Renne Public Law Group (RPLG) is excited for the start of its seventh-annual Public Law Fellowship Program. The program was created in response to the reality that students interested in careers within city and county law offices are frequently left to navigate this path on their own. Many law schools overlook local government and the practice of local government law in their curricula, leaving aspiring public sector attorneys without clear guidance.

The two-week program gives law students a comprehensive introduction to the practice of local government law. This year’s fellowship cohort is the firm’s largest to date, and each of the fellows were selected through a competitive application process. Throughout the program, the Fellows will engage with local leaders and explore complex legal and policy issues. A few of the topics this year include: Elections and Protecting Democracy, Suing the Federal Government, and Litigating in the Public Sector.

In addition to RPLG’s attorneys, this year’s speakers include:

  • Ana I. Flores, San Francisco Deputy City Attorney – Ethics and Elections Team
  • Brian Washington, Marin County Counsel
  • Carol Isen, San Francisco Human Resources Director
  • Charles McKee, County Counsel and CEO, Alpine County
  • David Chiu, City Attorney of San Francisco
  • Debra Gill, Renne Public Management Group Consultant and Former Director of Human Resources and Labor Relations, City of Pleasanton
  • Dennis Aftergut, Former RPLG Of Counsel, Co-Founder of the Coalition to Preserve Protect, and Defend, former federal prosecutor and Chief Assistant City Attorney in San Francisco
  • Phil Fine, Bay Area Air District Executive Officer
  • Harit Trivedi, Chief City Attorney, Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office – Ethics, Elections, and Governance Unit
  • Jennifer Henning, County Counsels’ Association Executive Director
  • John Bauters, “America’s Bike Mayor,” Former Mayor of the City of Emeryville, and Former Chair of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District
  • John Nibbelin, County Attorney of San Mateo County
  • Kavita Narayan: Santa Clara Chief Assistant County Counsel
  • LaTanya Bellow, City Manager of Emeryville
  • Mark Ankcorn, Former Deputy City Attorney, City of San Diego, Affirmative Litigation Team
  • Masa Shiohira, Santa Clara County Lead Deputy County Counsel
  • Pat Martel, Former City Manager of Daly City, ICMA Western Regional Director
  • Rocky Lucia, Rains Lucia Stern Founding Principal
  • Staci Drescher, DCI Facts Workplace Attorney-Investigator
  • Tony LoPresti, Santa Clara County Counsel

“The fellowship program is the outgrowth of one of our goals as a firm: to bring talented lawyers and policymakers to work on the important challenges of local governance – a public interest career that’s often overlooked in schools.” Jon Holtzman, RPLG Founding Partner remarked. “The extraordinary quality of this year’s fellows should give us all hope that, despite the problems in Washington, interest in government is alive and well.”

The 2026 program will be held virtually from May 22 to June 5. Learn more about the program here.

RPLG practices throughout California, advising and advocating for public agencies and nonprofits, providing courageous, creative and responsive solutions.