Rasha Gerges Shields appointed to California Supreme Court and Appellate Court Bias Prevention Committee

Rasha Gerges Shields, a partner in the Firm's Los Angeles Office, was appointed by California Supreme Court Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero to serve on the Supreme Court and Appellate Court Bias Prevention Committee. The Bias Prevention Committee is chaired by Supreme Court Justice Martin J. Jenkins and consists of six associate justices drawn from each of the Court of Appeal Appellate Districts, six attorney members from around the state, a representative from the California Appellate Program, and a Clerk/Court Executive Officer. The mission of the Committee is to support the integrity and impartiality of California's judicial system and promote an appellate court environment free of bias and the appearance of bias.

Ms. Shields, as a member of the Firm's State Attorney General Enforcement, Investigations & Litigation Practice, conducts internal investigations, counsels clients on compliance programs, and defends companies and executives in high-stakes civil and criminal matters, including Department of Justice and state attorneys general enforcement actions. She is a former federal prosecutor with nearly 20 years of first-chair trial and appellate experience, including serving as the lead trial counsel in federal court, arguing before the California Supreme Court and appellate courts, and submitting amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court as lead counsel.

Her appointment to the Bias Prevention Committee is not her first important appointment in California this year. In February, she was appointed by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to serve on the City's Board of Police Commissioners, a five-member civilian board that is charged with oversight of the Los Angeles Police Department. Earlier this month, Ms. Shields was elected to serve as Vice President of the Police Commission.

In addition, she is a member of Jones Day's Constitutional Policing and Civil Justice Reform (CPR) Initiative, where our lawyers engage in local and nationally coordinated efforts to achieve cultural and systemic changes in policing practices in minority communities throughout the United States, with an emphasis on the African American community. She also serves on the Firm's Diversity, Inclusion & Advancement Committee and is heavily involved in pipeline programs aimed at diversifying the legal profession.

A first-generation professional who immigrated to the United States from Egypt, Ms. Shields earned her law degree at UCLA and her undergraduate degree at UC Irvine.