The County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors announced this week that Lori E. Pegg, Assistant County Counsel of the Office of the County Counsel, will take the helm as Acting County Counsel, replacing Miguel Márquez, who was recently appointed to the Sixth District Court of Appeal by Governor Brown. Pegg will assume office on July 25, 2012.
“County Counsel Márquez has provided excellent service to the County of Santa Clara,” said President George Shirakawa, County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors. “My colleagues and I are confident that Lori Pegg will do an outstanding job in providing important leadership to the Office of the County Counsel.”
Pegg has more than 25 years of experience advising clients on all aspects of complex public employee relationship issues, including employment discrimination, sexual harassment, equal opportunity employment, civil rights, and collective bargaining.
“I am deeply honored to have been appointed by the Board of Supervisors as the Acting County Counsel. I look forward to continuing the great work of our office in assisting the Board and County departments in their efforts to serve the County and community,” said Pegg.
Immediately before joining the Santa Clara County Counsel’s Office, Pegg worked for Hoge, Fenton, Jones, & Appel, Inc., where she represented employers in labor relations, employment discrimination, and education law. She also defended cities, counties, and school districts in litigation and governmental agency actions. She also conducted grievance arbitrations and discrimination and sexual harassment investigations. Before that, Pegg was a Partner of Public Agency Representation in Kay & Stevens, Labor & Employment Associate at Wise & Shepard, Labor & Employment Associate at Kauff, McClain & McGuire.
Pegg’s early legal career included working as Legal Research and Writing Instructor at Santa Clara University School of Law.
The County Counsel’s Office provides the County with an efficient, cost-effective method of obtaining legal services for the protection of its programs, departments, agencies, and financial resources. County residents benefit from the reduced expense in litigation and legal advice, as well as from the attorneys’ in-depth knowledge of County affairs.
As the acting County Counsel, Pegg will oversee all aspects of the Santa Clara County Counsel’s Office and serves as the chief legal advisor to the Board of Supervisors. More than 60 attorneys work in the office, divided into nine busy practice areas.
Attorneys in the Office of the County Counsel are assigned to “teams” which represent a variety of clients with common interests. While attorneys are assigned to teams and clients, the assignments are periodically changed to give attorneys experience in different areas and to meet the needs of a particular team. Regardless of his or her specific assignment, each attorney in the Office is available to provide assistance to any client.
Pegg received her Juris Doctoral Degree from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1986, and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with an emphasis in Public Law from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1983. She also spent a year studying in Sorbonne University in Paris, France.