Patrick W. Bears serves as Deputy City Attorney and a member of the General Public Safety and Code Enforcement Unit. As a member of the team, he advises multiple city departments regarding the administration and enforcement of the Oakland Municipal Code. Previously, he served as a Neighborhood Law Attorney from 2014 to 2017 filing lawsuits against property owners for violations of state and local housing and public nuisance laws.
Prior to returning to the Office of the City Attorney, Patrick worked as an Attorney Advisory for the Social Security Administration from 2017 to 2020. In this capacity he advised Administrative Law Judges and Appeals Judges regarding social security disability claims and decisions.
Mr. Bears graduated cum laude with a BA in Political Science and Italian from the University of Note Dame and graduated magna cum laude with a JD from UC College of Law.
City Attorney Barbara J. Parker releases a periodic newsletter in which she provides updates about the work of the Office of the City Attorney as well as reflections on current local, statewide, and national legal topics of importance to Oakland residents.