California Housing, Land Use & Municipal Law
California cities can be a maze of bureaucratic red tape, made harder still at a time when Sacramento keeps passing legislation that cities won't or can't implement. Finding your way through local regulation takes someone who has spent fifteen years on both sides of the counter.
photo by Stephen TexeiraIntroduction
Brendan Darrow is a seasoned litigation attorney who leverages his experience working inside city government to deliver strategic, results-oriented representation. As the former Assistant City Attorney for the City of Berkeley, Bren possesses a rare, behind-the-scenes understanding of how local governments operate, regulate, and litigate. Today, he uses that perspective to help his clients anticipate regulatory hurdles and resolve disputes efficiently and effectively.
Bren's practice focuses on housing regulation and construction. He routinely guides clients through challenging land use and permitting processes, and forcefully advocates for them in disputes over permit denials, contractor liability, and landlord-tenant issues. Whether you are negotiating with a local agency, seeking accountability for defective work or overcharges, or trying to understand rent control, Bren's priority is clear, strategic guidance focused on your objectives.
Primary Practice Areas
Guiding property owners through complex permitting processes, regulatory hurdles, and land use disputes, including ADU exemptions, new state pro-housing mandates, and writs of mandate to overturn unlawful decisions.
Learn more →Representation in construction defect, contractor delay, and change-order disputes, drawing on years litigating defects in major public works projects.
Learn more →Resolving intricate and high-conflict residential leasing disputes, from a lawyer who has advised a rent board, a city council, and thousands of tenants.
Learn more →Advising and litigating matters involving open meetings rules, the California Public Records Act, and local compliance with state mandates.
Learn more →Advising and litigating compliance with Proposition 218 and Proposition 26, which impose constitutional limits on how local governments adopt fees and on their amount.
Learn more →Sensitive civil matters involving police liability and local compliance with police accountability laws, informed by years advising a police department and its oversight board.
Learn more →The Inside Perspective
Bren drafted amendments to Berkeley's Demolition and Accessory Dwelling Unit ordinances and advised its Planning and Development Department, including Building & Safety.
City councils, rent board commissioners, planning staff, and department heads each respond to different arguments and different records. Bren has sat in those rooms.
Having overseen a city's entire litigation portfolio, including construction defect claims on major public works, he knows how an agency evaluates and defends a case.
Background at a Glance
Bren habla español con fluidez y atiende consultas en español. Bren is fluent in spoken and written Spanish and handles consultations in Spanish.
Get in Touch
Initial conversations are straightforward: what happened, what you want to accomplish, and whether this is a matter worth pursuing.