Stephen T. Holzer is a Los Angeles civil litigation and environmental law attorney at Lewitt Hackman in the San Fernando Valley. Mr. Holzer joined our Firm in 2006 and is the Chair of our Environmental Litigation & Transactions Practice Group.
Mr. Holzer began representing clients specifically in environmental law in the early 1980s, defending those who came into toxic properties and pursuing the initial polluters for cleanup and costs.
He has testified as an expert witness in a complex Superfund arbitration.
Mr. Holzer successfully defends companies and their employees against criminal charges, and frequently obtains favorable settlements using insurance proceeds – in which clients pay nothing for their complex toxic tort defenses.
Before embarking into environmental law, Mr. Holzer began his career as a business litigator, and continues to advise and litigate for clients in all aspects of business law. He handles cases involving eminent domain and franchise and trademark law, and continues to handle matters involving general business disputes. Mr. Holzer represents:
- Commercial Real Estate Owners
- Dry Cleaning Franchisors
- Government Contractors
- Waste Management Companies
He also served as Chair of the United Chambers of Commerce (UCC) of the San Fernando Valley (2008-2010); Chair of the Woodland Hills Chamber of Commerce (2004); Member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association Board of Trustees (2001-2002 and 2003-2004); and President of Temple Solael (1995-1998). He has served as Chair of the UCC Government Affairs Committee and is a current Board Member.
Mr. Holzer is a Southern California Super Lawyer selected each year since 2005, as listed in Los Angeles Magazine, and has been designated a Top Attorney in Business, in Super Lawyers Magazine Business Edition. He is AV-rated Preeminent 5.0 by Martindale-Hubble, the highest rating awarded for legal ability and ethical standards by his peers.
The business litigation attorney writes a weekly column, Legal News You Can Use, for the Valley News Group of newspapers, including the Warner Center News; the Valley Vantage; and the Las Virgenes Enterprise. Mr. Holzer also authors Environmental Legal Blogs, which was named one of the Top 50 Blogs of 2011 in the environmental law and climate change category, by Lexis Nexis.
Mr. Holzer is admitted to the State Bar of California (as of 1977), and the environmental law attorney is also admitted to practice in Illinois (as of 1974). He is admitted to practice various Federal trial and appellate courts.
