Patricia Ursea serves as of counsel in Best Best & Krieger LLP’s Municipal Law practice group. She has 19 years of litigation experience, 8 of which she spent  exclusively serving public agency clients both in-house and as outside counsel, with a specific focus on constitutional torts involving free speech, searches and seizures and due process, class actions and writs of mandamus. Her background in serving private clients on business matters, including insurance coverage defense, mass torts, antitrust and healthcare, complements her municipal practice by providing Patricia with an overarching understanding of corporate priorities as they intersect with municipal challenges and interests. She advises clients with a big-picture understanding of their needs, practices and policies, while working to minimize risk and solve problems outside of the courtroom.
 
Patricia currently advises the cities of Long Beach, St. Helena, Avalon, Upland and others on a myriad of municipality challenges, including matters involving CERCLA contamination liability, prevailing wage law, water rights and novel disputes involving social media property interests. She most recently served as deputy city attorney for the City of Los Angeles, handling high-profile disputes involving constitutional challenges to ordinances, policies and practices, class actions, disability suits under the ADA, Unruh Civil Rights Act and California Disabled Persons Act, qui tam actions, election challenges and public works contract disputes.

Patricia is passionate about her role as a board member of the Volunteers of America Los Angeles, where she chairs the Governance Committee. This work provides her with the opportunity to oversee efforts related to gang rehabilitation, persons suffering from homelessness and women struggling with intimate partner violence. She has also handled pro bono matters involving the rights of veterans and abuse victims, and assisted low-income families with adoptions.
 
Patricia, a native of Poland, enjoys camping and hiking with her husband, daughter and two rescue dogs.
 
Education

• Southwestern University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude
• University of California San Diego, B.A. in Communication

 
Admissions

• California

Memberships

• Volunteers of America Los Angeles, Chair of Governance Committee, 2018-present
• Uncommon Good, Board Member, 2015-2016
• Los Angeles County Bar Foundation, Board Member, 2013-2014