Takings Litigation Handbook: Defending Takings Challenges to Land Use Regulations.

Douglas T. Kendall, Timothy J. Dowling, & Andrew W. Schwartz. Cincinnati, OH: American Legal Publishing Corp., 2000. [phone]; http://www.amlegal.com. 404 pp. $49.95 Paperbound.

Takings Litigation Handbook: Defending Takings Challenges to Land Use Regulations is designed to assist government attorneys, land use planners, and other local officials understand and apply takings law. This issue has become of particular concern as developers and landowners increasingly attempt to use takings litigation to convince government agencies to relax or abandon protections for both neighborhoods and the environment. In light of recent Supreme Court rulings in favor of takings claimants, some public officials have become reluctant to implement community protections in order to avoid the risk of takings liability. This book is designed to help local government officials strike a reasonable balance between private property rights and community interests without incurring takings liability.

Douglas T. Kendall is founder and Executive Director of Community Rights Counsel (CRC) and an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia Graduate Planning Program. Mr. Kendall's former litigation practice included representing local governments in constitutional cases. His writings on takings and land use law have appeared in many publications. Timothy J. Dowling is CRC's Chief Counsel. Mr. Dowling has formerly served in the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and as a Judicial Officer and Acting Environmental Appeals Judge for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Andrew W. Schwartz is co-founder of the California Community Land Use Project and a Deputy City Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco. He is a frequent participant in takings cases as amicus curiae and a regular speaker on land use litigation and takings.