Jim Arnone

Jim Arnone represented clients on environmental and land use issues for 35 years as a partner at the global law firm Latham & Watkins, retiring in 2025. At Latham, Jim had many leadership roles, including Global Chair of the Environment, Land and Resources Department and Global Chair of the Environmental Litigation Practice. Jim’s litigation included several California Supreme Court proceedings, about 40 Court of Appeal matters, and scores of trial court cases. Jim’s land use practice resulted in many real estate and infrastructure projects coming to fruition.

Jim pursued scholarly activities throughout his career, including serving as an adjunct instructor at the University of Southern California’s law school where he taught Environmental Law for 25 years (1996 – 2020), speaking in many venues on land use and environmental topics, and co-chairing an environmental and land use symposium annually for 17 years (2005 – 2021) that convened faculties from government, academia, consulting firms, and law firms.

In 2025, Jim joined the adjunct faculty at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law where he taught Environmental Law in fall 2025 and will teach Land Use Planning in fall 2026. In spring 2027, Jim will co-teach Environmental Law at the Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law in Bhutan.

Jim participates in an international platform of urban planning experts, presenting on historic preservation (Berlin, 2024) and planning law enforcement (Athens, 2026).

Jim's community service includes currently serving as a board member of the Denver Architecture Foundation and previously serving as Chair of AIDS Project Los Angeles’ Board of Directors, Chair of the Ketchum-Downtown YMCA’s Board of Managers, Chair of the California Chamber of Commerce’s Environmental Policy Committee, Treasurer of the West Hollywood Library Foundation, and an Executive Committee Member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Environmental Law Section where he chaired several committees.

Jim’s practice earned many accolades, including being a ranked lawyer in Chambers USA for over a decade (Real Estate – Zoning/Land Use category), being designated a “Green 500: Leader in Environmental Law” by Lawdragon, and earning a Daily Journal California Lawyer of the Year award for an innovative community land use settlement.

Jim attended Harvard Law School (JD, cum laude, 1990) and UCLA (BA, 1987). He is now semi-retired, a member of the Colorado bar, and living in Denver with his partner and their dog.