RPLG Partner Linda Ross and Partner Ruth Bond earned recognition as Top 100 Women Lawyers on the Daily Journal’s 2021 list, which honors leaders in the legal profession throughout California. Linda first made the list in 2019 along with Founding Partner Louise Renne. Ruth places for the second consecutive year having first been recognized in 2020.
The Daily Journal noted Linda’s influential position at the forefront of pension reform litigation, particularly her roles in two recent high-profile cases before the California Supreme Court: writing an amicus brief submitted by the League of California Cities in a case addressing vested pension rights and representing the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District in a successful petition to uphold a provision mitigating pension spiking. The profile also highlighted Linda’s current flagship cases and recent wins in the labor law field.
“My practice at RPLG exposes me to politically significant, intellectually challenging issues that demand an innovative approach and a steadfast commitment to the public interest,” said Linda. “This honor from the Daily Journal is a reflection of the continued opportunities for me and the firm to champion public law leadership.”
Ruth earned accolades from the Daily Journal for taking the helm of RPLG’s workplace investigations practice, which handles sensitive matters such as allegations of workplace violence and discrimination for a wide range of public entity clients. Ruth is also a foundational member of the firm’s new Public Safety Reform and Innovation Practice Group, founded in 2020 to help public agencies navigate police reform and achieve equity in their respective communities. Finally, the Daily Journal recognized Ruth’s continued involvement as a key member of the RPLG team that filed groundbreaking shareholder derivative lawsuits against Oracle, NortonLifeLock and Monster Beverage in 2020, seeking to increase diversity on corporate boards and executive teams by holding the boards responsible for false and misleading statements about diversity in the companies’ proxy statements.
“I’m sincerely honored to again be recognized among the top women lawyers in the state,” said Ruth. “The last year has seen many challenges for governmental entities and the private sector alike as social issues have come to a national focal point. Our firm has risen to the challenge, continuing Louise Renne’s legacy of trailblazing new pathways for advocating in the public interest.”
Prior to joining RPLG, Ruth served for nearly 14 years as a Deputy City Attorney with the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office. Linda’s extensive background in public law includes service in San Francisco as General Counsel to then-Mayor Gavin Newsom, and as Chief Labor Attorney and General Counsel for the Police Commission and the Police Department.
“One of the really unique aspects of Renne Public Law Group is the number of senior lawyers on our bench, lawyers who have practiced for decades in the public sector,” said RPLG Founding Partner Jon Holtzman. “Ruth and Linda both embody our firm’s devotion to public interest law and the depth of experience of our lawyers.”
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.