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Joseph Remcho
(1944-2003)
JOSEPH REMCHO was a founding partner in the firm
of Remcho, Johansen & Purcell, where he practiced law for more
than 20 years before his untimely death in a helicopter accident on January 4,
2003. Mr. Remcho represented numerous elected officials, including Governor
Gray Davis, San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown, Jr., and other
leaders in the California Legislature and California Democratic Party.
His full biography can be accessed
here.
Robin B. Johansen
ROBIN B. JOHANSEN is a founding partner of Remcho, Johansen
& Purcell. She was admitted to the California Bar in 1977 and the Bar of the District of Columbia in
1979.
She is a graduate of the University of Illinois (B.A., 1968)
and Stanford Law School (J.D. 1977).
Ms. Johansen was Senior Article Editor, Stanford Law Review, Volume
29, and is the author of "The New Federalism:
Toward a Principled Interpretation of the State Constitution,"
29 Stanford Law Review 297, 1977 and "Searches and Seizures
on Church Premises: Weighing the Privacy Rights of Religious Bodies"
in Kelley, Government Intervention in Religious Affairs II.
Ms.
Johansen has been a member of the Board of Directors of Coro
Northern California since 1999 and served as Board Chair in
2003-2004. In 1974, Ms Johansen was a research
assistant to the U.S. House of Representatives' Impeachment Inquiry
staff. She serves on the
Religious Liberty Committee of the National Council of Churches
and on the editorial board of The Journal of Church and State. From 1992 to 1993, she was a member of the State
Citizens' Commission on Ballot Initiatives.
Ms. Johansen has
represented a broad range of education clients, including the
California Teachers Association, the California School Board
Association, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the
State Department of Education, in public policy, school finance and
constitutional litigation in both state and federal courts.
Ms.
Johansen's extensive appellate experience includes representation
of Dow Jones & Company, Inc. and other publishers on First Amendment
issues, as well as numerous governmental entities on a variety of
public policy issues.
Kathleen J. Purcell
(Ret.)
KATHLEEN
J. PURCELL is a founding partner of Remcho, Johansen &
Purcell. She was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1977 and the
California Bar in 1978. She is a graduate of Stanford University (B.A.,
1974) and Stanford Law School (J.D., 1977). Her full biography can be accessed
here.
James C. Harrison
JAMES C. HARRISON joined Remcho, Johansen &
Purcell in 1997 and became a partner in 2001. He was admitted to the California Bar in 1992.
He is a graduate of Duke University (B.A., cum laude, 1988) and the University of
California, Los Angeles School of Law (J.D., 1992). Prior to joining Remcho, Johansen &
Purcell, Mr. Harrison was a litigation associate at Morrison & Foerster for four years.
Since joining the firm in 1997, Mr.
Harrison has represented a variety of clients in public policy and constitutional litigation.
Mr. Harrison has represented the proponents and opponents of ballot measures in pre- and post-
election challenges, including the successful defense of Proposition 71 (California
Family Bioethics Council v. California Institute for Regenerative Medicine,
147 Cal.App.4th 1319 (2007)) and Proposition 10 (California Assoc. of Retail Tobacconists
v. State, 109 Cal. App. 4th 792 (2003)) and successful challenges to Proposition 213
(Horwich v. Superior Court, 21 Cal. 4th 272 (1999)) and Proposition 208
(California Prolife Council Political Action Committee v. Scully, 164 F.3d 1189
(9th Cir. 1999)). Mr. Harrison also represented the California Legislature in litigation
involving the 2000 Census and redistricting and has represented the State Controller in
actions
relating to the authority of retirement boards and the Unclaimed Property Law. Mr. Harrison's
appellate experience includes arguments in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the California
Supreme Court, and California courts of appeal.
Mr. Harrison
has represented numerous state, local and federal candidates in
connection with election law, campaign finance, and enforcement
matters. Mr. Harrison also advises public and private clients
regarding compliance with the California Political Reform Act and
public meeting and public record laws. Mr. Harrison has
represented numerous public officials and public agencies in
conflict of interest matters, including the Department of Water
Resources, the California Children & Families Commission, Monterey
County, Stanislaus County, and the Alameda Unified School District.
In addition, Mr. Harrison has conducted ethics training seminars for
the Governor's Office, the Assembly, and other state and local
agencies, and he advises clients regarding professional ethics.
Mr. Harrison has been involved
in drafting numerous ballot measures, including Proposition 10, Proposition 26, Proposition 71,
Proposition 82, Proposition 87, and Proposition 93. Mr. Harrison has also represented numerous ballot measure
committees in state and local ballot measure campaigns in California.
Mr. Harrison served as general counsel to
the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the stem cell agency which was established by
Proposition 71, from January 2005 through March 2007, and he continues to serve as special counsel
to the agency.
Karen Getman
KAREN GETMAN
was admitted to the New York Bar in 1986, the District of Columbia Bar in 1987 and the California Bar in 1988. She is a graduate of Yale College (B.A.
with distinction, 1980) and Harvard Law School (J.D. cum laude, 1985).
Ms. Getman was appointed Chairman of the California
Fair Political Practices Commission by Governor Gray Davis in
March, 1999 and served in that capacity until April, 2003. She
served on the Alcoholic Beverage Control Appeals Board from May
2003 through February 2005.
Ms. Getman was the first Executive in Residence at
the Center on Politics at the University of California, Berkeley's
Institute of Governmental Studies where she currently serves as a
member of the IGS National Advisory Council. Ms. Getman is
also adjunct professor at Boalt Hall School of Law, where she
co-teaches the course on Regulating Public Integrity.
Ms. Getman previously served on the board of Women
Executives in State Government and the board of Students Run
Oakland, a nonprofit organization that trains at-risk Oakland
public high school students to run the Los Angeles Marathon. She
also was a member of the Assembly Speaker's Commission on the
California Initiative Process.
Ms. Getman has extensive experience in state and
federal courts and before administrative agencies, and represents
a variety of clients in public policy and constitutional
litigation. Most recently, Ms. Getman successfully challenged a
local ordinance's ban on inter-candidate transfers of
campaign contributions; succeeded in contesting certification of
a proposed manual count voting system; represented the League
of Women Voters in litigation over the counting of write-in
ballots in the San Diego mayoral race; and represented the League
of California Cities and the California State Association of
Counties as Amici in Vargas v. Salinas, currently pending in the
California Supreme Court. Ms. Getman advises candidates,
committees and public agencies regarding compliance with the
state Political Reform Act, the federal Bi-Partisan Campaign Reform
Act, and other legal matters. Ms. Getman also advises the
California Teachers Association on matters relating to the
constitutional school funding guarantee and other legislative and
constitutional issues, and was lead counsel in CTA v. Schwarzenegger.
Ms. Getman is the author of numerous publications. Most
recently she co-authored with Pamela Karlan a chapter in Conflict of
Interest and Public Life (Cambridge Univ. Press 2008) and also authored
chapters in Win the Right Way (Berkeley Public Policy Press 2005) and
California Votes: The 2002 Governor's Race and the Recall That Made
History (Berkeley Public Policy Press 2003).
Thomas A. Willis
THOMAS A. WILLIS
is a
partner specializing in constitutional, campaign finance, and
election law. He was admitted to the California Bar in 1992 and is
a graduate of Duke University (B.A., 1987) and the University of
Virginia School of Law (J.D., 1992).
Since joining the firm, Mr. Willis
has litigated a number of election law, conflict of interest,
campaign finance and redistricting cases. Mr. Willis is currently participating in
litigation successfully defending the California Legislature’s 2001 redistricting
plan. Nadler v. Schwarzenegger, 137 Cal. App. 4th 1327
(2006). In 2003, he successfully challenged an interim contract
approved by a municipality before a referendum election could take
place.
Lindelli v. Town of San Anselmo,
111 Cal. App. 4th 1099 (2003).
In 2002, Mr. Willis successfully defended a member of the Public
Utilities Commission in an action that sought to remove him from
office based on an alleged conflict of interest.
People ex rel. Found. for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights v. Duque,
105 Cal. App. 4th 259 (2003).
Mr. Willis also participated in a successful federal court challenge
to San Francisco campaign contribution limits.
In addition to litigation, Mr.
Willis advises clients on the full panoply of laws governing the
electoral and political process, including federal and state
campaign finance, lobbying, conflicts of interest, and other ethics
laws. He also helped draft several statewide initiatives,
including the recently proposed Proposition 87, which sought to
increase renewable energy and reduce oil consumption in California. Mr. Willis also represents clients before the Federal
Elections Commission, the California Fair Political Practices
Commission, and the San Francisco Ethics Commission. He advises
candidates, campaign committees, initiative and referendum
committees, corporations and nonprofits about these laws and the
electoral process, including election challenges.
Margaret
R. Prinzing
MARGARET R. PRINZING joined Remcho, Johansen &
Purcell in May, 2004. She was admitted to the California bar in 2000. She is a
graduate of Indiana University (B.A. with distinction, 1992; member of Phi Beta Kappa)
and Boalt Hall Law School (J.D., 2000). Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Prinzing was an
associate with Bingham McCutchen where she specialized in civil and appellate litigation.
From 1993 to 1997, she worked as a legislative assistant to U.S. Congressmen Martin Olav Sabo
and Frank McCloskey, focusing on health care, welfare and education matters. During law school,
Ms. Prinzing was Executive Editor of the Berkeley Women’s Law Journal and interned with
the East Bay Community Law Center and the California Fair Employment and Housing Commission.
She has done a wide variety of pro bono work, most recently serving as a member of the Advisory
Committee to the California Habeas Project, and a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children
in the Alameda County foster care system. Since joining the firm, Ms. Prinzing has
represented clients in election, public policy and constitutional litigation
before state and federal courts including the California Supreme
Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. Prinzing also assists clients in drafting initiatives
and advises clients on political and governmental law matters, such as state campaign finance,
conflicts of interest and the initiative process.
Kari Krogseng
KARI KROGSENG
joined Remcho, Johansen & Purcell in 2005. She is a graduate of the University of
Minnesota (B.A., magna cum laude, 1996) and University of California, at Berkeley School of Law
(Boalt Hall) (J.D., 2001). Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Krogseng was a litigation associate
with Bingham McCutchen, and a volunteer organizer for America Coming Together during the 2004
general election. During law school, she authored Minnesota v. Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa
Indians, 27 Ecology L.Q. 771 (2000), and was Managing Editor of Ecology Law Quarterly, a
member of California Law Review, and a board member of Berkeley Law Foundation. She also
clerked for the East Bay Community Law Center, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and the United
States Attorney's Office, Department of Justice. Ms. Krogseng successfully argued that federal
immigration law does not preempt state workers' compensation law for amicus curiae in Farmers
Brothers Coffee v. Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, 133 Cal.App.4th 533 (2005). She
represents clients in constitutional, public policy and election litigation, and advises clients
on nonprofit and tax-exempt corporation law, professional responsibility, and campaign and ethics
law.
STAFF PROFILES:
Jeanne Pritchard
JEANNE PRITCHARD, Political
Reform Act Specialist: Ms. Pritchard joined
the California Fair Political Practices Commission when it was formed
in 1975 and remained with the Commission until joining Remcho, Johansen
& Purcell in 1992. From
1985 until she left the Commission, Ms. Pritchard was Chief,
Technical Assistance and Analysis Bureau with responsibility for
providing advice to the public and specialists in the field on compliance
with the Act. She supervised
a staff of approximately 25 specialists. Ms. Pritchard, who is not an attorney, works
with the firm's lawyers to provide technical advice on compliance
with the Political Reform Act.
In addition, she assists in the preparation of public disclosure
reports required of lobbyists, candidates, officeholders, political
action committees and others involved in the political process.
Trina O'Brien
TRINA O'BRIEN,
Administrator: Ms. O’Brien has a B.S. in Business (Accounting) and
an MBA from Golden
Gate University. Ms. O'Brien joined Remcho, Johansen & Purcell
in 2005 as the firm's general and business manager and computer network
administrator and is a member of the Association of Legal Administrators, the
Institute of Management Accountants and Society for Human Resources Management.
Jeffrey Ball
JEFFREY BALL,
Paralegal: Mr. Ball received a B.A. in Sociology from Boston
College in 1997 and a J.D. from the University of San Francisco in 2002.
Mr. Ball joined Remcho, Johansen & Purcell in 2007 after spending the previous
three and a half years at Bingham McCutchen. Mr. Ball's responsibilities include
cite-checking legal briefs, research, document review and production, and
nonprofit formation and compliance.
Nina Leathley
NINA LEATHLEY,
Litigation Support Coordinator: Ms. Leathley graduated from
California State University, Hayward in 1991 with a B.A. in Liberal
Studies. She joined Remcho, Johansen & Purcell in 1991 and has over
20 years of
experience as a legal secretary. Ms. Leathley also acts as the
firm's litigation production coordinator.
Keli Sarantis
KELI SARANTIS,
Executive Secretary/Administrative Assistant: Ms. Sarantis joined
Remcho, Johansen & Purcell in 1997. She is the executive secretary
to the partners and an administrative assistant to the Administrator. Ms. Sarantis is also the firm's accounts payable
and billing clerk.
Marlo Morgan
MARLO MORGAN,
Administrative Assistant / Case Clerk: Ms. Morgan joined Remcho, Johansen & Purcell
in 2007. She brings several years of experience in the legal field in various
support staff roles. Ms. Morgan handles a wide range of responsibilities for the firm,
including secretarial and paralegal support.
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