Of Counsel
Michael Jenkins
After forty years of service as city attorney to multiple southern California cities, Michael has retired from active service as a city attorney and currently provides advice and counsel as special counsel to public agencies throughout the State.
The Los Angeles Daily Journal has named Michael among California’s Top 25 Municipal Lawyers, and he was profiled in a special Municipal Law supplement edition of the paper. He has appeared on the Southern California Super Lawyers list every year since 2008.
Michael’s commitment to the municipal law field is evidenced by his current role on the California City Management Foundation Board of Trustees and past service as president of the City Attorneys Department of the League of California Cities, his leadership in co-authoring the original version of the League’s “Municipal Law Handbook” and as chair of the League’s Brown Act Committee, in which capacity he negotiated, on behalf of California cities, major changes to the State’s open meeting laws, which took effect in 1994. He has served as editor for “Open & Public V,” the League’s manual on the Brown Act. Michael also served as president of the City Attorneys Association of Los Angeles County and a member of the Executive Committee of the Public Law Section of the State Bar (and editor of the Section newsletter).
Michael is also a devoted educator in his field. He teaches local government law at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and is a frequent lecturer on municipal law subjects. He has authored numerous articles and trainings for lawyers in the field. In addition, he advised the California Constitutional Revision Commission on behalf of the League of Cities from 1994-1996 with respect to home rule issues affecting both charter and general law cities.
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Lawyer of the Year, Municipal Law, 2025
- El Matador Grande Award, California Contract Cities Association, 2021
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Land Use and Zoning and Municipal Law, 2022–2025
- Southern California Super Lawyers, State, Local and Municipal, 2005-2006, 2008-2020
- California’s Top 25 Municipal Lawyers, Daily Journal, 2012
- California City Management Foundation Board of Trustees
- League of California Cities
- City Attorneys Association of Los Angeles County, past president
- State Bar of California Public Law Section
Presentations
- "Handling Difficult Closed Sessions," California Lawyers Association's Open Meetings and Open Records Conference, Sept. 26, 2024
- "Dysfunction Junction," League of California Cities City Leaders Summit, April 18, 2024
- "Dysfunction Junction: Brown Act In-Meeting Challenges," California Lawyers Association Public Law 101 Conference, Nov. 15, 2023
- "An Irregular Meeting of the City Council of Dysfunction Junction: The Do’s and Don’ts of Conducting a Public Meeting," League of California Cities New Mayors and Council Members Academy, Feb. 2, 2023
- "An Irregular Meeting of the City Council of Dysfunction Junction: The Do’s and Don’ts of Conducting a Public Meeting," League of California Cities New Mayors and Council Members Academy, Jan. 19, 2023
- "Attorneys Role in Closed Session," CLA Open Meetings and Open Records Conference, April 7, 2022
- "An Irregular Meeting of the City Council of Dysfunction Junction Planning Commission," League of California Cities Planning Commissioners Academy, Mar. 16, 2022
- "An Irregular Meeting of the City Council of Dysfunction Junction: The Do’s and Don’ts of Conducting a Public Meeting," League of California Cities New Mayors and Council Members Academy, Jan. 20, 2022
- "City of Dysfunction Junction: How to Conduct an Effective and Respectful Planning Commission Meeting," Planning Commissioners Academy, League of California Cities, March 31, 2021
- "City of Dysfunction Junction: How to Conduct an Effective and Respectful Planning Commission Meeting," New Mayors and Councilmembers Academy, League of California Cities, Jan. 21, 2021
- "City of Dysfunction Junction: How to Conduct an Effective and Respectful Planning Commission Meeting," Planning Commissioners Academy, League of California Cities, March 4, 2020
- "Dysfunction Junction," New Mayors & Council Members Academy, League of California Cities Sacramento, Jan. 22, 2020
- "Open Meetings Behinds Closed Doors," California Lawyers Association's Open Meetings and Open Records Conference, May 31, 2019
- "Closed Session Training Program (Open Government Behind Closed Doors)," League of California Cities’ City Attorneys’ Spring Conference, May 9, 2019
- "Mock City Council Closed Session Training," League of California Cities City Attorneys' Conferences, May 6, 2019
- "Mock Planning Commission Meeting Training," Planning Commissioners Academy, League of California Cities, March 6, 2019
- "Dysfunction Junction," New Mayors & Council Members Academy, League of California Cities Sacramento, Jan. 16, 2019 and League of California Cities Irvine, Jan. 30, 2019
- "Fundamentals of Local Government," California Joint Powers Insurance Authority Newly Elected Officials Academy, June 4, 2018
- "City of Dysfunction Junction: How to Conduct an Effective and Respectful Planning Commission Meeting," League of California Cities' Planning Commisioners Academy, April 6, 2018
