Jayne W. Williams

Overview

Jayne Williams is the City Attorney for the City of San Leandro and previously served in this role for the City of Suisun City and as Interim City Attorney for the cities of Stockton and Merced. A former Managing Principal of Meyers Nave, she now heads the firm’s Crisis Management: Public Policy, Ethics and Investigations Practice Group. 
 
Jayne led the Meyers Nave team in the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) confidential internal affairs investigation of the officer-involved shooting death of Oscar Grant. This New Year’s Day 2008 incident gained public attention throughout the Bay Area and the nation, and sparked protests that extended for a number of weeks following the shooting. The investigation reviewed the actions of the police officers who were involved in the incident to determine any potential misconduct.
 
Before joining Meyers Nave, Jayne served at all levels of city government with the City of Oakland, eventually attaining the position of City Attorney, which she held from 1987 to 2000. She began her tenure with the Oakland City Attorney’s office in 1974, specializing in housing and redevelopment. She then served as the City’s Director of Personnel from 1978 to 1980, before returning to the City Attorney’s office as Assistant City Attorney. As Assistant City Attorney, Jayne was responsible for the management of the litigation division of the office. As City Attorney, she directed a staff of 36 attorneys. 
 
Through her career as a practicing public lawyer and leader, Jayne has gained extensive experience and expertise in strategic planning, innovative public project initiatives, and managing and coordinating attorneys throughout complex legal transactions and civil litigation. She is an acknowledged expert in all aspects of the representation of elected and appointed public officials and public agencies.  With a strong commitment to public service, Jayne is also active in the community. She is a past president of the City Attorney’s Division of the League of California Cities, and has served as an elected representative to the executive committee of the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference and as a co-chairperson of the Northern District lawyer representative delegation to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference. She is a former member of the executive committee of the Litigation Section of the California State Bar, is a past chair of the executive committee of the State Bar’s Public Law Section, and served as a member of the State Bar’s Commission on the Future of the State Bar and the Legal Profession. 
 

Jayne is a sought-after speaker and community leader. She has given talks for local and national organizations on topics ranging from specific aspects of the law to the importance of public service.