Outstanding Achievement in Public Law (OAPL) Award

2025 Outstanding Achievement in Public Law (OAPL) Award Recipient: Ryan McGinley-Stempel

Ryan McGinley-Stempel is a partner and Head of Appellate Practice at Renne Public Law Group®, which was founded by former San Francisco City Attorney Louise Renne. Mr. McGinley-Stempel is certified by the California State Bar as an Appellate Specialist and previously clerked for the California Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. He represents public agencies in litigation on a wide range of constitutional and statutory issues, including free speech, education law, employment law, public pensions and vested rights, taxation, voter initiatives, and land use. He maintains an active appellate practice on behalf of public agencies, with cases currently pending in the California Supreme Court; the First, Second, and Sixth Appellate Districts of the California Court of Appeal; and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He recently achieved a unanimous victory for a public hospital authority in the California Supreme Court holding that civil penalties under California’s Private Attorneys General Act do not apply to public entities. See Stone v. Alameda Health System (2024) 16 Cal.5th 1040. Read More

Outstanding Achievement in Public Law (OAPL) Award

The Outstanding Achievement in Public Law (OAPL) Award recognizes an individual or team for a recent exceptional accomplishment that has improved the lives of Californians through the representation of a local, state, or federal government entity. Achievements may be wide and varied! For example, they could include a precedent-setting court victory, guiding a public entity through a particularly challenging process, or assisting California residents during an emergency event.

The Public Law Section supports the goal of diversity in its membership and leadership. As such, the Public Law Section encourages nominations that represent California’s diversity, including people of color, women and LGBTQ people.

The deadline to submit a nomination was May 15, 2025.

Eligibility

To be eligible, a nomination must meet the following criteria:

Include at least one member of the State Bar of California; and
The nominee(s) must have achieved a recent legal victory that has improved the lives of Californians through the representation of a government entity, or represented or advised a government entity through a particularly challenging matter or process

Selection Criteria

The Executive Committee may consider the following factors when selecting the recipient(s) of award:

Whether the achievement resulted in benefits to Californians extending beyond the public entity represented.
Whether the achievement required a commitment to public law above and beyond what is ordinarily expected.
Use of innovative or creative problem-solving by the nominee(s).

Nomination Process

To nominate an individual or team for this award, please submit the following:

Nomination Form
Nominator’s Statement of Nomination
Letter(s) of Support (no more than five)

Nominations and supporting materials must be submitted by email to:

OAPL Award
Public Law Section Section Coordinator
E-Mail: PublicLaw@calawyers.org

2025 Outstanding Achievement in Public Law (OAPL) Award Recipient: Ryan McGinley-Stempel