Julian Gross

Julian Gross

Principal

Julian Gross is one of the nation’s principal experts on community benefits in land use development and public infrastructure.

For over 25 years, Mr. Gross has represented public entities and nonprofit advocates in contract negotiations, legislative and administrative drafting, and policy development aimed at improving land use development and public infrastructure, and advancing racial and economic equity. He has negotiated dozens of community benefits agreements (CBAs), initiating and refining a groundbreaking contractual approach to resolution of challenging urban development issues. He has taught, published, and spoken widely on the subject of land use and community benefits, with a focus on public and private negotiation strategies. Mr. Gross has also drafted numerous local hiring and contracting policies, and has worked on living wage policies, disadvantaged-business policies, and many other community economic development initiatives. He has also represented public entities and nonprofit affordable housing developers in negotiation of project labor agreements and community workforce agreements that advance multiple policy goals. In addition, he has extensive experience advising public entities and nonprofits on a wide variety of organizational legal needs.

curriculum vitae

Publications

Speaking Engagements

(since 2010 only)

  • National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Leveraging Community Benefit Frameworks (2024)
  • Keynote Speaker, Toronto Community Benefits Network, Tenth Anniversary Celebration (2024)
  • California League of Cities Public Works Officers Institute, Project Labor Agreements 101 (2023 and 2024)
  • Northwest Offshore Wind Conference, Tools and Strategies for Maximizing Benefits from Offshore Wind Development (2024)
  • North Valley Thrive, Northern San Joaquin Valley collaborative for the CA Jobs First (2024)
  • U.C. Berkeley Center on Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE), CBA Forums (2023 and 2024)
  • Reimagine Appalachia, Community Benefits Virtual Summit (2023)
  • World Resources Institute (WRI) webinar: Creating an Equitable Clean Energy Future: Engaging Local Communities in Project Planning and Development (2023)
  • Housing Affordability Summit, National Building Museum (2023)
  • U.S. Department of Energy, CBAs 101 (video)(2022)
  • Harvard/Kennedy School, Ash Center for Democratic Governance (March 2019)
  • “Community Benefits for Health,” presentation at San Mateo County Health System’s Get Healthy San Mateo (May 2016)
  • “Leveraging Equity for Economic Growth,” presentation at PolicyLink’s Equity Institute (October 2015)
  • City Attorney’s Conference, League of California Cities (May 2014)
  • American Public Transportation Association Legal Affairs Seminar (February 2014)
  • Partnership for Working Families conference (February 2014)
  • McGill University, School of Urban Planning, Lecture Series (September 2013)
  • Transportation Equity Network / Gamaliel webinar, “Jobs for America” (September 2013)
  • Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs/Transportation Equity Network webinar re U.S. Executive Order 11246 (April 2013)
  • Lectures in Planning Series, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation at Columbia University (October 2012)
  • “Best Practices in Developing and Implementing Targeted Hiring Policies,” National Employment Law Project webinar (February 2012)
  • Presenter, Bay Area Contract Compliance Officers Association conference (January 2012)
  • Guest Lecturer, U.C. Hastings School of Law, Community Economic Development Course, San Francisco, CA (September 2011)
  • Presenter, Lincoln Institute Land Policy Conference, Boston, MA (May 2011)
  • Keynote speaker, Workshop on Community Benefits Agreements, Alliance for Community-University Research, McGill University, Montreal, Canada (February 2011)
  • Guest lecturer, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, School of Urban Planning, course on Community Benefits Agreements (February 2011)
  • Keynote speaker, Public Dialogue on Community Benefits Agreements, DTES, Vancouver, Canada (February 2011)
  • Presenter, Green for All Communities of Practice (January 2011)
  • Guest lecturer, Sustainable Rebuilding course, U.C. Berkeley Planning Department (October 2010)
  • Presenter, Shaking the Foundations conference, Stanford Law School (October 2010)
  • Presenter, BetterBuildings Community Workshop, Chicago, IL, (September 2010)
  • Guest lecturer, Community Economic Development course, U.C. Hastings School of Law (September 2010)
  • Presenter, Green for All national webinar on contracting and hiring agreement (October 2010)
  • Presenter, forum on community benefits agreements, Legal Aid Society of San Francisco’s public interest issues series, San Francisco (July 2010)
  • Presenter, U.C. Berkeley School of Law Symposium on federal procurement
  • Presenter, New York City Bar Association meeting on Community Benefits Agreements (May 2010)
  • Presenter, American Bar Association Forum on Affordable Housing and Community Development Law Conference (May 2010)

Teaching

  • University of California, Goldman School of Public Policy, 2016-2019 Guest Lecturer: course on “Tackling Inequality through Equitable Development: Perspectives on Race, Place and Class in the San Francisco Bay Area”
  • Stanford Law School, 2017 Guest Lecturer: Land Use Law; Public Interest Law and Practice
  • New York University, Wagner School of Public Service, 2015 Guest Lecturer: multi-disciplinary course: Race, Ethnicity & Class in American Cities
  • University of California, Hastings College of the Law, 2014 Instructor, “Contract Drafting and Negotiation,” two-credit course. PACE evals: Global Index 4.52 out of 5; 19 out of 19 respondents “would recommend the course.”
  • McGill University, School of Urban Planning, 2013 Instructor, “Negotiation of Community Benefits: Power Dynamics and Practical Approaches,” two-credit course. Course evals: 100% of respondents rated overall course quality as 5 out of 5.
  • Yale University, School of Law, 2013 Guest Lecturer: Community Economic Development Clinic course
  • Stanford Law School, 2013 Guest Lecturer: Community Law Clinic
  • University of California, Hastings College of the Law, 2008–2014 Guest Lecturer and 2009 Practitioner in Residence, Civil Justice Clinic, Community Economic Development course: annual guest lectures, supervision of clinical students during 2009 school year; ongoing consultation on clinic’s primary representation engagement in 2010–2013
  • University of California at Berkeley, College of Environmental Design Guest lecturer: Sustainable Rebuilding course
Shajuti Hossain

Shajuti Hossain

Attorney

Shajuti Hossain works with public agencies and nonprofits on policy development initiatives and transactions, including equitable contracting initiatives and community benefits agreements. She is also skilled at advising clients in the development of regional and local initiatives that advance racial and economic equity. Ms. Hossain has extensive experience in affordable housing, land use development, and transportation policies.

Previously, Ms. Hossain was an Associate at Renne Public Law Group, where she represented local public entities in California in property tax and employment litigation, investigated workplace complaints, and provided advice on various employment issues. She also participated in affirmative litigation, representing hundreds of low-income patients of Laguna Honda Hospital, a large public nursing home in San Francisco. Before that, she was a staff attorney at Public Advocates, where she worked with coalitions to advocate for equitable policy changes and legal implementation to address the Bay Area housing affordability crisis at local, regional, and state levels. There, she developed expertise in affordable housing and tenants’ rights policy in California and nationwide.

Ms. Hossain lives in the Bay Area and is admitted to the California bar.

curriculum vitae