DEREK HOFFMAN

Derek Hoffman is a seasoned water resources attorney and a director in our Natural Resources practice group. He has represented clients in some of the largest and most complex groundwater basin adjudications in California, including the Antelope Valley, Mojave Basin Area, and the Indian Wells Valley. His practice includes guiding clients through the implementation of California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), and other state and federal natural resources laws. He assists clients in developing and implementing effective strategies to obtain, maintain, protect and transfer water rights and supplies. He also practices in the areas of business and real estate.

He enjoys the complex and ever-changing nature of water law, including its deep-rooted role in California’s history and its future. He finds creative and pragmatic solutions for his clients’ water supply needs, which often comprises an essential component to their business operations.

Derek is also an active member of the California water law community. He speaks and writes frequently on water-related topics. He is an Editorial Board Member and author for the California Water Law & Policy Reporter. He is a member of the Groundwater Resources Association of California and serves as Secretary-Treasurer for the CalWaterPAC.

Outside of the office, Derek and his wife are blessed with four children, and their lives are a whirlwind of attending and coaching youth sports teams, piano recitals and everything in between. Derek also enjoys the many year-round outdoor activities that California uniquely offers, including snowboarding, wakeboarding, wake-surfing, mountain biking and hiking. He also plays soccer once a week in an adult league.

OTHER EXPERIENCE

• Water Law

• Speaker, “California Water Law & Policy Conference, Indian Wells Valley: A Case Study of Complex Groundwater Management and Adjudication Issues in the SGMA Era,” 2021
• Speaker, “California Water Law & Policy Conference, The Price of Water? Water and the Nasdaq”, 2019
• Speaker, California Water Law & Policy Conference, 2018
• Speaker, California Water Law & Policy Conference, 2017
• Speaker, California Water Law & Policy Conference, 2016
• Speaker, “Water Rights in California,” National Business Institute

• California Water Law & Policy Reporter
• Groundwater Resources Association of California, Inland Empire Branch
• CalMutuals
• CalWaterPAC
• Groundwater Resources Association of California
• California Association of Realtors, Legal Affairs Forum
• Riverside County Bar Association
• San Bernardino County Bar Association
• Reuben Clark Law Society

• California