Dana Dean

Since opening her law firm in Benicia, California in 2003, Dana Dean has practiced real estate and land use law, focusing on litigation and land use development.  She has worked throughout Northern California on land use matters that involve sustained, long range advocacy efforts, detailed analyses, and extensive communications with governing entities, interested community groups, developers, and property owners.

Ms. Dean has effectively concluded dozens of cases involving disputed developments and related land use entitlements, as well as boundary and easement disputes and other traditional real estate claims. She represents and advises clients across Northern California, including in Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, Sacramento, Solano, and Yolo counties. With her substantial experience in representing all types of parties in real estate and land use disputes, Ms. Dean brings an experienced, unique perspective to resolving real estate and community land use disputes with empathy and efficiency.

Ms. Dean represents landowners, project developers, and community groups alike at city and county levels during all stages of development permitting, with a focus on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process. She also frequently appears before various state agencies considering applications related to other entitlements.

Ms. Dean also advises and represents parties, including Buyers, Sellers, agents or brokers in real estate transaction disputes related breach of contract, fraud, non-disclosure, and the like. In addition, her body of work includes many quiet title actions, easements, and boundary disputes.

Dana Dean also has a long history of community involvement, with particular focus on children’s health, well-being, and education. Having previously served for 5 years on the Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees, Ms. Dean has now served for 9 years on the Solano County Board of Education as Trustee for Area 3. In addition, she is Past President of California County Boards of Education (CCBE). She has served on the Board of Directors of the California School Boards Association (CSBA) and the CSBA Legislative Committee, which reviews and determines positions on education related legislation.  She currently serves on the CCBE Board of Directors and as a member of the CSBA Delegate Assembly. She sits on the CSBA Education Legal Alliance Steering Committee, which is responsible for reviewing litigation of state-level importance to the education community.