Birch Citadel, P.C
We are a full-service environmental and administrative law firm. We represent a variety of statewide clients on diverse issues, from climate and energy regulatory compliance, CEQA, land use, renewables, transmission, utilities, and more.
This lawyer is licensed to practice in California and has no record of discipline from the California bar association. *
Birch Citadel, P.C
We are a full-service environmental and administrative law firm. We represent a variety of statewide clients on diverse issues, from climate and energy regulatory compliance, CEQA, land use, renewables, transmission, utilities, and more.
This lawyer is licensed to practice in California and has no record of discipline from the California bar association. *
We believe in a better world, and making it happen one client at a time. Our legal team stands ready to assist you with a variety of environmental and administrative legal issues, from CEQA/NEPA and land-use planning to renewable power plant siting to clean air and water permitting to helping your organization adjust to new climate and environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
We proudly serve clients of all sizes and address legal issues of all scales, from individual homeowners to businesses or other organizations with budgets ranging from thousands to tens of millions. Contact our team today to schedule a free initial one-hour consultation.
Whether you are an individual embarking on your first ever journey through the judicial process or a seasoned hand at hiring outside counsel for your organization's legal needs, our team is here to make your and your organization's legal journey as smooth, transparent, and painless as possible.
We are committed to clarity, transparency, and keeping you fully informed and in command every step of our journey together, no matter its scope, duration, or complexity.
Birch Citadel Main Office
103 Cardini Lane
Lincoln , CA 95648
(916) 272-1410
Yes, free one-hour initial consultation.
We offer fixed fee services in order to provide our clients with predictable costs and peace of mind. Please contact us for an initial consultation for an estimate.
Standard rate range is $275-$375/hr. Discounts may be available under certain circumstances.
9:00am to 5:00pm M-F, after hours appointments available upon request
Katherine Cantrall, Executive Administrator
Yes
English
We offer full-service advice, counsel, and legal representation in all proceedings, negotiations, and litigation, including administrative practice. Practice areas include CEQA/NEPA, climate regulations, clean air/water/hazardous waste, among others.
As a full-service law firm, we stand ready to assist with a wide variety of areas of California, federal, and international law and regulatory compliance, including but by no means limited to the following:
- Accessing government incentives and funding, no matter how big or small your project
- Administrative law and advocacy before California state agencies, Federal agencies, and international bodies
- Building standards
- Carbon offsets
- CEQA, NEPA, and other land-use planning issues
- Clean air and water compliance and disputes
- Clean energy projects, disputes, and appeals
- Coastal issues
- Complex litigation and class-action suits
- Complex and challenging environmental permitting, such as off-shore wind, small modular - nuclear, and other novel technologies
- Decarbonization, emissions trading, and net zero issues
- Endangered species (incidental take, take permits, mitigation)
- Energy efficiency (appliances, building codes) and decarbonization
- Federal, state, and local permitting, including for new renewables and transmission
- Federal, state, and international renewable energy grant programs
- Grid-renewables integration and wildfire risk management
- Habitat mitigation and restoration efforts
- Hazardous substances and waste control
- Indoor air quality related issues
- Intellectual property issues from copyright and trademark disputes to patent issues
- International environmental and international trade law disputes
- Local environmental ordinances
- Power plant siting
- Rate-setting and other issues before the CPUC
- Regulatory compliance
- Renewable energy deployment, development, financing, permitting, and siting at any scale
- Transmission projects
- Serving as liaisons with tribal and indigenous partners in major projects
- Understanding how new, cutting-edge climate and energy legislation and regulations affect your organization
- Utilities, solar, wind, storage, and other renewables at the building-scale, community-scale, and grid-scale
Yes. Whether you simply need advice on a single matter of regulatory compliance or how a new state or federal requirement applies to your organization, or you need a dependable legal partner for a half-decade of intense litigation through multiple levels of administrative review all the way to appellate courts, our dedicated team stands ready to assist however we can. There is no legal need too big or too small for our team.
Sometimes, however, a little specialized expertise is all it takes. Our team is comfortable providing limited-engagement, limited-scope advice, counsel, and representation in a manner tailored to your needs. We have years of experience collaborating with outside counsel, including both litigators and in-house counsel, on intricate matters of administrative and environmental law.
Yes. In addition to proudly supporting local businesses in our area, we are proud to support global efforts to combat climate change.
For example, we are supporting efforts by the Larry Rowbs Foundation (https://larryrowbsfoundation.org/) to help empower female entrepreneurship in Africa while eliminating literal mountains of global textile waste (we've seen the photos) and turn them into beautiful works of classy, cost-effective sustainable fashion.
"The support you've given to me and the team over the years was critical to our work. When you'd dive into an explanation it was like watching a guitar soloist... you made the details feel like an artform. It was amazing to hear such complicated topics explained so well."
- Former client, 2016-2023*
"You have an incredible level of skill navigating complex, overlapping topics, akin to orienteering in a trackless wilderness... I knew that if your name was attached to a meeting or project, no matter how challenging, there would be a measure of fun in getting to the goal."
- Former client, 2017-2023*
(*These testimonials do not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.)
At Stanford University, Birch Citadel CEO and Founder Matt Chalmers studied under numerous IPCC WG2 Nobel Laureates and received a multidisciplinary education, focusing on political science, international relations, climate science, and energy policy. Shortly after graduating in 2012 as a Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society member and speaker, was invited to draft curriculum for the Woods Institute (EarthSys 147/247).
At U.C. Davis School of Law, Matt pursued an aggressive multidisciplinary course of study including California, U.S., and international environmental law, intellectual property, administrative law, earning not only a J.D. in 2015 but an Environmental Law Certificate and receiving Witkin Awards in Climate and Energy Law.
From 2014 to 2023, Matt served in an advisory capacity and as legal counsel on a wide variety of multi-million to multi-billion dollar, cutting-edge climate and energy projects, programs, and rulemakings while at the California Energy Commission. As a lead attorney on dozens of world-first appliance and building efficiency measures, Matt Chalmers helped create a path to bring ideas into law that saved consumers and businesses billions of dollars, eliminated millions of tons of carbon emissions, and saved thousands of lives annually. Examples include California's 2019 and 2022 Energy Codes, which implemented first-in-the nation rooftop solar photovoltaic and battery storage requirements for new construction, which went into effect without legal challenge.
While at the California Energy Commission, Matt advised on a variety of challenging administrative and constitutional law issues, served on a multiagency task force including the Governor's Office of Emergency Services and the California National Guard charged with various disaster-related energy emergency planning tasks, and helped edit and rewrite various California state laws concerning climate and energy topics. Matt particularly enjoyed working alongside an elite group of scientists, engineers, and policymakers, where Matt was well-known as an effective multidisciplinary communicator and problem-solver, and deeply enjoyed working daily to not only develop and implement legal strategy and tactics, but also communicate and negotiate with wide ranges of stakeholders, from multi-billion dollar, big-name businesses with economy-wide interests to ordinary homeowners with practical questions.
In addition, Matt has helped teach courses on energy and renewable energy law and policy at U.C. Davis School of Law and Empire Law School, and has provided consulting services to governments and private entities across the world on numerous climate and energy related topics. In addition to his duties as CEO and founder of Birch Citadel, Matt is currently working on multiple high-level academic white papers on how to advance multidisciplinary systems solutions to climate change.
Matt lives in Lincoln with his family, and in his spare time enjoys reading, film, board games, listening to podcasts, debating philosophy and politics, cooking, e-sports, dabbling in competitive Magic: The Gathering, and runs multiple Dungeons and Dragons games for his family and closest friends. Matt cares deeply for his friends and family, and hopes to leave the world a better place for all of them.
Bar Number: 309306
California, 2016
UC Davis School of Law (King Hall)
Juris Doctor, 2015
Stanford University
B.A., Political Science, 2012
"The support you've given to me and the team over the years was critical to our work. When you'd dive into an explanation it was like watching a guitar soloist... you made the details feel like an artform. It was amazing to hear such complicated topics explained so well."
- Former client, 2016-2023*
"You have an incredible level of skill navigating complex, overlapping topics, akin to orienteering in a trackless wilderness... I knew that if your name was attached to a meeting or project, no matter how challenging, there would be a measure of fun in getting to the goal."
- Former client, 2017-2023*
(*These testimonials do not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.)
At Stanford University, Birch Citadel CEO and Founder Matt Chalmers studied under numerous IPCC WG2 Nobel Laureates and received a multidisciplinary education, focusing on political science, international relations, climate science, and energy policy. Shortly after graduating in 2012 as a Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society member and speaker, was invited to draft curriculum for the Woods Institute (EarthSys 147/247).
At U.C. Davis School of Law, Matt pursued an aggressive multidisciplinary course of study including California, U.S., and international environmental law, intellectual property, administrative law, earning not only a J.D. in 2015 but an Environmental Law Certificate and receiving Witkin Awards in Climate and Energy Law.
From 2014 to 2023, Matt served in an advisory capacity and as legal counsel on a wide variety of multi-million to multi-billion dollar, cutting-edge climate and energy projects, programs, and rulemakings while at the California Energy Commission. As a lead attorney on dozens of world-first appliance and building efficiency measures, Matt Chalmers helped create a path to bring ideas into law that saved consumers and businesses billions of dollars, eliminated millions of tons of carbon emissions, and saved thousands of lives annually. Examples include California's 2019 and 2022 Energy Codes, which implemented first-in-the nation rooftop solar photovoltaic and battery storage requirements for new construction, which went into effect without legal challenge.
While at the California Energy Commission, Matt advised on a variety of challenging administrative and constitutional law issues, served on a multiagency task force including the Governor's Office of Emergency Services and the California National Guard charged with various disaster-related energy emergency planning tasks, and helped edit and rewrite various California state laws concerning climate and energy topics. Matt particularly enjoyed working alongside an elite group of scientists, engineers, and policymakers, where Matt was well-known as an effective multidisciplinary communicator and problem-solver, and deeply enjoyed working daily to not only develop and implement legal strategy and tactics, but also communicate and negotiate with wide ranges of stakeholders, from multi-billion dollar, big-name businesses with economy-wide interests to ordinary homeowners with practical questions.
In addition, Matt has helped teach courses on energy and renewable energy law and policy at U.C. Davis School of Law and Empire Law School, and has provided consulting services to governments and private entities across the world on numerous climate and energy related topics. In addition to his duties as CEO and founder of Birch Citadel, Matt is currently working on multiple high-level academic white papers on how to advance multidisciplinary systems solutions to climate change.
Matt lives in Lincoln with his family, and in his spare time enjoys reading, film, board games, listening to podcasts, debating philosophy and politics, cooking, e-sports, dabbling in competitive Magic: The Gathering, and runs multiple Dungeons and Dragons games for his family and closest friends. Matt cares deeply for his friends and family, and hopes to leave the world a better place for all of them.
Bar Number: 309306
California, 2016
UC Davis School of Law (King Hall) Juris Doctor, 2015
Stanford University B.A., Political Science, 2012
We believe in a better world, and making it happen one client at a time. Our legal team stands ready to assist you with a variety of environmental and administrative legal issues, from CEQA/NEPA and land-use planning to renewable power plant siting to clean air and water permitting to helping your organization adjust to new climate and environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
We proudly serve clients of all sizes and address legal issues of all scales, from individual homeowners to businesses or other organizations with budgets ranging from thousands to tens of millions. Contact our team today to schedule a free initial one-hour consultation.
Whether you are an individual embarking on your first ever journey through the judicial process or a seasoned hand at hiring outside counsel for your organization's legal needs, our team is here to make your and your organization's legal journey as smooth, transparent, and painless as possible.
We are committed to clarity, transparency, and keeping you fully informed and in command every step of our journey together, no matter its scope, duration, or complexity.
Birch Citadel Main Office
103 Cardini Lane
Lincoln , CA 95648
(916) 272-1410
Yes, free one-hour initial consultation.
We offer fixed fee services in order to provide our clients with predictable costs and peace of mind. Please contact us for an initial consultation for an estimate.
Standard rate range is $275-$375/hr. Discounts may be available under certain circumstances.
9:00am to 5:00pm M-F, after hours appointments available upon request
Katherine Cantrall, Executive Administrator
Yes
English
We offer full-service advice, counsel, and legal representation in all proceedings, negotiations, and litigation, including administrative practice. Practice areas include CEQA/NEPA, climate regulations, clean air/water/hazardous waste, among others.
As a full-service law firm, we stand ready to assist with a wide variety of areas of California, federal, and international law and regulatory compliance, including but by no means limited to the following:
- Accessing government incentives and funding, no matter how big or small your project
- Administrative law and advocacy before California state agencies, Federal agencies, and international bodies
- Building standards
- Carbon offsets
- CEQA, NEPA, and other land-use planning issues
- Clean air and water compliance and disputes
- Clean energy projects, disputes, and appeals
- Coastal issues
- Complex litigation and class-action suits
- Complex and challenging environmental permitting, such as off-shore wind, small modular - nuclear, and other novel technologies
- Decarbonization, emissions trading, and net zero issues
- Endangered species (incidental take, take permits, mitigation)
- Energy efficiency (appliances, building codes) and decarbonization
- Federal, state, and local permitting, including for new renewables and transmission
- Federal, state, and international renewable energy grant programs
- Grid-renewables integration and wildfire risk management
- Habitat mitigation and restoration efforts
- Hazardous substances and waste control
- Indoor air quality related issues
- Intellectual property issues from copyright and trademark disputes to patent issues
- International environmental and international trade law disputes
- Local environmental ordinances
- Power plant siting
- Rate-setting and other issues before the CPUC
- Regulatory compliance
- Renewable energy deployment, development, financing, permitting, and siting at any scale
- Transmission projects
- Serving as liaisons with tribal and indigenous partners in major projects
- Understanding how new, cutting-edge climate and energy legislation and regulations affect your organization
- Utilities, solar, wind, storage, and other renewables at the building-scale, community-scale, and grid-scale
Yes. Whether you simply need advice on a single matter of regulatory compliance or how a new state or federal requirement applies to your organization, or you need a dependable legal partner for a half-decade of intense litigation through multiple levels of administrative review all the way to appellate courts, our dedicated team stands ready to assist however we can. There is no legal need too big or too small for our team.
Sometimes, however, a little specialized expertise is all it takes. Our team is comfortable providing limited-engagement, limited-scope advice, counsel, and representation in a manner tailored to your needs. We have years of experience collaborating with outside counsel, including both litigators and in-house counsel, on intricate matters of administrative and environmental law.
Yes. In addition to proudly supporting local businesses in our area, we are proud to support global efforts to combat climate change.
For example, we are supporting efforts by the Larry Rowbs Foundation (https://larryrowbsfoundation.org/) to help empower female entrepreneurship in Africa while eliminating literal mountains of global textile waste (we've seen the photos) and turn them into beautiful works of classy, cost-effective sustainable fashion.
"The support you've given to me and the team over the years was critical to our work. When you'd dive into an explanation it was like watching a guitar soloist... you made the details feel like an artform. It was amazing to hear such complicated topics explained so well."
- Former client, 2016-2023*
"You have an incredible level of skill navigating complex, overlapping topics, akin to orienteering in a trackless wilderness... I knew that if your name was attached to a meeting or project, no matter how challenging, there would be a measure of fun in getting to the goal."
- Former client, 2017-2023*
(*These testimonials do not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.)
At Stanford University, Birch Citadel CEO and Founder Matt Chalmers studied under numerous IPCC WG2 Nobel Laureates and received a multidisciplinary education, focusing on political science, international relations, climate science, and energy policy. Shortly after graduating in 2012 as a Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society member and speaker, was invited to draft curriculum for the Woods Institute (EarthSys 147/247).
At U.C. Davis School of Law, Matt pursued an aggressive multidisciplinary course of study including California, U.S., and international environmental law, intellectual property, administrative law, earning not only a J.D. in 2015 but an Environmental Law Certificate and receiving Witkin Awards in Climate and Energy Law.
From 2014 to 2023, Matt served in an advisory capacity and as legal counsel on a wide variety of multi-million to multi-billion dollar, cutting-edge climate and energy projects, programs, and rulemakings while at the California Energy Commission. As a lead attorney on dozens of world-first appliance and building efficiency measures, Matt Chalmers helped create a path to bring ideas into law that saved consumers and businesses billions of dollars, eliminated millions of tons of carbon emissions, and saved thousands of lives annually. Examples include California's 2019 and 2022 Energy Codes, which implemented first-in-the nation rooftop solar photovoltaic and battery storage requirements for new construction, which went into effect without legal challenge.
While at the California Energy Commission, Matt advised on a variety of challenging administrative and constitutional law issues, served on a multiagency task force including the Governor's Office of Emergency Services and the California National Guard charged with various disaster-related energy emergency planning tasks, and helped edit and rewrite various California state laws concerning climate and energy topics. Matt particularly enjoyed working alongside an elite group of scientists, engineers, and policymakers, where Matt was well-known as an effective multidisciplinary communicator and problem-solver, and deeply enjoyed working daily to not only develop and implement legal strategy and tactics, but also communicate and negotiate with wide ranges of stakeholders, from multi-billion dollar, big-name businesses with economy-wide interests to ordinary homeowners with practical questions.
In addition, Matt has helped teach courses on energy and renewable energy law and policy at U.C. Davis School of Law and Empire Law School, and has provided consulting services to governments and private entities across the world on numerous climate and energy related topics. In addition to his duties as CEO and founder of Birch Citadel, Matt is currently working on multiple high-level academic white papers on how to advance multidisciplinary systems solutions to climate change.
Matt lives in Lincoln with his family, and in his spare time enjoys reading, film, board games, listening to podcasts, debating philosophy and politics, cooking, e-sports, dabbling in competitive Magic: The Gathering, and runs multiple Dungeons and Dragons games for his family and closest friends. Matt cares deeply for his friends and family, and hopes to leave the world a better place for all of them.
Bar Number: 309306
California, 2016
UC Davis School of Law (King Hall)
Juris Doctor, 2015
Stanford University
B.A., Political Science, 2012
"The support you've given to me and the team over the years was critical to our work. When you'd dive into an explanation it was like watching a guitar soloist... you made the details feel like an artform. It was amazing to hear such complicated topics explained so well."
- Former client, 2016-2023*
"You have an incredible level of skill navigating complex, overlapping topics, akin to orienteering in a trackless wilderness... I knew that if your name was attached to a meeting or project, no matter how challenging, there would be a measure of fun in getting to the goal."
- Former client, 2017-2023*
(*These testimonials do not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.)
At Stanford University, Birch Citadel CEO and Founder Matt Chalmers studied under numerous IPCC WG2 Nobel Laureates and received a multidisciplinary education, focusing on political science, international relations, climate science, and energy policy. Shortly after graduating in 2012 as a Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society member and speaker, was invited to draft curriculum for the Woods Institute (EarthSys 147/247).
At U.C. Davis School of Law, Matt pursued an aggressive multidisciplinary course of study including California, U.S., and international environmental law, intellectual property, administrative law, earning not only a J.D. in 2015 but an Environmental Law Certificate and receiving Witkin Awards in Climate and Energy Law.
From 2014 to 2023, Matt served in an advisory capacity and as legal counsel on a wide variety of multi-million to multi-billion dollar, cutting-edge climate and energy projects, programs, and rulemakings while at the California Energy Commission. As a lead attorney on dozens of world-first appliance and building efficiency measures, Matt Chalmers helped create a path to bring ideas into law that saved consumers and businesses billions of dollars, eliminated millions of tons of carbon emissions, and saved thousands of lives annually. Examples include California's 2019 and 2022 Energy Codes, which implemented first-in-the nation rooftop solar photovoltaic and battery storage requirements for new construction, which went into effect without legal challenge.
While at the California Energy Commission, Matt advised on a variety of challenging administrative and constitutional law issues, served on a multiagency task force including the Governor's Office of Emergency Services and the California National Guard charged with various disaster-related energy emergency planning tasks, and helped edit and rewrite various California state laws concerning climate and energy topics. Matt particularly enjoyed working alongside an elite group of scientists, engineers, and policymakers, where Matt was well-known as an effective multidisciplinary communicator and problem-solver, and deeply enjoyed working daily to not only develop and implement legal strategy and tactics, but also communicate and negotiate with wide ranges of stakeholders, from multi-billion dollar, big-name businesses with economy-wide interests to ordinary homeowners with practical questions.
In addition, Matt has helped teach courses on energy and renewable energy law and policy at U.C. Davis School of Law and Empire Law School, and has provided consulting services to governments and private entities across the world on numerous climate and energy related topics. In addition to his duties as CEO and founder of Birch Citadel, Matt is currently working on multiple high-level academic white papers on how to advance multidisciplinary systems solutions to climate change.
Matt lives in Lincoln with his family, and in his spare time enjoys reading, film, board games, listening to podcasts, debating philosophy and politics, cooking, e-sports, dabbling in competitive Magic: The Gathering, and runs multiple Dungeons and Dragons games for his family and closest friends. Matt cares deeply for his friends and family, and hopes to leave the world a better place for all of them.
Bar Number: 309306
California, 2016
UC Davis School of Law (King Hall) Juris Doctor, 2015
Stanford University B.A., Political Science, 2012
This lawyer is licensed to practice in California and has no record of discipline from the California bar association. *
* Nolo has confirmed that every member attorney has a valid license and is in good standing with the state agency that licenses lawyers. Any past disbarments and suspensions (with possible exceptions for minor violations or nonpayment of dues, in our discretion) will be indicated accordingly in the badge. Member attorneys are required to notify Nolo immediately if they become the subject of any disciplinary action by any state licensing agency.
Contact Us
This lawyer is licensed to practice in California and has no record of discipline from the California bar association. *
* Nolo has confirmed that every member attorney has a valid license and is in good standing with the state agency that licenses lawyers. Any past disbarments and suspensions (with possible exceptions for minor violations or nonpayment of dues, in our discretion) will be indicated accordingly in the badge. Member attorneys are required to notify Nolo immediately if they become the subject of any disciplinary action by any state licensing agency.
Copyright ©2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Nolo ® Self-help services may not be permitted in all states. The information provided on this site is not legal advice, does not constitute a lawyer referral service, and no attorney-client or confidential relationship is or will be formed by use of the site. The attorney listings on this site are paid attorney advertising. In some states, the information on this website may be considered a lawyer referral service. Please reference the Terms of Use and the Supplemental Terms for specific information related to your state. Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use, Supplemental Terms, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and Consumer Health Data Notice.
Your Privacy Choices