Russell E. Morse
Overview
Russell Morse is a Principal in Meyers Nave’s Land Use, Environmental Law, and Real Estate Practice Groups. His practice focuses on real estate transactions, land use entitlement, and environmental review permitting.
Russell negotiates, prepares, and reviews acquisition and disposition agreements for public entities and private investors, lease documents (including ground leases), and licenses, tailoring his advice to the nuances of the particular client and deal.
He also advises clients and litigates complex matters involving local planning, zoning, historic preservation, and cultural resources regulations, as well as state and federal land use and environmental laws, including the California Environmental Quality Act Surplus Land Act, and the Subdivision Map Act.
Russell has represented clients in many large and controversial residential, commercial, industrial, and mixed-use land use and development projects in California, and has helped shepherd a vast scope of smaller projects through the matrix of entitlement laws. His comprehensive expertise covers all phases of development projects, including initial planning and zoning review, real estate acquisition and disposition, public entity review and approval, and CEQA-related litigation defense.
Representative Experience
- Represent Riverside County University Health Systems (RUHS) as outside Real Estate and Land Use Counsel with the Mead Valley Wellness Village Project, a $250 million behavioral health facility, with real estate services (ground lease, facilities lease, development agreement with P3 partner) and land use/environmental legal services (CEQA review and processing of project).
- Represent Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) with negotiation and preparation of ground leases and rooftop leases and licenses for installation of photovoltaic solar panels at Van Nuys Airport.
- Negotiated a lease for the development and operation of vehicle EV charging stations at LAX
- Served as City of Anaheim outside real estate litigation counsel related to proposed Angel Stadium property sale.
- Represent Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority on land use permitting and real estate issues for the Diridon multi-modal transportation hub and the Capitol TOD mixed use project in the City of San Jose.
- Assisted with property acquisition and simultaneous negotiation and preparation of a retail leases for a $13,000,000 commercial real estate purchase in the City of Pasadena.
- Represents a Los-Angeles based real estate investment firm in negotiation and preparation of dozens of commercial lease agreements for tens of thousands of square feet throughout Los Angeles County.
- Facilitated purchase of $9,000,000 commercial office building in the City of Burbank and prepare commercial office leases for 15+ tenants at the Property.
- Negotiation and preparation of commercial office lease for State Farm franchisees in City of Los Angeles.
- Facilitated purchase of commercial office building in the City of Los Angeles for $10,000,000.
Honors and Awards
- Top Real Estate and Development Lawyers, Daily Journal (2025)
Presentations and Publications
- Panelist, “Housing Law: Significant Legislative Updates, CEQA Mid-Year Case Law Update” – County Counsels’ Association of California, Land Use Study Section, Spring 2026 Land Use Conference (April 30, 2026)
- Author, “New CEQA Reform Law under AB 130 and SB 131: Benefits for Housing Developers,” Meyers Nave Client Alert, August 1, 2025
- Panelist, “Housing Law: Legislative Updates, ADUs, Builder’s Remedy, Housing in the Coastal Zone, and SCOTUS Decision in Grant’s Pass v. Johnson,” County Counsels’ Association of California, Land Use Study Section, Spring 2025 Meeting, May 1, 2025
- Co-Author, “Governor Newsom’s Emergency Proclamation Fast-Tracks Wildfire Prevention Projects,” Meyers Nave Client Alert, March 1, 2025
- Author, “Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Issues Executive Order to Expedite Home Rebuilding After Devastating Fires,” Meyers Nave Client Alert, January 15, 2025
- Author, “Governor Newsom’s Executive Order on Wildfire Recovery – CEQA Suspension and Key Provisions,” Meyers Nave Client Alert, January 14, 2025
- Presenter, “Coastal Regs/Prop 20 at 50,” California Lawyers Association Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite, October 19, 2023
- Presenter, “The Builder’s Remedy for Housing: What Agencies, Developers, and Advocates Should Know,” Meyers Nave webinar, April 12, 2023
- Author, “California extends eviction moratorium and approves rental assistance,” Daily Journal, February 11, 2021
- Author, “Eviction Moratorium and Rental Assistance Update: SB 91 Enacts Changes for Landlords and Tenants,” Meyers Nave Client Alert, February 11, 2021
- Presenter, “COVID-19 Landlord-Tenant Law Update: Commercial & Residential Evictions, Moratoria and Litigation,” Real Property Law Section of the Sacramento County Bar Association webinar, December 17, 2020
- Presenter, “COVID-19 Landlord-Tenant Law Update: Commercial & Residential Evictions, Moratoria and Litigation,” Real Estate Sections of the Orange County and Los Angeles County Bar Associations webinar, October 27, 2020
- Update Coauthor, California Land Use Practice, Chapter 13, CEB, 2020
- Author, “Legislature steps in after Judicial Council removes statewide eviction ban,” Daily Journal, September 2, 2020
- Author, “Newsom Signs AB 3088 Into Law: Extends Protections Against Evictions,” Meyers Nave Client Alert, September 2, 2020 (also published on CEB’s Current Awareness Research Platform)
- Author, “New Orders, Ordinances and Legislation Address Financial Impact of COVID-19 on Commercial and Residential Tenants and Landlords,” Meyers Nave Client Alert, June 18, 2020
- Author, “Tenants, Landlords Face a Patchwork of COVID-19 Related Laws,” Daily Journal, June 17, 2020
- Author, “If You Fail, Try, Try Again: The Fate of New Legislation Curbing Minors’ Access to Violent and Sexually Explicit Video Games,” Loyola Law School Entertainment Law Review, vol. 26, Issue I
Affiliations
- Membership Committee, Urban Land Institute
- Cabinet Member, Real Estate Construction Group–Jewish Federation Los Angeles
- Member, State Bar of California
Education
- Loyola Law School, Los AngelesJD, 2007
- University of California at Los AngelesBA, Political Science and Anthropology, cum laude, 2001