Carrie A. Raven

Carrie A. Raven is Of Counsel in BDG Law Group’s Eminent Domain and Inverse Condemnation Practice Group. She has devoted, almost exclusively, her 18+ years of legal practice to the representation of numerous cities and other public agencies throughout California. Carrie primarily works as a transactional attorney, but her practice also includes eminent domain, inverse condemnation, infrastructure development, environmental and land use litigation.  

Carrie enjoys these fields of law and welcomes not only the day-to-day tasks confronted by her clients, but also the unique and complex issues presented. She provides legal review/guidance on local, state, and federal law related to a broad range of public agency issues, regularly involving the Brown Act, Political Reform Act, Public Contract Code, California Tort Claims Act, Public Records Act, Eminent Domain Law, Constitutional Law, and the California Government Code.  

Eminent Domain/Inverse Condemnation: Ms. Raven is skilled in the field of eminent domain and inverse condemnation with direct experience representing all types of public agencies, including cities, counties, transportation agencies, school districts, water districts and other special districts in property acquisitions for public projects and infrastructure development. She is recognized for her pro-active approach to resolving issues throughout the eminent domain process — from “right-to-take” challenges to high-stakes valuation and just-compensation disputes to inverse condemnation/regulatory taking claims.  

Land-Use/Development: Ms. Raven is a technical specialist in matters related to land use, zoning, and real estate development. She regularly advises cities on all sorts of planning issues associated with project approvals, conditional use permits, variances, due process, environmental issues, and both general and specific plans. She has served as legal counsel to city planning commissions; and regularly has worked closely with planning staff and department heads. Additionally, prior to joining the firm, she represented private business clients, including Wal-Mart, and other national and multi-national real estate developers with almost every aspect of commercial and residential real estate development, including local land use entitlements and approvals for large-scale commercial and residential developments.

Public Works Construction: Ms. Raven has extensive experience in public contracting and works closely with cities and public agencies on all aspects of public works construction projects from planning and property acquisition through project closeout. She works confidently, cooperatively, and proactively in a team setting—with clients, agency staff, contractors, engineers, and project consultants. On public works projects, she assists with the drafting and review of all documentation, including land acquisition contracts, professional services agreements, bid documents, general conditions, special conditions, requests for proposals, notices inviting bids, pre-qualification questionnaires and scoring. Further, she is well versed and provides guidance and advice on all types of construction project delivery methods, environmental review and compliance, financing, state and federal funding requirements, state and federal prevailing wage law compliance, project labor agreements, inter-agency agreements, utility relocation, bidding procedures and protests, contract administration, including change orders, performance and payment bonds issues, insurance claims and coverage, and warranties, contractor defaults, claims and stop-payment notices, claims management and all forms of dispute resolution.