Recognized in Best Lawyers since 2024 Jennifer F. Novak is the founder and managing attorney of the Law Office of Jennifer F. Novak, a boutique, woman-owned environmental law practice representing property owners, businesses, developers, and public entities throughout California. Her practice focuses on environmental regulatory compliance, permitting, enforcement defense, contaminated property matters, and environmental litigation.
Jennifer brings more than 30 years of legal experience to her work, including ten years as a Deputy Attorney General with the California Department of Justice’s Natural Resources Section. That experience gives her a practical understanding of environmental regulation from both the government and private-practice perspectives and informs her approach to working with regulatory agencies and helping clients navigate complex environmental challenges.
Jennifer regularly advises and represents clients in matters involving the California State and Regional Water Boards, the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), stormwater and Clean Water Act compliance, contaminated soil and groundwater, hazardous materials and waste, environmental permitting, and regulatory enforcement. She also counsels property owners and developers confronting environmental issues in real estate transactions and redevelopment projects, helping clients understand regulatory requirements, assess risk, and find practical paths forward.
At the heart of Jennifer’s practice is a simple principle: the work matters. Environmental matters can affect a client’s property, business, livelihood, and community, often all at once. Jennifer and her team take the time to understand what is at stake for each client, explain the risks and options clearly, and develop strategies that are both legally sound and practical.
The firm approaches environmental law with an appreciation for the real-world consequences of its work. When a contaminated property is successfully remediated, a water quality matter is responsibly resolved, or a development moves forward while meeting its environmental obligations, the outcome reaches beyond the legal matter itself. It can affect the land, water, businesses, and people connected to it.
Jennifer’s work has earned recognition from The Best Lawyers in America® and Super Lawyers, as well as a 10.0 Avvo rating. Her firm is certified as a woman-owned business through the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Just as meaningful to Jennifer is the trust she has earned within the environmental and legal communities. Clients return to the firm when new issues arise, and referrals come from environmental consultants, fellow attorneys and professional peers—including former opposing counsel who have seen Jennifer’s work firsthand.
Jennifer has built her practice around thoughtful advocacy, practical problem-solving, and genuine investment in the people and organizations the firm represents. Whether advising a client before a problem develops, working toward resolution with a regulatory agency, or litigating when necessary, Jennifer’s goal is the same: to help clients understand their options, protect what matters to them, and move forward with confidence.
