WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM 27 believe have made positive differences in people’s lives throughout California and beyond. These legal projects have included securing economic viability for Indian Tribes; seeking to remove the Confederate Seal from the Mississippi State Flag; working to secure rights for terminally ill patients to be able to have death with dignity; religious freedom; and reforming workers’ compensation laws. My cases have also addressed responsible real estate development and housing; term limits; public health; lower prescription drug prices; merit-based education; transportation; marriage equality; compensation for public officials; the building of professional football and soccer stadiums and basketball arenas; cannabis; the gig economy; securing funds for public parks and libraries; and so much more. I have also protected voters from being subjected to false and misleading information on initiative, referendum, and recall petitions; protected voters from being misled about candidates; secured ballot access for candidates who otherwise would not have been on the ballot; and held government accountable to the people. I have worked to enforce the Federal Election Campaign Act, Political Reform Act, Public Records Act, Ralph M. Brown Act, the Anti-SLAPP groups, government agencies, and others in political and election-related litigation and administrative law matters. Litigation can involve initiatives, referenda, recalls, ballot access, ballot designations, candidate statements, ballot questions, election contests, ethics agency enforcement, and related matters. Some of these matters are “quick and dirty,” as they must be resolved in a matter of weeks due to a rapidly-approaching election. Others are more traditional litigation, with motions, discovery, trials, and appeals. In short, political and election lawyers work to keep (or get) our clients out of trouble. Or, if our clients’ opponents have broken the law, we work to hold them accountable. This often takes the form of lawsuits seeking writs of mandate, injunctions and/or declaratory relief, or serving as a “private attorney general” to pursue wrongdoers as the state might do. What are some of the more interesting matters you’ve worked on? I have been extremely fortunate to have been able to work on matters that I What is political and election law, and what is the role of an attorney who practices this kind of law? Political and election law involves Compliance (in which I help clients comply with the complex array of laws and regulations governing politics and elections), and Litigation (in which I take others to task for violating applicable laws in this arena, or defend those being accused of violating the law). The Compliance piece involves Campaign and Election Law (advising clients in connection with PACs, ballot measures, campaign contributions, independent expenditures, campaign finance, and more); Governmental Ethics Law (advising government officials and employees, and those who interact with them, in connection with conflicts of interest, Government Code sections 1090 & 84308, revolving door and gift restrictions, and other ethics law matters; and Lobbying Law (advising clients in connection with lobbying registration and reporting on the local, state and federal levels). The Litigation piece involves representing voters, candidates, committees, citizens’
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