Jack Davis, 32, has a unique background as a lawyer but has found that researching, writing and arguing cases as associate attorney at Kershaw Talley Barlow is the perfect melding of his many skills and passions.

The biggest challenge of his job? “It never turns off,” says Sheriff Cooper. “It’s always on. My phone rings at all hours of the day and night.” The good news is that he’s wired for this. “I enjoy what I do,” says the sheriff. “I’m not a type-A personality. I’m a type-AAA personality. I can go. I don’t have an off switch.” 

Diversity, equity and inclusion are buzzwords that swim all around us. But how we define and put these principles into action comes from somewhere deep inside. For me, it’s my parents’ legacy that inspires me to enact policies that empower constituents, like scheduling town halls in every district in West Sacramento. 

“When I’m in Sacramento,” she says, “people stop me on the street wondering about the impact something will have on their lives. I respond to every inquiry, but that doesn’t mean I’m able to go down every rabbit hole.” She smiles. “I always stand firm on what my constituents want. They first put me here and have put me back here every two years.”

Patterson returned to public policy in 2019 as the legal affairs secretary for Gov. Newsom, where she spent a good portion of her early work as counsel on the energy team, tackling the PG&E bankruptcy after the destructive North Bay and Camp fires. As cabinet secretary, Patterson advises the governor on policy and oversees all state agencies and departments within the administration.

Since joining Stoel Rives five years ago, Ewens has represented both public agencies and private clients, such as vintners and ranchers, navigating the legal maze of water access. Her work frequently involves mediating between competing interests: agriculture, municipalities, environmental concerns and historical water rights holders. 

She began her legal career in Washington, D.C., where she worked for the U.S. Department of Justice. She chose the civil division, which handled cases such as aviation disasters, the U.S. government giving LSD to soldiers in the 1950s as an experiment, and whether radioactive atomic testing in Nevada caused cancer. “It was pretty exciting stuff,” she says.