Meredith E. Brown

Meredith Brown has more than 25 years of experience representing public agencies and private institutions.  Her principal areas of specialization include general litigation, local government law for California public agencies, construction law (including hospital construction), business litigation, business law for private and public entities, environmental law, and contracts and public procurement.

Ms. Brown has developed general conditions and special provisions for multi-million-dollar construction projects.  She has also provided claims avoidance counseling and defense for public entities conducting large capital programs involving multiple complex construction and joint development projects.  Ms. Brown drafted procurement procedures; analyzed and resolved construction bid protests; and drafted and trained school district staff on the use of Requests for Proposals and contract templates.  She has experience drafting and negotiating leases, joint use agreements, and memoranda of understanding for public entity clients with a heavy construction and procurement volume.

Ms. Brown provides advice to both private and public clients.  She has defended private clients in land use nuisance and California Environmental Quality Act claims.  She has negotiated public and private partnerships relating to shared fund and maintenance of sports fields and a public library that allowed youth sports groups and local communities’ access to public facilities that otherwise would be unavailable due to funding shortfalls.

Ms. Brown served on the board of a private independent school accredited through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and has developed policies and procedures for public and private educational and community service organizations.  She currently serves as a member of the board of trustees for a public community college.  She has practiced construction and business litigation on behalf of nationally recognized public and private clients, and has represented a number of large and small public entities in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Ms. Brown has served as legal counsel in numerous public agency board meetings, court proceedings, and administrative hearings, including hearings before the City of Oakland and the Fair Political Practices Commission.  She has also served as a member of the Alameda County Transportation Commission Advisory Committee.

In addition to serving as an advocate, Ms. Brown has extensive adjudicative experience, having served as an Alameda County Limited Jurisdiction Judge Pro Tem from 2009 until 2013.  As a Judge Pro Tem, Ms. Brown managed a courtroom setting, accepted testimony, and reviewed evidence in reaching her decisions.  In 2013, Ms. Brown was elected to serve on the trustee board of her local community college district.

Ms. Brown is well versed in Brown Act compliance issues and also provides training to educational institutions on Title IX compliance.

Practice Areas

Community & Professional

• African American Community College Trustees, Caucus of the California Community College League, President
• Alameda County Bar Association, Member
• Alameda County Democratic Lawyers Club, President
• Association of Community College Trustees, Representative
• Delegate to the 2008 National Democratic Party Convention in Denver, Colorado
• Junior League Service Club, member and annual volunteer for the Junior League literacy program “Shooting Stars” implemented in Oakland public schools
• Junior Classical League Chaperone/Volunteer for Certamen and State Convention
• Metropolitan Greater Oakland Democratic Organization, Member
• National Women’s Political Caucus, Alameda County, Board Member
• Oakland Chamber of Commerce, Member
• Oakland African-American Chamber of Commerce, Member
• Oakland East Bay Small Business Council, Member
• Oakland Montclair Soccer Club, president and coach of its girls’ Under-10 team
• Pacific Region Diversity Committee, Member