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Jessica A. Lienau

Partner

Jessica Lienau is a Partner and the Firmwide Assistant General Counsel in the Los Angeles and Phoenix offices of Lewis Brisbois and vice chair of the Public Agency & Municipal Law Practice. Ms. Lienau’s practice is focused on attorney regulation and ethics as well as public agency and municipal law.

She frequently advises clients on solid waste, wastewater, recycling, and recycled water contracts, ordinances, laws, and regulations. Ms. Lienau serves as the outside General Counsel to the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, a group of public agencies that together comprises one of the largest sanitation agencies in the United States. Ms. Lienau is on a team of Lewis Brisbois attorneys that serve as outside General Counsel to the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District since September 2020. Ms. Lienau also has extensive experience representing and counseling clients in a variety of administrative proceedings, local agency formation issues, government tort claims/notices of claims, and public records requests and litigation. Ms. Lienau also represents clients in complex commercial litigation including transportation matters.

Ms. Lienau’s experience in attorney regulation and ethics includes advising attorneys and law firms on matters relating to bar charges in Arizona and State Bar complaints in California, as well as fee disputes, disciplinary matters, disqualification issues, bar admissions, and other licensing, ethics, and professional responsibility issues. Ms. Lienau regularly represents clients from the inquiry stage through trial before the State Bar Court of California. Ms. Lienau has also been retained as an expert witness in attorney ethics matters.

Prior to joining the Firm, she worked for over two years at the State Bar of California, Office of Chief Trial Counsel, as both Deputy and Acting Senior Trial Counsel, representing the State Bar of California and the Committee of Bar Examiners. In that role, she tried a number of cases before the State Bar Court of California. She also managed and directed State Bar investigators in conducting their investigations into disciplinary violations.

Pro Bono & Community Involvement

  • Christ Church School, Board of Directors, 2022 - 2023
  • Notre Dame Club of Phoenix, 2009 - 2010; 2016 - Present
  • Xavier College Preparatory Alumnae Board, 2018 - 2023
    • Vice President, 2020 – 2021
    • President, 2021-2022
  • Notre Dame Club of Los Angeles, 2010 - 2016
  • Young Professionals Council Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, 2013 - 2016

Publications

Professional Presentations

  • Presenter, “Current Events in Legal Ethics,” State Bar of Arizona, January 10, 2023
  • Presenter, “Dealing with Problem Clients: Practical and Ethical Considerations,” State Bar of Montana, September 24, 2022
  • Co-Presenter, "Ethics I: Trouble with Clients – How to Deal Practically & Ethically," Lewis Brisbois Webinar, July 21, 2022
  • Presenter, "Social Media Ethics Rules," Davis Miles McGuire Gardner Women’s Initiative, University Club of Phoenix, March 29, 2022
  • Co-Presenter, “Professional Ethical Pitfalls,” Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) Labor & Employment Law Symposium, March 15, 2022
  • Presenter, Annual Liens Seminar, Arizona Association for Justice (AzAJ), March 2, 2022
  • Co-Presenter, “Ethics Cafe: ER 1.16 - Declining or Terminating Representation,” State Bar of Arizona, March 1, 2022
  • Panelist, “Ethics, Practice Management, and Trust Accounts: Inside the State Bar’s Three Helplines,” State Bar of Arizona, January 31, 2022
  • Presenter, “NOAZ Chapter Membership Meeting and CLE Webinar — Dealing with Impaired Colleagues and Clients PLUS an Overview of the New Referral Fee Rule,” Arizona Women Lawyers Association, September 28, 2021
  • Panelist, “Annual Ethics Game Show!” Arizona Bar Annual Convention, June 17, 2021
  • Co-Presenter, “Paralegal Ethics,” Maricopa County Bar Association – Paralegal Section, June 9, 2021
  • Co-Presenter, “Dealing with Difficult or Impaired Clients or Lawyers,” State Bar of Arizona, May 6, 2021
  • Co-Presenter, “Ethics Cafe: ER 1.9 - Duties to Former Clients,” State Bar of Arizona, May 4, 2021
  • Presenter, “Navigating Arizona Ethical Rule 1.15,” The Arizona Association for Justice LIENS WEEK 2021, February 24, 2021
  • Co-Presenter, “Wait, Wait… Don’t Lawyer Me,” State Bar of Arizona Convention 2020, December 1, 2020
  • Co-Presenter, “Social Media and Ethics CLE,” Lawyers Mutual Insurance Co., July 30, 2020
  • Co-Presenter, Ethics Webinar, State Bar of Arizona, June 18, 2020
  • Co-Presenter, "The Future is Here – Understanding the Basics of Ethics in a Digital Age” CPCU Los Angeles Chapter, March 10, 2020
  • Co-Presenter, "The Future is Here – Understanding the Basics of Ethics in a Digital Age” Lewis Brisbois Webinar, December 19, 2019
  • Co-Presenter, "Tips for Ethically Protecting Your Clients, Yourself and the Rights of Third Parties,” Arizona Association for Justice The Trial Lawyers’ Annual Liens Seminar, Phoenix Convention Center, February 7, 2020.
  • Co-Presenter, “State Bar of Arizona Construction Section’s Current Event and Legal Ethics CLE,” January 7, 2020
  • Presenter, "10 Deadly Sins of Conflict," State Bar of Arizona, October 30, 2019
  • Speaker, "Problem Clients: How to Handle Them and What to Do If the State Bar Gets Involved.” The Arbitration Section and Legal Ethics Committee, The Bar Association of San Francisco, October 23, 2019
  • Panelist, “Dealing with Difficult or Impaired Clients or Lawyers: What you need to do to protect yourself, the client, the lawyer and the Judicial System,” Arizona State Bar, May 22, 2019
  • Speaker, "Social Media, Blog and Publication Liability…Oh My! (Ethics/Professional Responsibility),” Spring 2019 National Legal Malpractice Conference, American Bar Association, Miami, Florida, April 4, 2019
  • Guest Speaker on the Podcast, “Lawyers Gone Ethical,” January 1, 2019
  • Panelist, Legal Malpractice Seminar, Association of Southern California Defense Counsel (ASCDC), December 11, 2018
  • Panelist, "The Impact of California’s New Rules of Professional Conduct, Particularly on Real Estate Practitioners," Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA), December 4, 2018
  • Panelist, “New and Revised Rules of Professional Conduct," Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA) Annual Conference in Las Vegas, August 31, 2018
  • Panelist, “Social Media and Ethics – Current Trends and Tips for Federal Practitioners,” Phoenix Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, May 17, 2018
  • Co-Presenter, “Legal Ethics & Social Media," Alameda County Bar Association, May 10, 2018

Admissions

  • State Bar Admissions
    • Arizona
    • California

Admissions

Arizona

California

Associations

  • State Bar of Arizona Fee Arbitration Program Arbitrator, 2022 - Present
  • State Bar of Arizona Ethics Advisory Group, 2020 - 2023
  • Association of Discipline Defense Counsel (California), 2014 - Present
    • 2nd Vice President 2023 – Present
  • Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, 2015 - 2019
  • Arizona Association of Defense Counsel, Volunteer Attorney for State Bar Defense Consultations, 2017 - Present
  • Maricopa County Bar Association, 2017 - 2021
    • Regular Contributing Writer on Ethics Matters, 2018 - 2021
  • Los Angeles County Bar Association, 2012 - 2016
    • Professional Responsibility and Ethics Committee, 2014 - 2016
    • Wilson High School Mentoring Program 2012-2014

Education

Loyola University Chicago School of Law

Juris Doctor, 2009

University of Notre Dame

Bachelor of Arts in American Studies, cum laude, 2006

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