Ward Benshoof is a trial lawyer who has specialized in environmental litigation for nearly 30 years. He represents plaintiffs on challenges under the major federal and state environmental statutes such as the Coastal Zone Management Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air Act, and California’s Porter-Cologne Act, as well as defendants on civil penalty actions under state and federal environmental statutes, hazardous waste litigation under CERCLA and RCRA, toxic tort actions arising from environmental releases and challenges under the California Environmental Quality Act.

Ward has been active in the development of environmental law in California and currently is closely involved in the implementation of California’s Green Chemistry Initiative. He also presently serves on the External Advisory Council to the Director of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, and has been a regular panelist at the California Air Resources Board’s annual Enforcement Symposium.

Ward graduated from New York University School of Law in 1972, where he was a member of the board of editors of the Law Review. In 1984, Ward, with four other partners, formed the Weston, Benshoof firm. In 2012, he was named by Chambers USA as one of the “highly regarded” environmental lawyers in California, and in 2004 Chambers named Ward as one of the leading attorneys in the nation for water quality litigation.