An attorney at a prominent San Francisco-based firm that specializes in connecting startup companies with venture capital around the world was nominated by Mayor Daniel Lurie to serve on the San Francisco Police Commission on Wednesday.
Larry Low, an attorney at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, was born and raised in San Francisco and is a graduate of University of California, Berkeley Law and University of California Law, San Francisco, according to the mayor’s office.
Low said he was “honored” to be nominated for the role.
“I look forward to collaborating and bringing my experience in law, academia, and the nonprofit sector to promote safety, transparency, and justice,” he said in a statement.
Low’s what you might call a lawyer’s lawyer — he is currently the counsel to Orrick’s Office of the General Counsel, according to the law firm, which specializes in representing startups around the world with a focus on energy and infrastructure, finance, life sciences, and health technology.
While the mayor’s office listed several organizations he has served with, none appeared to be related to law enforcement. The mayor’s office pointed to his experience in “law, business and nonprofit leadership” and his roles on a slew of civic and cultural organizations as strengths of his nomination.
Low was the secretary and trustee of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy and has served on multiple education-related boards.
He was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the Panel of Arbitrators for the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, an entity of the World Bank Group that is a forum for resolving disputes in the financial sector, according to Orrick and the mayor’s office.
The Police Commission is a seven-member board that sets policy for the Police Department and Department of Police Accountability. It conducts oversight and disciplinary hearings on police misconduct complaints submitted by the chief of police or director of the Department of Police Accountability, according to its website.
The Commission also hears appeals from officers facing discipline from the chief of police.
Four of its members are nominated by the mayor, and three are nominated by the Board of Supervisors Rules Committee, and all receive a vote before the full Board of Supervisors to be confirmed.
A public hearing on Low’s nomination must be held within 60 days, or the nomination will be automatically confirmed.
“We’re making real progress on public safety in San Francisco, and Larry Low’s decades of leadership across law, business, and the nonprofit sector will help us keep that momentum going,” Lurie said in a statement.