Jim Arnone

Jim Arnone represented clients navigating complex environmental and land use issues for 35 years as a partner at the international law firm Latham & Watkins.  At Latham, Jim served in many management and leadership roles, including as the Global Chair of the Environment, Land and Resources Department and as a Global Co-Chair of the Environmental Litigation Practice.  Jim’s environmental litigation practice included several California Supreme Court proceedings, approximately 40 Court of Appeal proceedings, and scores of trial court cases.  Jim’s land use and project-siting administrative law practice resulted in many landmark real estate developments and infrastructure projects coming to fruition.  

Jim actively pursued scholarly activities throughout his career, including serving as an adjunct instructor at the University of Southern California’s law school where he taught Environmental Law for 25 years (1996 – 2020), speaking in many venues on urban development and environmental topics, and co-chairing a day-long environmental and land use symposium annually for 17 years (2005 – 2021) that convened highly distinguished faculties from government, academia, consulting firms, and law firms.  In fall semester 2025, Jim will teach Environmental Law at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law. 

Jim has also served the community throughout his career, including as Chair of AIDS Project Los Angeles’ Board of Directors, Chair of the Ketchum-Downtown YMCA’s Board of Managers, Chair of the California Chamber of Commerce’s Environmental Policy Committee, Treasurer of the West Hollywood Library Foundation, and an Executive Committee Member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Environmental Law Section where he chaired several committees. 

Jim’s practice earned many accolades, including being a ranked lawyer in Chambers USA for more than a decade (in the Real Estate – Zoning/Land Use category), being designated a “Green 500: Leader in Environmental Law” by Lawdragon, and earning a Daily Journal California Lawyer of the Year award for innovative work advancing one of the state’s largest master-planned communities ever proposed.

Jim attended Harvard Law School (JD, cum laude, 1990) and the University of California, Los Angeles (BA, 1987).  Jim is now semi-retired and living in Denver with his partner and their dog.