Menu
Emily L. Brough represents clients in complex land use and real estate matters, with particular expertise in navigating California's evolving housing and environmental regulations. Her practice encompasses land use litigation, writs and appeals, and challenges to local ordinances and administrative decisions.
Emily has substantial proficiency in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) matters and strategically leverages California's pro-housing legislation, including the Housing Accountability Act, Housing Crisis Act, Density Bonus Law, and ADU laws, to secure favorable project approvals and negotiate optimal development outcomes for her clients.
An East Coast native who has called the Bay Area home for over two decades, Emily is a Californian at heart. She currently resides in Santa Cruz County with her family, and enjoys cycling, hiking, beaching, and supporting local artists.
Areas of Practice
- Real Estate Litigation
- Writs & Appeals
- Administrative Law
- Land Use Disputes
- Environmental Litigation
- Property Rights
Bar Admissions
- California
- U.S. District Court Northern District of California
- U.S. Supreme Court
Education
- University of San Francisco School of Law, San Francisco, California
- J.D. – 2012
- Honors: cum laude
- Honors: CALI Awards in Community Property, Evidence, and eDiscovery
- Honors: Moot Court, Best Opposition Brief, 2010
- Honors: Judge John R. Brown National Appellate Advocacy Competition, 2nd Best Brief, 2011
Representative Cases
- Coyne v. City and County of San Francisco, Nos. A145044, A146569, 2016 WL 455483 (Cal. Ct. App., Feb. 23, 2016)
- Small Property Owners of San Francisco Institute v. City and County of San Francisco (2018) 22 Cal.App.5th 77
- Kaileh v. San Francisco Residential Rent Stabilization and Arbitration Board, No. A156704, 2020 WL 7640297 (Cal. Ct. App., Dec. 22, 2020)
- Hilaly v. Allen (2019) 36 Cal.App.5th Supp. 12
- Owens v. City and County of San Francisco, No. A157981, 2021 WL 402411 (Cal. Ct. App., Feb. 5, 2021)
- California Renters Legal Advocacy & Education Fund v. City of San Mateo (2021) 68 Cal.App.5th 820
- Reznitskiy v. County of Marin (2022) 79 Cal.App.5th 1016
- San Francisco Apartment Association v. City and County of San Francisco, No. A161866, 2023 WL 3192774 (Cal. Ct. App., May 2, 2023)
- Durkin v. City and County of San Francisco (2023) 90 Cal.App.5th 643
- Oswald v. Landmark Builders, Inc. (2023) 97 Cal.App.5th 240
- Widen v. City and County of San Francisco, A167010, 2023 WL 5672414 (Cal. Ct. App., Aug. 22, 2023)
- NCR Properties, LLC v. City of Berkeley (2023) 89 Cal.App.5th 39
- San Francisco Apartment Ass’n v. City & Cnty. of San Francisco (2024) 104 Cal.App.5th 1218
- Keegan v. Halpern, No. A169399, 2024 WL 4675572 (Cal. Ct. App. Nov. 5, 2024)
- Emeruwa-Neuberg v. Lucchetti, No. A169573, 2024 WL 4795982, (Cal. Ct. App. Nov. 14, 2024)