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Jill Habig

Founder, Public Rights Project

Jill Habig is a prominent attorney, lecturer, and social entrepreneur with extensive experience in civil rights, public law, and policy advocacy. She is currently a Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley - School of Law, where she teaches courses on state and local impact litigation. She is also the Founder and President of the Public Rights Project (PRP), a national nonprofit organization that collaborates with local governments to enforce civil rights, economic justice, and environmental protection laws.124

Education and Early Career

Jill earned her J.D. from Yale Law School and her B.A. from Georgetown University. She began her legal career clerking for Judge Dorothy W. Nelson of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and Judge Edward M. Chen of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.124

Professional Experience

  • Public Rights Project: Founded in 2017, PRP focuses on empowering state and local governments to pursue affirmative litigation to protect civil rights and address systemic injustices.
  • California Department of Justice: Jill served as Special Counsel to then-Attorney General Kamala Harris, where she led initiatives such as the creation of the Bureau of Children’s Justice in 2015. Her work included civil rights investigations in education, child welfare, and juvenile justice systems.
  • San Francisco City Attorney’s Office: She contributed to landmark cases like the Proposition 8 trial, which challenged California's ban on same-sex marriage.
  • Political Campaigns: Jill worked as Deputy Campaign Manager for Kamala Harris's 2016 U.S. Senate campaign and served on transition teams for both Harris and Alex Padilla.123

Areas of Expertise

Jill specializes in:

  • Civil rights enforcement (e.g., gender equity, LGBTQ rights)
  • Consumer protection
  • Reproductive justice
  • Impact litigation and affirmative litigation strategies
  • Public interest law.145

Recognitions

She has been named an Ashoka Fellow, an Open Society Foundations Leadership in Government Fellow, and a Draper Richards Kaplan Social Entrepreneur for her innovative work with PRP.25

Jill's career reflects her commitment to bridging gaps between laws' promises and their real-world impact on underserved communities. Through her teaching and nonprofit work, she continues to advance civil rights enforcement at the local level.15

Highlights

Aug 1 · youtube.com
Defending Common Sense Pro Voter Policies | Jill Habig - YouTube
Defending Common Sense Pro Voter Policies | Jill Habig - YouTube
Who We Are - Public Rights Project
Who We Are - Public Rights Project
Aug 2 · law.berkeley.edu
Jill Habig - UC Berkeley Law
Jill Habig - UC Berkeley Law
Apr 1 · ashoka.org
Jill Habig | Ashoka

Related Questions

What are some notable cases Jill Habig has worked on?
How did Jill Habig's work with Kamala Harris influence her career?
What is the Public Rights Project's mission and how does it operate?
What courses does Jill Habig teach at Berkeley Law School?
Can you provide examples of Jill Habig's impact litigation work?
Jill Habig
Jill Habig, photo 1
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Location

San Francisco Bay Area