Filipino Bar Association of Northern California Provides San Francisco City Attorney With Unique Opportunity to Attract Interns, Attorneys to Public Sector Legal Practice
City Attorney Dennis Herrera touted the importance of public service in a recent visit with several dozen lawyers and law students of the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California, sharing his own experience as a former principal of a downtown law firm who embarked on a major career change in December of 2001 when he was elected San Francisco’s top civil lawyer.
The FBANC event, hosted at the San Francisco law offices of Hanson Bridgett late last month, offered Herrera a forum to outline his office’s broad responsibilities as legal counsel to the Mayor, Board of Supervisors, the S.F. Unified School District and to the nearly one hundred departments, boards and commissions that comprise the City and County of San Francisco’s government.
“There is a lot of popular confusion about the City Attorney’s role,” Herrera said. “But it’s impossible to imagine a more satisfying or interesting way to apply a legal education or pursue a legal career. Whether it’s in litigation, labor negotiations or providing legal advice, our job in the City Attorney’s Office is to defend the integrity of our public institutions, to protect our neighborhoods and to ensure that City government remains accountable to its citizens and taxpayers.”
Herrera expressed particular appreciation to FBANC — which had endorsed his candidacy for City Attorney in 2001 — for providing him an important opportunity to encourage young lawyers from the Filipino-American community throughout Northern California to seek employment in his office as public servants in the City and County San Francisco. Herrera acknowledged several Filipino-American Deputy City Attorneys from his office on hand for the FBANC-sponsored event, including…
- Michael Leon Guerrero of the City Attorney’s Labor Team
- Rowena Libang of the Children and Families Team, and
- Ernie Llorente of the Code Enforcement and Resident Protection Team
Herrera went on to welcome interested law students from the Filipino-American community to seek internships in his office, where they can earn invaluable experience working with deputies in drafting statutes, reviewing contracts, representing the City in court and assisting City officials with legal counsel. More information is available by calling the internship coordinator at (415) 554-4700.