Senior PRA Services Attorney
Jennifer K. Gilman
Jennifer K. Gilman is the Senior PRA Services Attorney in the San Diego office of Best Best & Krieger LLP. Jennifer is a member of the Municipal Law practice group, and specifically the Advanced Records Center (ARC) Team, which provides clients with comprehensive support for public records and information requests.
She prides herself in developing strong, reliable relationships with her clients while working amicably with opposing counsel, her client constituency, litigants, and requestors. Jennifer sums up her approach to legal work like this: “My clients have legal issues and conflicts. They are worried about the outcome of those situations. My job is to worry for them, so that they can continue to focus on their work.” She uses this approach to effectively advocate for her clients without alienating opposing parties.
Immediately prior to joining BB&K, Jennifer was the assistant city attorney and deputy city attorney for the City of National City, California, where she advised the City and all of its departments on matters involving municipal law, civil law, legislative development, resolutions and ordinances and other areas.
Jennifer also has significant experience defending employers, including municipalities, against allegations involving wage and hour, wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, breach of contract and other employment-related matters.
She has litigated cases for clients involving personal injury, civil rights and constitutional law, wrongful death, auto collisions, premises liability, trip-and-fall and mass tort/class action cases. Her goal with every client is to stave off unnecessary litigation and resolve matters effectively via mediation, arbitration, early neutral evaluation (ENE) conferences and informal settlement negotiations.
Because of this breadth of legal experiences, Jennifer has litigated cases in federal and state court, argued before the Fourth District Court of Appeal for the State of California and briefed appellate cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Jennifer has a passion for attorney ethics and, most recently, was actively involved with the San Diego County Bar Association Legal Ethics Committee. As a member of the Committee, Jennifer used her humor to enliven a rules-driven subject in articles like, “Kissing Clients,” for the organization. She has presented legal education courses to attorneys in the San Diego area and served for a year as Special Deputy Trial Counsel, where she was responsible for investigating and prosecuting claims filed against California attorneys.
In addition to her legal work, Jennifer has proudly served as an adjunct professor with California Western School of Law and Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California. At these institutions, she helped shape the next generation of young lawyers.
- Successfully represented government entity in the Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, where the government entity was sued for dangerous condition. Heskel v. City of San Diego, 227 Cal. App. 4th 313 (2014).
- Successfully represented government entity in the United States Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit where the government entity was sued for excessive force, constitutional law and pendent state law claims. The court decided the case without oral argument on the strength and merits of the briefing.
- Prevailed in state jury trial in dangerous condition litigation, 2012.
- Prevailed in federal jury trial in excessive force and constitutional law litigation, 2010.
- Obtained advantageous, defense-oriented federal jury verdict (less than $2,000) in dangerous condition litigation, 2011.
- Successfully moved for a repeat plaintiff to be declared a vexatious litigant in state court, 2011.
- Successfully obtained numerous summary judgments in state court in favor of a government entity sued for dangerous condition.
- Successfully obtained summary judgments in federal court in favor of a government entity sued for excessive force.
- Successfully filed numerous demurrers in state court as a first responsive pleading in the case, resulting in the defendant (Jennifer’s client) being dismissed from the case. The demurrers set out the reasons why the plaintiffs did not comply with state regulations, such that the cases should be dismissed for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted.
- Successfully filed Motions to Dismiss pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) as a first responsive pleading in the case, resulting in the defendant (Jennifer’s client) being dismissed from the case. The motions set out the reasons why the plaintiffs did not comply with federal regulations, such that the cases should be dismissed for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted.
- Successfully represented government entity in the Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, where the government entity was sued in a real property and California Environmental Quality Act dispute, 2009.
Publications
- Editorial credit, “Municipal Law Handbook,” (Chapter 13) a CEB Publication, 2023
- Editorial credit, “Municipal Law Handbook,” (Chapter 13) a CEB Publication, 2022
- “Kissing Clients,” For the Record, San Diego County Bar Association, April 2019
- “The Party Line,” Ethics in Brief, San Diego County Bar Association, February 2018
Presentations
- “Nuts & Bolts Series: Ending an Attorney-Client Relationship – Duties in Connection with the Termination of Representation,” San Diego County Bar Association, August 17, 2018
- “Before You Know It, It’s All Different Again: Ethics in a Fast-Paced World” and “Billing Challenges. How Do You Protect Privileged and Confidential Information?” Federal Bar Association, San Diego Chapter, Legal Ethics MCLE Presentations, January 29, 2018.