Aileen McGrath Quoted in The Recorder on Changes in Leadership of San Francisco City Attorney’s Office

The Recorder has quoted Akin Gump Supreme Court and appellate senior counsel Aileen McGrath in the article “SF City Attorney Post Needs a Lawyer, Not a Politician, Former Office Leaders Say.” The article reports on San Francisco Mayor London Breed’s decision to nominate City Attorney Dennis Herrera as general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

McGrath, who joined Akin Gump earlier this year after serving as co-chief of appellate litigation in the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office (click here to learn more), said the mayor has been very upfront about the commission’s need for a leader with the utmost integrity and a strong ethical compass.

“It’s hard to imagine someone who is more suited for that kind of job than Dennis,” McGrath said. “And I say that not just as someone who’s familiar with the work that he does and all the public corruption investigations that he’s led, but as someone who knows him personally and  knows that he always puts the public good and equity above anything else.”

McGrath added that she hopes the next city attorney will share Herrera’s willingness to take on cases that others might not be willing to pursue, such as the office’s challenge of the constitutionality of state laws barring LGBTQ couples from legally marrying.

“I think that whoever is the next city attorney, I hope that that person has the same independent spirit, commitment to the greater good and a willingness to take chances and risks,” McGrath said.