AThind@chwlaw.us
(949) 545-9034
Ajit is Senior Counsel to our firm, a member of both our litigation and municipal advisory groups, and resident in our Irvine office. He serves as City Attorney for the City of La Palma. He previously served as Assistant City Attorney for the Cities of Laguna Beach, Menifee, and San Clemente. Ajit has also served as counsel for the Uptown Whittier Improvement Association, a nonprofit that manages the Uptown Whittier Community Benefit District under the Property and Business Improvement District Law.
He has advised a wide variety of public and private clients on issues relating to both federal and state laws concerning open government, land use, civil rights, housing, water, environmental protection and labor/employment. He regularly advises clients on the Planning and Zoning Law, the Housing Element Law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Brown Act, the California Public Records Act, the Political Reform Act, and telecommunications laws. Ajit regularly staffs City Council and other public meetings.
Ajit has a wide range of litigation experience, with particular expertise in land use and zoning, housing, constitutional rights, defense of police cases (alleging excessive force, search and seizure, etc.), and general tort defense (including personal injury, dangerous condition, negligence, etc.). He has extensive experience at all stages of litigation and regularly appears at both trial and on appeal in federal and state courts. He is especially knowledgeable of governmental immunities, the California Government Claims Act, and other defenses unique to public agencies.
He regularly presents and trains on the Brown Act, land use laws, municipal case law updates, and new housing laws.
Ajit graduated from UCLA School of Law and obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, where he majored in Political Science.
He is also very active in the Orange County community. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Public Law Center, Orange County’s leading pro bono law firm that provides access to justice for low-income residents of the County. He previously served on the Board of Directors of Groundswell, an Orange County organization dedicated to building inclusive and welcoming communities. He has also been involved with the South Asian Bar Association and his temple, the Sikh Center of Orange County. Ajit, a soccer dad, also volunteers with his local AYSO region.
In 2023, Ajit was named to the OC 500, designating him as one of the 500 most influential people in Orange County by the Orange County Business Journal.
Practice Areas:
• Administrative Law
• Brown Act
• Conflict of Interest Law
• Constitutional Law
• Complex Litigation
• Land Use / CEQA / Housing
• California Public Records Act
• Business Improvement Districts
• Appellate Litigation
• Inverse Condemnation
• Public Records Act Disputes
• Municipal Litigation
• Public Liability Defense
• Land Use Litigation