We are pleased to announce that Renne Public Law Group (RPLG) Founding Partner and Chair, Louise Renne, was presented the first annual Bill Edlund Award for Professionalism in the Law. The Ninth Judicial Circuit Historical Society (NJCHS) and the Northern District Historical Society recognized Ms. Renne during a ceremony on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 at 4:30 p.m. The award was presented in one of the ceremonial courtrooms of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals by Judge William Alsup of the District Court for the Northern District of California. The ceremony was attended by a number of other judges and local elected officials.
In his presentation of the award, Judge Alsup recognized Louise’s accomplishments: “The criteria we selected for the award was someone based in Northern California… who had demonstrated excellence as a lawyer, both in written and oral advocacy…. [as well as] civility, commitment to the legal profession and leadership in the community. It’s hard to imagine someone more deserving of the award than Louise.”
In addition to having served as a member of the Board of Supervisors, Ms. Renne was also the indefatigable City Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco, and the only woman to serve in that position (so far). During her 16-year tenure, she pioneered the model of public interest plaintiff coalitions comprised of government agencies, individuals, and non-profit organizations filing lawsuits in the public interest.
Ms. Renne modernized the City Attorney’s office, establishing it as a national leader in the practice of public law by creating a vigorous and enterprising 200-lawyer legal department of highly-skilled litigators, negotiators, and advisory attorneys. Today, she is a nationally recognized and respected leader in municipal law and leads RPLG’s public interest litigation practice.
RPLG practices throughout California, primarily advising and advocating for public agencies and nonprofits in need of bold, effective, responsive and creative legal solutions.