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Kristen Ditlevsen Renfro
Rated by Super Lawyers
loading … (916) 443-2051
Practice Areas: Admitted: Member Of: State Bar of California Capitol City Trial Lawyers Association Condemnation Attorneys Group Women Lawyers of Sacramento California Conference of Bar Associations Sacramento Valley Bankruptcy Forum Born: Education: B.A. (2005) |
Kristen Renfro Partner AREAS OF PRACTICE Eminent Domain and Inverse Condemnation Ms. Renfro is a partner at DNLC. Her primary area of practice is condemnation law, handling all aspects of eminent domain and inverse condemnation matters, including physical and regulatory takings claims, claims for loss of business goodwill, residential and business relocation, and pre-condemnation damages. She counsels clients from the earliest stages of condemnation proceedings, assisting in obtaining independent appraisals, negotiating the scope of proposed takings and terms of entry agreements, and evaluating potential challenges to the government’s right to take. She appears on her clients’ behalf at hearings to object to the adoption of resolutions of necessity and handles all stages of condemnation litigation, including appellate proceedings. Ms. Renfro has handled a wide variety of direct condemnation matters, including for partial fee and permanent and temporary easement takings, which often present complex valuation issues. Her cases have involved road and highway widening and realignment, power and other utility line construction and relocation, flood control improvements, redevelopment, and the High-Speed Rail Project. She has represented clients against utility companies like PG&E and SMUD, state agencies, including Caltrans and the Department of Water Resources, cities and counties throughout Northern California and the Central and San Joaquin Valleys, flood control agencies, school districts, and local transportation agencies. Civil Litigation and Bankruptcy Ms. Renfro also represents clients in other civil litigation, including quiet title and declaratory relief actions, with a focus on disputes concerning real property, such as easement disputes and rights acquired by prescriptive use or adverse possession. She has handled cases in the California Superior Courts in Sacramento, Yolo, Solano, Sonoma, Yuba, Sutter, El Dorado, Placer, Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Calaveras, Nevada, Fresno, Butte, Glenn, Lake, and Amador counties. Additionally, she has represented clients in the United States District Courts for the Northern and Eastern Districts, and in proceedings in the Bankruptcy Courts of the Northern and Eastern Districts, in cases involving disputed proofs of claim, stay violations, claims for turnover, and allegations of fraudulent transfer and defalcation. Appellate Practice Ms. Renfro has represented clients in a variety of appellate proceedings in both state and federal courts, including the Third District Court of Appeal, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the Ninth Circuit. Noteworthy successful appeals include San Joaquin Regional Transit District v. Superior Court of San Joaquin County (2020) 59 Cal.App.5th 39, Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency v. Souza (Cal. Ct. App., Sept. 7, 2017, No. C074052) 2017 WL 3910228, and Bos v. Board of Trustees (9th Cir. 2015) 795 F.3d 1006. Education, Bar Admissions, and Past Experience Ms. Renfro received her undergraduate degree in Sociology, with a Minor in Professional Writing, from the University of California Santa Barbara, where she graduated in 2005. She received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco (“UC Law SF”; formerly University of California Hastings College of the Law) in 2008 and was admitted to the State Bar of California the same year. She is also admitted to practice in the United States District Courts and Bankruptcy Courts of the Northern and Eastern Districts of California, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Prior to joining DNLC, Ms. Renfro served as an extern to Federal District Court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel, was a teaching assistant in the UC Law SF Legal Writing & Research Department, and clerked for the Berkeley City Attorney’s Office. She also participated in the UC Law SF Moot Court program. Professional Affiliations, Legislative Engagement, and Educational Presentations Ms. Renfro has served on the Board of Directors of the Sacramento Valley Bankruptcy Forum since April 2021, and as the Vice President of the Board since April of 2022. In addition to advocating for her clients in the courtroom, Ms. Renfro has been a delegate of the non-profit legislative group California Conference of Bar Associations, which works to advance and improve California law through promotion of legislative remedies, serving on the Real Property & Probate and Civil Procedure Subcommittees for the Sacramento County Bar Association. She regularly tracks bills under consideration by the California Legislature that would impact condemnation law and property owner rights and has submitted opposition to ill-conceived proposals. Ms. Renfro regularly attends and presents at educational meetings and professional conferences. Notable speaking engagements include:
Professional Recognition From 2018 – present, Ms. Renfro has been selected by the “Super Lawyer” rating service to its list of Northern California Rising Stars, based on peer nomination and evaluation and professional achievement.
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