Office of Legal Affairs

OVERVIEW

The UC Berkeley Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) offers timely legal advice to campus leadership, faculty and staff, seeks to anticipate and offer creative solutions to legal problems, works to resolve legal disputes, and advocates on behalf of the campus.  OLA also serves as liaison between the campus and the UC Office of General Counsel in Oakland. OLA strives to be a valued and trusted partner, recognized for creativity, expertise, service orientation, and commitment to UC Berkeley's mission and values.


MEET THE OFFICE OF LEGAL AFFAIRS STAFF

Chief Campus Counsel:

David M. Robinson
510-642-7791  
dmrobinson@berkeley.edu
Primary Areas of Practice

David has been a member of Berkeley’s Office of Legal Affairs since 2011, and before that spent a decade in the University of California’s system-wide Office of the General Counsel, where he was a leader in its construction and legislative affairs groups. Prior to joining UC, David was a partner at the law firm of Goldfarb & Lipman in San Francisco. He attended UC Los Angeles and is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz and UC Law SF.

Deputy Campus Counsel:

Julie Conner
510-642-7123  
jconner@berkeley.edu
Primary Areas of Practice

Julie Conner has served as Campus Counsel at UC Berkeley since November 2009. She advises UC Berkeley’s Administration on a broad range of legal issues, including intellectual property, intercollegiate athletics matters, student affairs, library law, business affairs, electronic communications, and commercial transactions. Prior to joining UC Berkeley, Ms. Conner served as Senior Advisor and Legal Director for the UC San Diego Library System and as Associate Campus Counsel for UC San Diego.  Before joining the University of California, Ms. Conner clerked on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and worked for several years at Latham & Watkins and Cooley Godward LLP. Ms. Conner earned her undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and her law degree from the University of Chicago, where she was Articles Editor for the Law Review and a member of the Order of the Coif.

Principal Campus Counsel: 

Liv Hassett
510-664-5214  
livhassett@berkeley.edu
Primary Areas of Practice

Liv Hassett joined the UC Berkeley Office of Legal Affairs in January 2019 as Associate Campus Counsel. Liv joined Berkeley after close to 9 years as a campus counsel for the UC Santa Cruz campus. She advises on a variety of matters for the University, including data privacy and security, business transactions, emerging technology, research, online education and intellectual property. Prior to joining the University of California, Liv’s primary areas of practice included real estate, business transactions and consumer law.  Liv is a double Cal alumna- she received her undergraduate degree and J.D. from UC Berkeley.

Andrew Houston
510-642-7810  
andrewhouston@berkeley.edu
Primary Areas of Practice

Andrew Houston joined the UC Berkeley Office of Legal Affairs in February 2022 as Associate Campus Counsel. Andrew joined Berkeley after close to 5 years as a procurement counsel at UC Office of the President. He advises on a variety of transactional matters for the University, including procurement, business contracts and capital strategies. Prior to joining the University of California, Andrew worked at the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) where his primary areas of practice included procurement, construction, real estate, business transactions, supplier diversity and police personnel matters. Andrew earned his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley and his law degree from UC Law SF.

Nicole Pereira
510-452-7309 
nicolepereira@berkeley.edu
Primary Areas of Practice (coming soon)

Nicole Pereira joined the UC Berkeley Office of Legal Affairs in March 2022 as Associate Campus Counsel. She advises on a variety of legal issues for the campus including labor and employment matters. Prior to joining the University of California, Nicole was an Assistant General Counsel in the Office of General Counsel at the State Bar of California. Nicole’s legal career began as a Field Attorney at the National Labor Relations Board, Region 31. Nicole earned her undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley and her law degree from Loyola Law School Los Angeles.

Legal Coordinator

Ishtar Peeler
ishtarpeeler@berkeley.edu 

Ishtar Peeler joined the UC Berkeley Office of Legal Affairs in March 2022 as the Legal Operations Coordinator. She provides primary administrative support to the Deputy Campus Counsel and Principal Campus Counsels. Prior to joining UC Berkeley, she worked as an administrative assistant to the Health Affairs and Privacy and Data Protection attorneys in the Office of General Counsel at the UC Office of the President for 10 years.

Public Records and Subpoena Coordinator:

Liane Wong
510-664-4615  
lianewong@berkeley.edu

Liane Wong has served as the campus Public Records Coordinator and Subpoena Coordinator since 2012. She is responsible for managing the University's responses to public records requests and subpoenas. Liane provides guidance, consultation, and training to custodians of records in the interpretation and application of the California Public Records Act (CPRA) and Information Practices Act (IPA). Liane joined the campus in 1997, with experience ranging from project and policy development, to business operations, human resources, and data management. Liane earned her B.S. in Business Administration and M.P.A. in Public Administration from California State University, Hayward.

Assistant Public Records Coordinator:

Janesa Shearer
Janesa Shearer is the Assistant Public Records Coordinator. She assists with coordination and completion of responses to public records requests and subpoenas. Janesa joined the campus in 2011 after receiving her BA from UC Berkeley. She held a variety of positions within the Office of the Registrar until 2015, primarily within Student Services and Records & Diplomas. Janesa returned to campus in 2022 after an education break culminating in a Master of Philosophy in Health Economics, Policy, and Management from the University of Oslo.