Cal Cities City Attorneys Spring Conference attracts 500 attorneys, the highest attendance since 2017

 

The virtual event featured nearly 30 speakers and offered 14 hours of Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) credits.

During the first day of the conference, April 29, attorneys from local city attorney offices and municipal law firms throughout California took care of business. Cal Cities City Attorneys Department President and San Pablo City Attorney Lynn Tracy Nerland welcomed attendees to the annual department meeting, which showcased the critical work of the City Attorney Department committees and included presentations on Cal Cities’ priorities from Director and Past President Amy Albano, Burbank city attorney and Cal Cities Executive Director and CEO Carolyn Coleman. During the meeting, colleagues who had achieved special distinction, retired, or passed away were also recognized and honored.

There were also gatherings for attorneys with newer to the practice of municipal law to meet, ask questions, and get to know more about the resources available through Cal Cities and the City Attorneys Department, and to get to know each other. Over the next four Fridays, the virtual conference covered a wide range of critical legal issues cities face, including:

• Labor and Employment Litigation
• Elected Officials and Employment Law
• Municipal Legal Issues Involving Railroads
• Emerging Trends in Class Action Challenges to Revenue Measures
• Rideshare Companies and User Tax
• Municipal Tort and Civil Rights Litigation
• Police Reform and Qualified Immunity
• New Housing Legislation and Recent Legislation
• Land Use and CEQA Litigation
• Abating Nuisance Properties at No Cost
• Packaging Legal Advice for Non-Attorney Clients
• Public-Private Partnerships for Local-Serving Projects
• General Municipal Litigation

One highlight was the opening general session on Competency and Mindful Lawyering. Recognizing the professional and personal challenges of the pandemic, trial attorney, mediator, and mindfulness coach Mark Fingerman took conference attendees through the practices of identifying potential impediments to carrying out their work, mindfulness techniques, and how to apply this to the practice of law. President Lynn Tracy Nerland highlighted the importance of this session, noting that “To be competent — much less the best legal advisors for our cities that we can be — we need to be emotionally strong.”

The presentations and legal papers associated with each talk are available on the City Attorney papers database webpage for all Cal Cities members. Through the dynamic presentations and networking opportunities, the City Attorneys Spring Conference provided attendees with high quality legal education and programming that created meaningful interpersonal connections within the virtual format.

A very special thank you to our conference sponsors!

Elite Sponsors
Burke Williams & Sorensen
Casso & Sparks, LLP
Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley, PC
Cole Huber LLP
Devany Pate Morris & Cameron
Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland LLP
Hanson Bridgett LLP
Jarvis, Fay & Gibson, LLP
Jones & Mayer
Lounsbery Ferguson Altona & Peak
Lozano Smith Attorneys at Law
Meyers Nave
Remy Moose Manley, LLP
Renne Public Law Group
Richards Watson & Gershon
Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP
Sloan Sakai Yeung & Wong LLP
 
Supporting Sponsor
Best Best & Krieger (Fun Run Sponsor)