Associate

Orange County

Direct: 949.224.6467

Office: 949.760.1121

phernandez@buchalter.com

Bar Admissions

California

Languages

Portuguese, Spanish

Overview

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Paula Hernandez is an attorney in the Firm’s Orange County office and a member of the Litigation practice group. Ms. Hernandez’s practice focuses on commercial and real property litigation. She also has experience defending clients in matters related to ADA and Unruh Civil Rights Act and mortgage lending and servicing.   Ms. Hernandez has managed and favorably resolved cases for a variant of clients, with experience in all stages of litigation, including taking a case through to bench trial. Ms. Hernandez also has extensive experience in land use, handling a wide range of cases involving legal issues related to environmental, zoning, real estate, and property law.

  • Serves as environmental and land use legal counsel to a national retailer for the acquisition, entitlement, development, operations and/or expansion of over 200 stores and warehouse facilities throughout California, in addition to numerous other Fortune 500 companies.
  • Successfully worked with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control to develop a response plan for the redevelopment of a 302-acre brownfield site in coordination with multiple agencies.
  • Proactively developed guidance and client compliance strategies related to recent regulations and legislation including: California’s Proposition 65 amendments; California Senate Bill 334 (2021) related to correctional facilities; Los Angeles
  • County’s “Green Zones” Ordinance; South Coast Air Quality Management District’s Rule 2305 (Warehouse Indirect Source Rule); and a variety of local ordinances including moratoria and “big box” ordinances.
  • Assisted a major beverage company with environmental due diligence for future manufacturing plant sites and operational environmental compliance matters.

Admissions

  • California

Education

  • Pepperdine University School of Law, J.D., cum laude
    • Received Certificate in Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution
    • Served on the Pepperdine Law Review 
    • Competed on the Pepperdine University Moot Court Team
    • Received Dean’s Excellence Scholarship
    • Awarded the CALI Award for Criminal Law
    • Member of the Phi Delta Phi Honors Society
    • Member of the Dean's List
  • La Sierra University, B.S., with high honors, magna cum laude

  • Vice-President, Hispanic Bar Association
  • Board Member, Adventist Attorneys Association
  • Member, Riverside Bar Association

  • Mock Trial Attorney Coach, Citrus Valley High School

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