A city attorney can create lasting precedents through the cases they pursue and how they argue them.
In the 1980s, city attorney James Hahn, who later became mayor, pioneered the use of gang injunctions, which are court orders that prohibit gang members from doing things like staying out past a certain hour at night, wearing clothes with gang colors, or assembling in large groups. The idea was that breaking up low-level gang activity could prevent more serious crimes.
However, the next city attorney will have to contend with the loss of public trust in the office stemming from its. In that case, a lawyer working for the city attorney’s office secretly represented both sides in a lawsuit over LADWP incorrectly billing customers in 2013. That lawsuit resulted in a $67 million settlement with the city, with $10 million of that money going to at least two attorneys who were involved in orchestrating the cover-up. kickbacks paid to those involved in the cover-up.
Pat Brown Institute at Cal State LA. “[While] the city attorney can roam and do all kinds of stuff in the community, if that’s all they do, they’re not going to be a very good city attorney.” The city attorney is essentially the head of a very, very big law firm.