Barbara Parker
Chief Assistant City Attorney

510.238.3815

bjparker@oaklandcityattorney.org

Ms. Barbara J. Parker has practiced law for more than 30 years since graduating from Harvard Law school in 1975, providing counsel for the federal, state and local governments, for two major corporations and practicing at two law firms. She has expertise as a litigator, transactional lawyer, and in labor and employment, health and hospital law, retirement law among other fields, and significant management experience.

Currently, Ms. Parker is the chief assistant city attorney for the City of Oakland, a position she has held since September 2000. She manages a division of 25 attorneys in five units and oversees all advice to the mayor, city council, and city boards, commissions and departments. Previously, Ms. Parker served as supervising deputy city attorney, heading the City Attorney's labor and employment unit, counsel to Kaiser Foundation Health Plans, counsel to Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation practicing general corporate law and handling acquisitions and divestitures. Ms. Parker also served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of California for 5.5 years, as chief deputy director of the California Office of Criminal Justice Planning and as an associate attorney at the San Francisco firms of Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro, now Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, and Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison.

Ms. Parker successfully litigated Kreeft v. City, a published decision involving a class action challenging Oakland's interpretation of provisions of the City's Police and Fire Retirement Plan. Identical to a number of other California cities' plans, the action saved the City more than $13 million. The Court of Appeal affirmed the Superior Court's ruling that the City properly excluded federal Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA") Premium Pay in calculating pensions of retired fire fighters.

Ms. Parker is president of the Black Adoption Placement and Research Center, Inc. which has for more than 20 years endeavored to find permanent homes for waiting children. She is also a member of Charles Houston Bar Association. The State Bar Board of Governors appointed Ms. Parker to serve a three year term on the Judicial Council, commencing in September 2005. The Judicial Council of California is the constitutional and statutory body charged with governance of the judicial branch and is chaired by the Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court.

Ms. Parker is a native of Seattle, Washington. She received her B.A. in Economics from the University of Washington. She also attended Occidental College in Los Angeles and the Harvard Business School.