Renne Public Law Group has been selected by the Daily Journal as a 2019 Top Boutique Law Firm in its first full year of operation.
RPLG Founding Partner Jon Holtzman
“We’re surprised and profoundly honored that the Daily Journal chose us for this award so quickly,” said Founding Partner Jon Holtzman. “Combining our work for local public agencies with public interest advocacy is part of the firm’s DNA, reaching all the way back to the time all four of our founding partners worked together in the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office. Bringing this combination into a private sector law firm has been challenging. But, with the help of our terrific attorneys who have joined since we formed and support our vision of a public interest law firm in the public sector space, our practice has really taken off. It’s great to see the hard work of our attorneys and staff recognized.”
The Daily Journal conducts a competitive nomination process to honor 20 boutique law firms in California every year, considering criteria such as the richness of the firm’s practice, current cases and growth. To be eligible, firms must focus at least 90 percent of resources on a specialty and be based in California. The Daily Journal publishes the list, including information about each firm, in a supplemental issue every October.
RPLG, which primarily advises and advocates for cities, counties, public agencies and non-profits, has dozens of public agency and city clients across the state, including Berkeley, Fresno, San Jose, San Francisco, Santa Rosa, Los Angeles, Marin County, Moraga Orinda Fire District, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), the League of California Cities, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (San Francisco Bay Area). In addition, the firm advocates for local government in state and federal litigation, as well as through lobbying in Sacramento. The firm also maintains a management consulting practice, RPLG.solutions, run by former Richmond City Manager Bill Lindsay and former Fresno City Manager Bruce Rudd.
RPLG Founding Partner and former San Francisco City Attorney Louise Renne
RPLG is led by Louise Renne, who served as San Francisco’s elected city attorney for 16 years and is credited with having “reinvented municipal law” by taking on and winning affirmative litigation cases against tobacco companies, banks, insurance companies, and others.
In addition to affirmative litigation, the firm has taken on a variety of key local government issues throughout 2019. Among other cases, Ms. Renne has been selected to serve as co-negotiation class counsel in the federal multi-district litigation opioid cases. Last month, Founding Partner Teresa Stricker, along with Senior Associate Ryan McGinley-Stempel, wrote an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the 9th Circuit’s decision in City of Boise v. Martin on behalf of the California State Association of Counties and 33 cities and counties. Of Counsel Linda Ross, formerly a San Francisco Deputy City Attorney who served as counsel to then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, wrote an amicus brief on behalf of the League of California Cities in the California Supreme Court’s landmark pension case, Cal Fire Local 2881 v. CalPERS.
The Daily Journal’s firm-wide accolade comes on the heels of individual honors received by the RPLG team this year. Ms. Renne and Of Counsel Linda Ross were recognized as two of the top 100 women lawyers in California in 2019 by the Daily Journal. Ms. Renne, Mr. Hartinger, Of Counsel Geoff Spellberg and Mr. Holtzman were all named 2019 Super Lawyers, a rating based on peer recognition and professional achievement.
“It’s exciting to look back at the significance of the cases and issues we’ve worked on and the recognition our team has received this year,” said Mr. Holtzman. “Thanks to the Daily Journal for recognizing our work, and to our staff and attorneys for believing in our vision of what a firm can be while working so hard to get us to this point. It is very gratifying to do the work of local governments, who have increasingly become policy leaders throughout the state.”
Read the full Daily Journal article.
RPLG practices throughout California, advising and advocating for public agencies, nonprofit entities, individuals and private entities in need of effective, responsive and creative legal solutions.