2025-’26 ACWA CLE Virtual Workshop Speakers – November 3 Sep 13, 2024 SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES ACWA appreciates the 2025-’26 ACWA CLE Virtual Workshop Series speakers for sharing their time, expertise and insights on these topics. NOVEMBER 3 (11:30 AM – 1:00 PM) Contract Drafting for Water Lawyers: Agreement Fundamentals 2025 ACWA Legal Affairs Committee Chair: Jessica L. Diaz, Shareholder, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP Biography Jessica Diaz is a shareholder in the water practice group at the law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, working from the firm’s Santa Barbara office. Jessica is the Chair of the ACWA Legal Affairs Committee and serves on the ACWA Board of Directors. Her legal practice encompasses challenging legal questions and guiding clients through uncertain terrain in the areas of water supply and land use in California. She also has experience with large, high-stakes real estate transactions related to water and assisting institutional corporate clients with niche water projects. She helps public water suppliers, landowners, and corporate clients navigate issues related to common law water rights, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, water diversion regulations, the California Environmental Quality Act, State Water Resources Control Board proceedings, mutual water companies, land use law, easements, takings challenges, well sharing agreements and disputes, government organization issues, and emerging legal questions faced by developers, water providers and water users. Prior to her legal career, Jessica worked in both state and local government, informing her ability to advocate for the needs of public agency clients as well as private entities in the public agency sphere. Panelists: Claire H. Collins, Partner, Hanson Bridgett LLP Biography Claire Collins is a partner at Hanson Bridgett LLP. She serves as General Counsel to Irvine Ranch Water District, Trabuco Canyon Water District, Vallejo Flood & Wastewater District, and the Paso Robles Area Groundwater Authority, and as special counsel to a variety of other agencies across California on issues of public revenues, real estate, joint powers authorities, and ethics. Her biggest contracting pet peeves are the passive voice and the use of archaic terms like “witnesseth”, “hereinbefore”, and “wherein.” Jessica S. Johnson, Associate, Baker Manock & Jensen, PC Biography Jessica Johnson is an associate at Baker Manock & Jensen. She provides general counsel services to public agencies and nonprofits in the Central Valley. Jessi assists her clients with contracting, CEQA, land use, ethics and a host of other matters affecting local public agencies and entities providing a variety of water services. She is very peeved when the contracting parties are not defined as legally organized entities in the contract preamble. Scott Shapiro, Partner, Downey Brand Biography Scott Shapiro is a partner at the Sacramento based firm of Downey Brand. Scott provided general and special counsel services to a variety of water and flood agencies in California covering all of the various services provided by counsel. He gets particularly annoyed when people try to put operative provisions in the recitals.
