About Brigit S.
Brigit S. Barnes built a legal career that traces back to formal study and to long involvement in local development and real property communities. She earned a Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in 1985. Earlier, she attended Santa Clara University where she completed undergraduate work in political science.
Her career began the year she finished law school, joining Balfrey & Abbott as an associate in 1985. Four years later she became a partner at the same firm. In 1993 she opened her own practice, establishing Brigit S. Barnes & Associates, Inc. The move shifted her role from firm partner to principal and business owner, overseeing both client matters and the operation of a small practice.
Barnes has also taken roles that intersect law and local government. In 2009 she served on the Land Use Council for the City of Colfax. That appointment reflected an ongoing interest in land use and development issues that runs through much of her professional activity. She has maintained connections to local chambers and builder councils, keeping a presence in the communities where development work is debated and planned.
Her practice and association memberships indicate steady involvement in real estate and construction-related matters. She belongs to the Sacramento County Bar Association’s Real Property Section and has been active in the California Business Properties Association since the early 1990s. Barnes is also a member of the California Builders Association and has participated in conferences addressing industry concerns and litigation. Her memberships in regional groups include the Loomis Chamber of Commerce, the El Dorado County and Placer Builders Council, and Placer County CABPRO.
Barnes has taken leadership roles in professional organizations. She chaired the Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) chapter from 1994 to 2000. She also served as chair of Placer County CABPRO in 1996. Those posts placed her in a coordinating role for trade group activities and gave her a platform to work on matters that affect builders, property owners and professionals who handle commercial real estate transactions.
Over more than three decades in practice she has combined private practice work with participation in industry groups and local government advisory roles. She runs Brigit S. Barnes & Associates, Inc., handling matters that arise at the intersection of property, land use and business concerns. She currently concentrates her practice on land use, real property and development matters.
