Alison K. Toivola
Best Best & Krieger LLP
Recognized for
Water Law
The Elite Counsel Perspective
Justice Department experience informs Alison’s distinguished judgment in water law, evident in her work on groundwater adjudications and water rights disputes.
Justice Department experience informs Alison’s distinguished judgment in water law, evident in her work on groundwater adjudications and water rights disputes.
Overview
Alison K. Toivola is a partner at Best Best & Krieger whose practice focuses on water rights, water supply and natural resources litigation. She counsels public, private and tribal clients on surface and groundwater rights, including transfers, certifications, protests, regulation and litigation. Her work includes implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and comprehensive groundwater adjudications in the post-SGMA environment. She also provides regulatory guidance in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the Deschutes Basin and groundwater basins throughout the Western United States.
Alison’s practice extends to water quality advice, Endangered Species Act litigation, and guidance on hydroelectric, real estate and land use projects. She has experience in state and federal courts at the trial and appellate levels, as well as with alternative dispute resolution. At BBK, she is a member of the Environmental Law & Natural Resources, Water, and Native American Law practice groups.
Before joining BBK, Alison was Director and Senior Counsel at Vail Resorts. She has also worked at Hogan Lovells US LLP, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, and the Colorado Supreme Court for Justice Gregory J. Hobbs. She is admitted to practice in California, Oregon and Colorado.
Education
- The University of Michigan Law SchoolJ.D., cum laude
- University of California, BerkeleyB.S., global environmental politics, with highest honors
- University of California, BerkeleyB.A., political economy, with highest honors
Admissions
- California
- Colorado
- Oregon
Publications
- Third District Court Upholds State Water Board’s Order Authorizing Agricultural Discharges in California’s Central Valley, California Water Law Reporter, June 2023
Languages
- English
- French
- Spanish
Presentations
- "Regional Approaches to Water Right Transfers," The Seminar Group, Annual Oregon Water Law Conference, Oct. 22, 2026
- "Land Use & Water," The Seminar Group, Water Law in California Conference, March 6, 2026
- “Current Water Management Issues in the Deschutes Basin,” Annual Oregon Water Law Conference, Oct. 2024
- “From Conflict to Collaboration: Groundwater Adjunction and Sustainability in the Post-SGMA World,” H2O Women Conference, Oct. 2024
- “Policy and Rules” Panel, Fracking in Michigan Conference, Dec. 2014