Civil rights lawyer to lead public interest law firm’s transformative legal advocacy
LOS ANGELES, JULY 24, 2024 – Public Counsel, one of the nation’s leading public interest law firms, has named Kathryn Eidmann as its next President and Chief Executive Officer, and holder of the Helen & Morgan Chu CEO Distinguished Chair. Eidmann’s appointment is the result of a national search to find a new leader for Public Counsel after former President and CEO, Mónica Ramírez Almadani, was appointed to serve as a federal judge on the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Eidmann is a leading civil rights lawyer who has spent over a decade at Public Counsel leading innovative legal advocacy to advance justice for communities across the country. She has litigated major cases in the areas of education equity, children’s rights, gender discrimination, criminalization of poverty, immigrants’ rights, housing and homelessness, and the rights of low-wage workers. Most recently, she served as Public Counsel’s Vice President, Chief of Litigation and Legal Programs, where she oversaw a team of 120 attorneys, social workers, organizers, and administrative staff providing direct legal services, impact litigation, and policy advocacy.
“Kathryn is a strategic and creative thinker, and we at Public Counsel are fortunate to have her at the helm,” said Tanya Acker, Chair of Public Counsel’s Board of Directors and co-host of Amazon Freevee’s Tribunal Justice. “Her visionary leadership is precisely what the moment requires, and I’m excited to see her advance the work of this extraordinary organization.”
Eidmann has been recognized in the legal and advocacy communities for her creative litigation and advocacy. In 2019, she received the California Lawyer of the Year award for the victory she secured in People v. Duenas, a landmark California Court of Appeal opinion establishing for the first time that courts may not impose mandatory court fees on indigent criminal defendants. She was named as one of the “Top 40 Lawyers Under 40” in California by the Daily Journal in 2021. She is a frequent speaker on education equity, children’s rights, and racial and economic justice issues, and her work has been covered by national and local news media.
“I am honored and grateful for this opportunity to lead Public Counsel, which I see as the leading force for ambitious legal advocacy to end systemic economic and racial inequities in Los Angeles and beyond,” Eidmann said. “Through our innovative approach, we deliver direct legal services that change individual people’s lives, while working to establish legal precedents, change policies, and build community power to address the roots of the injustices our clients are facing. Together, our talented staff and committed Board work with longstanding community partners to give legal firepower to individual and community struggles for justice, opportunity, and power. In these challenging and uncertain times nationally, Public Counsel’s urgent mission is to foster hope and catalyze transformative change.”
For over five decades, Public Counsel has provided direct legal services to low-income clients in areas such as housing and homelessness, children’s rights, educational justice, consumer protection, immigrants’ rights, gender justice, veterans’ rights, and community development. The organization’s impact litigation and policy advocacy has resulted in landmark victories and precedents, such as the over $2 billion settlement recently secured in Cayla J. v. California, which requires the State to use federal funding to support low-income and minority students who fell behind during the COVID-19 remote-learning period catch up on lost learning.
“I have been a colleague and co-counsel with Kathryn for over a decade,” said Mark Rosenbaum, Senior Special Counsel for Strategic Litigation at Public Counsel. “By her experience and vision, she is uniquely qualified to lead Public Counsel to end the disparities created by poverty and racism that divide Los Angeles and California into communities of haves and have-nots. Kathryn is the most brilliant and innovative strategist I have worked with in over a half-century of practice. With her leadership, Public Counsel will be to economic liberties and rights what the ACLU is to civil liberties and rights.”
Eidmann has taught at the University of California, Irvine School of Law since 2017. She was appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti to serve on the Los Angeles Board of Library Commissioners and the Commission for Community and Family Services, advising the City of Los Angeles on issues of poverty and the needs of children, youth, and families. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles. Prior to joining Public Counsel, Eidmann was a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeal for the District of Columbia Circuit for Judge Thomas B. Griffith and practiced complex civil litigation at the law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson. She received her A.B. magna cum laude from Harvard College and her J.D. from Yale Law School.
“I am thrilled to welcome Kathryn into this role,” said Kristen Jackson, Public Counsel’s outgoing Interim President & CEO. “Having worked alongside her for more than a decade, I know firsthand her sharp mind and her deep humanity. We heartily embrace Kathryn as our new leader, and undoubtedly we and our clients will thrive under her watch.”
In addition to Ramírez Almadani’s elevation to the federal bench, Public Counsel’s two prior leaders have also served on the same court. Hernán Vera, Public Counsel’s President & CEO from 2008-2014, was confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in 2024. Margaret Morrow, a distinguished federal judge in the same district, stepped down from the bench after nearly 18 years to lead Public Counsel from 2016-2021.
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ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS
“Kathryn is a listener – a doer – a leader. She is perfect for Public Counsel’s vision,” said Morgan Chu, a partner at Irell & Manella LLP and the longest-serving member of the Public Counsel Board. “She is also dedicated, smart, and focused on achieving great results, which makes her an outstanding leader.”
“Kathryn knows what is right and what is just. Even more importantly – she knows how to achieve it,” said Bruce Cormicle, secretary of the Board and owner of his own law firm. “A brilliant strategist – she sees moves and outcomes well in advance. I’ve seen her argue a case in the Ninth Circuit with unparalleled command, control, and charm. Kathryn’s authenticity and passion for public interest work shine through in everything she does. She is a natural leader who brings people together effortlessly and will hit the ground running on day one. It is a spectacular moment for Public Counsel and for the clients that we serve.”
“As our new leader, Kathryn brings an extraordinary combination of an abiding decades-long commitment to the fight for equal justice, a remarkable record of accomplishment and success, a profound understanding of Public Counsel, and the goodwill of those who have had the pleasure to collaborate with her throughout her impactful career,” said Dan Grunfeld, who previously led the organization as its president and CEO for a decade and is the immediate past Chair of the Board.
“Public Counsel is a leader in advancing systemic change through a community lawyering approach that utilizes a combination of direct legal services, litigation, and policy advocacy,” said Ritu Mahajan, directing attorney at Public Counsel’s Community Development Project. “Kathryn has championed this multi-pronged strategy to advance racial and economic justice, and values our team’s efforts to support community-based organizations and advance policies that are community-led and driven.”
“I couldn’t be more excited about Kathryn’s selection as Public Counsel’s new president and CEO,” said David Johnson, founder of Act 4 Entertainment and past Chair of the Board. “Kathryn is a brilliant and dedicated lawyer who has been instrumental in achieving groundbreaking victories across multiple aspects of our work. Kathryn has had an extraordinary focus on a number of areas, particularly education. She understands the importance of integrated litigation, communications, movement building, and advocacy strategies. Kathryn is deeply respected by our supporters, board, staff, and community, and she is a thoughtful and inspiring leader. Additionally, she has been actively involved in civic life, including serving as vice president of the library board. Kathryn is not only a great professional but also a great friend. At this point in our country’s history, Public Counsel’s impact is critically important. I am delighted that, after an extensive search, we have selected one of our own. Kathryn Eidmann is an extraordinary advocate for civil and economic rights and will drive positive change for our community and for our country.”
“As a longtime Public Counsel supporter, I couldn’t be more excited about the choice of our new leader, Kathryn Eidmann,” said Roman Silberfeld, a partner at Robins Kaplan LLC and past Chair of the Board. “Kathryn will ably fill the shoes of our distinguished past CEOs, and, more than that, she will without any doubt exceed the accomplishments of her predecessors because of the unique qualities that she brings to her new role. Most notably, Kathryn is an excellent lawyer who has guided many of the important and groundbreaking cases that Public Counsel has brought. And, great leadership is most often exemplified by setting a great example for those whom one has the privilege to lead. Kathryn will, and always has, set a great example of being a person of high moral values, of distinguished service, and of great vision about the important issues of our time that affect the communities that we serve. Kathryn has always been a voice for those communities and, as CEO, will surely make even greater strides to deliver justice, hope, and opportunity.”
“What makes Kathryn an amazing leader for Public Counsel is her ability to see fully both the injustice and the legal path toward solving it,” said Michael H. Steinberg, a partner in Sullivan and Cromwell LLP’s Los Angeles office and past Chair of the Board. “Kathryn inspires us all to want to solve the thorny problems that disadvantaged individuals face daily, and she does so through brilliance, creativity and perseverance. Kathryn’s decade of groundbreaking work at Public Counsel makes her the perfect person to lead it. She inspires others – inside and outside of Public Counsel – to find novel solutions to intractable problems. I’ve had the distinct pleasure of working directly with Kathryn, and she stands out for her legal brilliance borne out of her breadth of experience working for those who need her help the most.”
“I’m delighted to welcome Kathryn as our new President and CEO,” said Judy Verduzco, director of social work at Public Counsel. “Kathryn deeply appreciates the unique skillsets that social workers bring to our legal practice, which build our capacity to embed trauma-informed principles in our work, benefiting both our clients and staff. She is committed to sustaining and growing our interdisciplinary advocacy model in order to continue delivering holistic and effective legal services. Kathryn also recognizes the impact of compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, and burnout on staff. Public Counsel has prioritized staff wellness, offering activities such as full-day wellness retreats, guided mindfulness and meditation classes, and virtual yoga classes. Kathryn is committed to fostering a healthy workplace for all by supporting activities that promote staff wellness and working toward building a comprehensive framework for workplace wellness across the organization.”
About Public Counsel
Public Counsel is a nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to advancing civil rights and racial and economic justice, as well as to amplifying the power of our clients through comprehensive legal advocacy. Founded on and strengthened by a pro bono legal service model, our staff and volunteers seek justice through direct legal services, promote healthy and resilient communities through education and outreach, and support community-led efforts to transform unjust systems through litigation and policy advocacy in and beyond Los Angeles.
