Nick DeFiesta ( He/Him/His )

Nick DeFiesta joined the Office of the County Counsel in 2022.  He advises the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Registrar of Voters, and his portfolio includes transactional, policy, and litigation matters, with a special focus on issues related to the environment, elections, government transparency, and taxes.  Nick previously served as a law clerk to Justice Dario Borghesan of the Alaska Supreme Court and to Judge J. Paul Oetken of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.  Before that, he brought lawsuits advancing social, economic, and environmental justice as part of the Oakland City Attorney’s Community Lawyering and Civil Rights Unit. 

Office practice areas

• Environment and Land Use Team 
• Finance, Government Operations, and Technology Team 

​​Education

• Stanford Law School, J.D., High Pro Bono Distinction, 2019 
  • Senior Development Editor, Stanford Law Review 
  • Co-President, Stanford Law Association 
  • Co-President, OutLaw 
  • Co-President, Stanford Public Interest Law Foundation 
  • Student Attorney, Religious Liberties Clinic 
  • Asian American Activities Center Graduate Leadership Award 
  • Community Impact Award 
  • Jenner & Block Diversity Scholar 
• Yale College, B.A., 2014 
  • City Desk Editor, Yale Daily News 
  • William H. McKim Prize 

Prior experience

• Law Clerk to the Honorable Justice Dario Borghesan, Alaska Supreme Court (2021-2022) 
• Law Clerk to the Honorable J. Paul Oetken, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (2020-2021) 
• Stanford Law School Public Interest and Public Rights Project Fellow at the Oakland City Attorney’s Office (2019-2020)