, homebuilders, manufacturers, municipalities, property owners, trade groups, and technology companies on a wide variety of environmental issues.

After 21 years of practice at two law firms known for their environmental work, Stuart co-founded and led Stice & Block LLP, an environmental and real estate firm in Oakland, CA. Allen Matkins provides a platform that will enable Stuart to expand his environmental practice even further with support from the firm’s broad and deep bench of nationally-renowned real estate, environmental, and land use lawyers.

Stuart has advised clients on matters involving hundreds of contaminated sites, including former industrial facilities, shopping centers, gas stations, dry cleaners, farmland, rail yards, landfills, and military bases, and he remains active in legislative efforts to facilitate urban redevelopment. His experience includes real estate due diligence, redevelopment, site cleanup, environmental insurance, project permitting, environmental regulatory issues, and California’s Prop 65. As co-leader of the firm’s Contaminated Sites Practice, Stuart will represent clients in matters involving the acquisition/disposition, redevelopment, and management of contaminated properties. He will also assist clients with meeting federal and state regulatory requirements for the management, disposal and cleanup of solid and hazardous wastes, substances, and materials.

“Stuart’s broad-based environmental experience fits perfectly with Allen Matkins’ efforts to build the next generation of our environmental practice, and we are excited to have him join our team,” said Allen Matkins partner Kamran Javandel, co-chair of the firm’s Land Use, Environmental and Natural Resources group. “We have been fortunate to have worked collaboratively with Stuart on many matters over the years.  His practical and strategic approach to solving problems has served his clients well, and will help to build upon Allen Matkins’ client base.” 

Stuart has served as an elected member of the Executive Committees of the Environmental Law Section of the State Bar of California, the Bar Association of San Francisco, and the Alameda County Bar Association. He is a past Chair of the Barristers Club Committee on Environmental and Real Estate Law and has served on the Government Affairs Committee of the Building Industry Association of the Bay Area. In addition, Stuart was appointed by the Director of the California Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to serve as a member of DTSC’s Brownfield Revitalization Advisory Group. In 2018, 2021, and 2024, Stuart was recognized by Best Lawyers as Lawyer of the Year in Environmental Law for the region including Oakland, California.

Stuart earned his J.D. from the UCLA School of Law, where he served as articles editor of the UCLA Journal of Environmental Law and Policy. He received a B.A., with honors, in Human Biology from Stanford University.

About Allen Matkins

Allen Matkins, a law firm with more than 250 attorneys, was founded with deep roots in real estate and has leveraged that foundation to grow and build prominent litigation, corporate, tax, labor and employment, land use, and environmental practices allowing us to partner with clients across myriad industries and markets. For more than 45 years, Allen Matkins has worked with clients drawn to us by our reputation for market leading solutions, pragmatism, exemplary quality, approachability, and our unparalleled network of contacts and connections in business and government. For more information about Allen Matkins please visit www.allenmatkins.com.