Profile
Thomas (Tom) Bruen has practiced law in California for 46 years. He is a graduate of the Harvard Law School (1974). His undergraduate degree is from Claremont McKenna (formerly Men’s) College. (1971). His practice concentrates in the solid waste and environmental fields, as both a transactional lawyer and a litigator. He has participated in the drafting, negotiation and enforcement of numerous municipal collection agreements. He has been AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell for over thirty eight years. Mr. Bruen was an instructor for several years for the University of California at Berkeley Extension course entitled “Legal Principles of Integrated Waste Management” -- a course for non-attorney solid waste professionals. Mr. Bruen was a long standing a member of the Editorial Board of the California Environmental Law Reporter, published by Matthew Bender. He wrote several articles for that publication on legal issues concerning solid waste, ranging from California’s Proposition 218 as it relates to solid waste franchise fees, the Clean Water Act, and the dormant Commerce Clause and flow control, to CERCLA as applied to municipal landfills. Mr. Bruen also served for several years as Co-Chair and Vice-Chair for the Solid Waste Committee of the Environmental Law Section of the American Bar Association. Mr. Bruen has been designated as a “Super Lawyer” in Environmental Law by the publication “Law and Politics” for the years '05-'15, '17-'20. He is also listed in the publication “Who’s Who of International Environmental Lawyers”. Mr. Bruen represents a number of private clients, including various subsidiaries of Republic Services. He served for over thirty years as General Counsel to the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority (since 1997) and the South Tahoe Basin Waste Management Authority (since 1992), both joint powers authorities, and has served as special counsel on solid waste issues for El Dorado County, Placer County, and the City and County of San Francisco. Sessions