McManis Faulkner announces the addition of Ann M. Ravel as Of Counsel. Appointed to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) by President Obama in 2013, Ravel served as FEC Chair in 2015 and Vice Chair in 2014. She is currently a senior fellow focused on digital deception issues in politics for MapLight, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that tracks the influence of money on politics and advances reforms.
“Ann has a stellar reputation within the legal and political communities. Her insights, gained tackling regulatory matters for government agencies, complement our practice. In addition, as a true champion for justice, she’s a great fit for the firm,” said Elizabeth Pipkin, partner, McManis Faulkner.
In addition to her FEC role, Ravel was appointed Chair of the California Fair Political Practices Commission by Gov. Brown, overseeing the regulation of campaign finance, lobbyist registration and reporting, and ethics and conflicts of interest related to officeholders and public employees. She served as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the United States Department of Justice, handling torts and consumer litigation matters including the Gulf oil spill case, the Katrina flooding litigation and the federal tobacco RICO case. From 1977 to 2009, Ravel worked as Deputy County Counsel and County Counsel in the Office of the County Counsel, Santa Clara County. Her trial experience included handling highly sensitive sexual harassment and discrimination matters, misuse of public funds and other high-exposure matters. She also served as second chair in the affirmative action case Johnson v. Transportation Agency, Santa Clara County before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Ravel is active within her professional community, serving on the board of directors for several organizations, including a current position with iCivics, a nonprofit organization that engages students in quality civics education and is also supported by retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and current Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Ravel also serves as a board member for the National Institute of Money in State Politics and the Center for Political Accountability.
Ravel was named among the “California Attorneys of the Year” in 2014 by California Lawyer magazine. In 2007, she was named “Public Attorney of the Year” by the State Bar of California for her public service initiatives. Ravel earned her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law (1974) and her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley (1970). She serves as an adjunct professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.