Overview

Kelly M. Rem is the Managing Partner of Lozano Smith's Walnut Creek Office. Ms. Rem specializes in Facilities and Business law and Litigation for public agency clients throughout California.

Experience

Ms. Rem has extensive experience advising clients throughout the state on real property issues, ranging from school closures to asset management to the complicated process associated with sale or lease of school district real property.  During her career, she has handled tens of millions of dollars’ worth of real property sales, acquisitions, and leases, as well as property exchanges.  She greatly enjoys helping school districts and other local agencies capitalize on their assets for the benefit of their students and the community.

She is also an expert on the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), including procedural requirements, deadlines and statutes of limitations, exemptions, and review of environmental impact reports and other environmental documents. She represented the California School Boards Association as amicus curiae in the matter of Berkeley Hillside Preservation v. City of Berkeley before the California Supreme Court.

Ms. Rem also has extensive litigation experience, particularly related to facilities and property matters including CEQA and eminent domain proceedings.  Ms. Rem is experienced in reviewing and providing advice to clients relating to all types of business contracts. She also regularly advises clients regarding school facilities or "developer" fees and construction matters.

Presenter Experience

Ms. Rem is a regular presenter at various events including the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO) annual conference and local workshops, and Lozano Smith's Facilities and Business workshops and webinars. She is particularly experienced in presenting topics related to contracting, public bidding, and construction issues.

Education

Ms. Rem received her Juris Doctor degree from University of California, Hastings College of the Law. As a student, she worked as a Senior Articles Editor for the Hastings Communications and Entertainment Law Journal, and was a volunteer and tutor with the Tenderloin After-School Program. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan.

Professional Affiliations

Ms. Rem is admitted to the Central District of California.

Legislature Impacts Timing of When Developer Fees May Be Collected for Many Local Agencies

By: Kelly Rem, Arielle Percival, Junaid Halani- 01/28/2025

Bid Thresholds Raised For 2023

By: Kelly Rem, Junaid Halani- 12/29/2022

New Law May Mean Higher Food Costs, More Paperwork for School Districts

By: Kelly Rem- 12/22/2022

Governor Newsom's Executive Order Regarding Economic Sanctions on Russia Creates Confusion for Local Agencies

By: Kelly Rem- 06/20/2022

Bid Thresholds Raised For 2022

By: Ruth Mendyk, Kelly Rem- 12/22/2021

Federal Procurement Requirements Apply When Using ESSER Funds for Construction Projects

By: Kelly Rem- 09/15/2021

Surplus School District Property and the Budget Crisis: New and Proposed Legal Requirements and Opportunities

By: Harold Freiman, Kelly Rem- 06/12/2020

E83 CCS Podcast Series: Part 2 - School Facilities and Construction Planning, Management, and Oversight: Communication, Communication, Communication

By: Kelly Rem- 11/14/2024

This Lozano Smith Podcast episode is the second in a 4-part series Leadership in Action, brought to you by Lozano Smith and Lozano Smith's Concierge Consulting Services, also known as CCS. Whether your school district successfully passed a bond or parcel tax in years past or just this month, once those financial resources are accounted for, the process of moving forward with construction begins. In this episode, host Sloan Simmons connects with Lozano Smith CCS expert George S. Sziraki, Ed.D. and Partner Kelly Rem regarding best practices for superintendents and their teams for advanced planning, issue spotting, engaging with their school boards, constituents, and other important stakeholders in the school construction project process. Practical takeaways from this episode can benefit school district leaders at any stage of the school construction process, but in particular those at the starting point of the process.