Founded by partners Louise Renne, Jon Holtzman and Art Hartinger, Renne Public Law Group (RPLG) practices throughout California, advising and advocating for public agencies, nonprofit organizations and public entities in need of effective, responsive and creative legal solutions. RPLG’s lawyers strengthen and preserve public services, empower policy makers to further their objectives and collaborate with in-house staff to identify workable solutions to complex problems.
Selected by the Daily Journal as a 2019 Top Boutique Law Firm in its first full year of operation, 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.
Selected again as a 2024 Top Boutique Law Firm, over its six-year history RPLG has expanded its influence statewide, continuing to advise and advocate for more than 100 cities, counties, public agencies and nonprofits while taking on impactful cases that shape public policy. The firm remains at the forefront of key legal battles, recently securing victories in Stone v. Alameda Public Health System and Prang v. Los Angeles County Assessment Appeals Board.
The recognition reaffirms RPLG’s commitment to its work for local public agencies.
At the heart of RPLG’s approach is providing aspiring lawyers and up-and-coming legal professionals with meaningful, hands-on experiences that provide direct access to real-world public policy and legal challenges. Legal assistants and early-career attorneys are integrated directly into complex municipal projects, including policy development, investigations and labor negotiations.
Mentoring Legal Assistants
For more than 20 years, Founding Partner Jon Holtzman has invited recent college graduates interested in pursuing careers in law or public policy to join his support team, providing unprecedented access to clients, conferences and career development opportunities. He started mentoring recent graduates to give them a deeper understanding of what lawyers do before attending law school. Over time, the program has grown to include graduates interested in public policy.
Legal assistants work closely with RPLG’s attorneys on client matters, including writing reports and articles, assisting with presentations, litigation and bargaining. They often attend client meetings, closed session meetings of local government bodies and legal conferences, seeing law and public policy in the making and gaining useful experience in public law and policy prior to entering law or graduate school. At the end of the legal assistant’s two-year tenure, the firm provides guidance throughout the law and graduate school application process.
Hosting Public Law Fellows
RPLG has created more formal training and mentoring opportunities through the Public Law Fellowship, a summer fellowship program for law students. The fellowship demonstrates the firm’s commitment to bringing talented individuals to the field of public law. The program introduces the fellows to California government experts such as Former Mayor for the City and County of San Francisco Willie Brown, Jr. and General Counsel for the League of California Cities Corrie Manning through more than 40 hours of direct instruction, in addition to mentoring opportunities, meetings and research projects.
Growing a Team
RPLG approaches bringing in new talent by finding great people who want to help local government. The firm seeks out individuals who share its passion for public service and who want to positively impact communities — candidates who not only dream big but also have the practical skills to turn policy goals into reality. RPLG fosters a culture of innovation and thought leadership where everyone’s voice is heard and everyone’s ideas are valued.
For aspiring legal professionals eager to make a difference, RPLG is more than a workplace; it is an environment where young professionals can shape the future of law and public service.
RPLG practices throughout California, advising and advocating for public agencies and nonprofits, providing forward-thinking, responsive and creative legal solutions.