WHY HIRE ANDREA SALTZMAN?

Beginning with a research attorney position at the California Supreme Court in 1972, Ms. Saltzman has extensive experience in appellate law. She has handled scores of civil appeals and writs and was certified as an appellate specialist by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization in 1996, in the first group of lawyers to be so certified. She co-chaired the Alameda County Bar Association's Appellate Section from 1996 to 1998 and served on the State Bar's Committee on the Appellate Courts (appointed by the Board of Governors) from 1997 to 2000.  In addition, Ms. Saltzman has been selected by her peers as a "Northern California Super Lawyer" in appellate law every year since 2005.

Ms. Saltzman’s many appeals and writs have covered a broad range of procedural and substantive issues, but she has always focused on public law and has a particular expertise in the substantive areas of land use, municipal finance, government tort liability, eminent domain and general local government law.  In 1981, she was a special assistant to the Berkeley City Attorney, and from 1989 until 2005, she worked with an Oakland firm specializing in the representation of cities and other public agencies (Meyers Nave Riback Silver & Wilson). Since 2005, in addition to maintaining an independent practice in Berkeley, she has been “of counsel” with Jarvis, Fay, Doporto & Gibson, also in Oakland and also specializing in public law.

Because of her appellate expertise and knowledge of local government law, Ms. Saltzman has often been asked by the League of California Cities, the California State Association of Counties and others to prepare amicus briefs; she is a long-standing member of the League’s Municipal Law Institute Committee (which presents an annual symposium on cutting edge issues for public agencies); and she has twice taught the local government course at UC Berkeley's School of Law (Boalt Hall). Additionally, she has published several articles on public law issues and is the lead author of a widely used textbook, Law in Social Work Practice, now in its second edition.

Ms. Saltzman also has considerable trial experience. She has handled dozens of jury and court trials and administrative and traditional writs of mandate and has also briefed and argued many motions, including dispositive motions and post-trial motions. She has a particular expertise in motions for attorney's fees, having handled numerous such motions for both moving and defending parties. Ms. Saltzman has additionally handled several appeals of attorney's fee awards; written three articles on the subject, and is a frequent speaker on the topic of attorney's fees.

Ms. Saltzman received a J.D. (Order of the Coif) from UC Berkeley's School of Law in 1972; an M.A. from UC Berkeley in 1969; and a B.A. from Bryn Mawr College in 1967.

For more information on Ms. Saltzman’s education and experience, please click here to see her full resume.