Jenner & Block is pleased to announce that Venus D. Johnson, former Chief Deputy Attorney General of California, has joined as Special Counsel in its San Francisco office as part of the firm's State Attorneys General Practice.
Venus joins Jenner following her service as the second-highest ranking official in the California State Department of Justice. During her tenure, Venus was actively involved in matters of privacy, technology, consumer protection, environmental protection, healthcare policy, housing, real estate development, and civil rights. She oversaw a department of approximately 5,000 employees, including more than 1,200 attorneys, in a series of high-profile investigations as well as the most recent change in federal administrations.
"Venus brings an extraordinary combination of executive management, legal experience, and political savvy developed at the highest levels of state government," said Co-Managing Partners Ishan Bhabha and Randy Mehrberg. "Her firsthand experience shaping enforcement and regulatory priorities for the largest state in the country gives clients a distinct advantage, and her strategic mindset makes her an invaluable advisor for their most complex and consequential matters.”
Throughout her years as California’s Chief Deputy AG, Venus helped to shape state actions over consequential investigations and litigation concerning environmental matters, business and hospital mergers, major proceedings in the oil and gas sector, and housing and development disputes involving cities and counties. She also supervised civil rights investigations of law enforcement agencies and education systems, led juvenile justice and probation oversight initiatives, and managed crisis situations involving in-custody deaths. Venus’s appellate experience includes numerous topics before the California Supreme Court.
"Venus has been a central figure in the State Attorney General landscape over the last several years and has deep insights into state AG approaches to both state and federal initiatives," said State Attorneys General Practice Co-Chair Brian Hauck. "She is widely respected by State AGs and their staffs throughout the country – the kind of person they look forward to hearing from – and is exactly the kind of person our clients want on their side."Venus began her career as a Deputy District Attorney in Alameda County, where she prosecuted serious violent crimes including homicides and sexual assaults. She is a recipient of the Kamala Harris Woman of Excellence Award from the Charles Houston Bar Association and has been recognized as one of California's 50 Fast Track Lawyers by The Recorder, among numerous other honors.
"Few firms match Jenner & Block's ability to bring together enforcement, regulatory, and policy experience alongside deep industry knowledge, particularly when it comes to state-level enforcement,” said Venus. “That rare combination made this an easy decision. I am excited to join Jenner’s State Attorneys General Practice and this exceptional team."Venus earned her JD with distinction from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, and her BA in Political Science from Loyola Marymount University.
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