TRPA taps South Tahoe High alumnus as its next general counsel

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board has voted unanimously to offer the position of General Counsel to attorney Graham St. Michel. He will oversee compliance cases, violation settlements, and other legal issues for the bi-state agency. He will fill the position held by the retiring John L. Marshall, who has served as TRPA counsel for 25 years.

St. Michel, a South Tahoe High School graduate, has served as TRPA’s associate counsel since February of this year. He holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy from the University of Southern California and a juris doctorate from Lewis & Clark Law School. St. Michel has practiced law for 16 years including private practice and serving as in-house counsel with the California Department of Conservation and the California Tahoe Conservancy.

“I have dedicated my professional life to environmental law and public service, and TRPA's mission has been a guiding inspiration for me from the start,” St. Michel said.

“The board welcomes Graham, and I am confident he will continue to safeguard the public’s interest in protecting and restoring Lake Tahoe,” TRPA Governing Board Chair and Placer County Supervisor Cindy Gustafson said. “We thank John Marshall for his years of service and for helping to build the legal underpinnings of this unique agency.”

Marshall was a key member of the legal team that successfully defended Regional Plan policies protecting sensitive stream environment zones in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. The case, Tahoe Sierra Preservation Council v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, is often cited in environmental law and public policy literature.