Partner Sam Bivins Rejoins Downey Brand

January 26, 2026

Downey Brand is pleased to announce that partner Sam Bivins has rejoined the firm’s water and natural resources practice. Sam returns after serving two years as a senior hearing officer with the State Water Resources Control Board’s Administrative Hearings Office, where he presided over complex enforcement and permitting matters.

“We are thrilled to welcome Sam back to Downey Brand,” said Jan Fleener, managing partner of the firm. “Sam brings a unique combination of deep subject-matter knowledge, regulatory insight, and a strong commitment to delivering practical, effective solutions. His experience at the State Water Board strengthens our ability to help clients navigate California’s increasingly complex water and natural resources landscape with confidence.”

Sam helps public and private clients secure and protect water rights before the State Water Resources Control Board and in state and federal courts. His practice focuses on water rights litigation and related environmental disputes affecting agricultural, municipal, and industrial water supplies, including SGMA groundwater adjudications, Endangered Species Act litigation, eminent domain matters, and challenges to water supply fees and assessments. Sam regularly represents clients in adjudicative proceedings involving major California river systems and is known for delivering practical, strategic solutions – both through litigation and by resolving disputes short of trial.

Sam earned his J.D., cum laude, from Duke University School of Law in 2014 and his B.A. from the University of California, Davis in 2010.

“Coming back to Downey Brand truly feels like returning home. The firm’s water practice, collaborative culture, and focus on delivering real results for clients are what drew me here originally, and they’re exactly why I wanted to return. My time at the State Water Board gave me a new perspective on how decisions are made, and I’m excited to bring that experience back to a team I know and trust.”