While serving as San Francisco’s first female city attorney in the early 2000s, Renne Public Law Group (RPLG) Chair Louise Renne hired Vice President and Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris to lead the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office’s Family and Children’s Services Division and worked with her from August 2000 through December 2001.

This summer, Louise has recounted her working relationship with Harris by providing insight to a number of national media outlets during the 2024 election season. She has spoken with CBS News, NBC News, The Washington Post and TIME magazine and appeared on the NPR radio show All Things Considered with Ari Shapiro. Later this fall, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, EenVandaag (a Dutch publication) and the BBC network will feature her comments.

During the interviews, Louise has reflected on the commonalities she and Harris shared as elected officials in San Francisco. She emphasized their mutual commitment to public service and child welfare, sharing a story about Harris giving teddy bears to children and their families as a remembrance of their adoption day. Being both ‘“tough on the law” as well as “compassionate and kind,”’ she said, are qualities that contributed to their mutual success in the City Attorney’s Office.

Louise, who has led numerous anti-discrimination, class-action lawsuits and other public interest cases against powerful entities, also characterized San Francisco’s legal and political culture as one that cultivates “substantive, policy-driven, public-spirited [and] practical people.” She described Harris as “part of an illustrious line of barrier-breaking San Francisco women,” to The Washington Post.

“Louise’s impactful career as a public law leader in San Francisco continues to inspire,” said Founding Partner Jonathan Holtzman. “We are proud of our firm’s roots in the City Attorney’s Office.”

As chair and co-founder of Renne Public Law Group, Louise leads the firm’s public interest litigation. Her extensive experience includes roles as San Francisco city attorney, California deputy attorney general and member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She also supports Friends of the Children and serves on the Laguna Honda Board of Directors among other community affiliations.

RPLG practices throughout California, advising and advocating for public agencies, nonprofit entities, individuals and private entities in need of effective, responsive and creative legal solutions.