Richards Watson Gershon

What Richards Watson Gershon does

Richards, Watson & Gershon (RWG) is a California-based full-service law firm founded in 1954 and organized as a Professional Corporation, with its headquarters in downtown Los Angeles and five additional offices across San Francisco, Orange County (Brea), Temecula, the Central Coast, and Sacramento. The firm provides comprehensive legal services to public entities — primarily California cities, counties, special districts, joint powers authorities, school districts, and water districts — with attorneys serving as city attorneys, special counsel, and general counsel on long-tenured engagements, some exceeding several decades.

RWG's practice is organized around Municipal & Public Agency Law as its core offering, supplemented by specialized practices in Eminent Domain, Litigation, Writs & Appeals, Police Practices, Labor & Employment, Public Finance, Real Estate, Environment & Natural Resources, and Coastal law. The firm delivers services through attorney-client relationships built on jurisdictional expertise in California-specific regimes such as the Brown Act, Public Records Act, CEQA, and redevelopment dissolution. Beyond traditional legal services, RWG offers scalable compliance training including state-mandated AB 1234 ethics training (available online and in person) and sexual harassment prevention training delivered through webinars and industry partnerships.

The firm's revenue model is professional-services billing (hourly and engagement-based fees) to public agency clients; pricing is not publicly disclosed and is typically quote-based on engagement scope, attorney seniority, and matter complexity. GTM motion combines sales-led city-attorney and general-counsel engagements with event-driven and community-led channels — attorneys present at League of California Cities, CSDA, APA, and CLE International conferences, publish client e-alerts, and conduct webinars. Ownership is structured through shareholder positions with promotions announced in 2023 and 2026; there is no disclosed external investor or parent company.

Name

Richards Watson Gershon

Legal name

Richards, Watson & Gershon, a Professional Corporation

Website

https://rwglaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Richards, Watson & Gershon is a California-based full-service law firm founded in 1954 that serves public entities — cities, counties, special districts, JPAs, and school districts — across six offices through city attorney, special counsel, and general counsel engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation & Dispute Resolution (BPAHAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Real Estate & Construction Law (BPAHAAAE), Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD), Litigation Support & Expert Witness (Valuation-Related) (BPAHANAG)

Keywords

• Municipal law services
• Public agency law
• Eminent domain representation
• Public finance counsel
• Litigation defense

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: RWG generates revenue through professional legal services billed to public entity clients. Services include city attorney representation, special counsel engagements, litigation, transactional work, and advisory services for municipalities, counties, special districts, and other public agencies.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Richards, Watson & Gershon is a California-based full-service law firm delivering comprehensive legal services to public entities including cities, counties, special districts, housing authorities, joint powers authorities, and school districts. Core offerings include city attorney representation, special counsel engagements, litigation defense, transactional work in public finance and real estate, environmental and land use law, labor and employment counsel, eminent domain representation, and statutory ethics training (AB 1234). The firm operates across six California offices with integrated cross-disciplinary teams.

Product overview

Richards, Watson & Gershon is a California law firm providing comprehensive legal services to public entities. The firm's practice is organized as a unified offering of specialized legal service modules rather than a software platform. Core practice areas include Municipal & Public Agency Law as the foundational service, supplemented by specialized litigation services (Writs & Appeals, Police Practices Litigation), transactional services (Public Finance, Real Estate), regulatory practices (Environment & Natural Resources, Coastal), employment law, and the Eminent Domain department. The firm also offers AB 1234 Ethics Training as a distinct service offering for client compliance needs. All services are delivered across six California offices with integrated teams drawing on cross-disciplinary expertise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Municipal & Public Agency Law
• Eminent Domain
• Litigation
• Writs & Appeals
• Police Practices Litigation
• Labor & Employment
• Environment & Natural Resources
• Public Finance
• Real Estate
• Coastal Practice
• AB 1234 Ethics Training

Quantifiable outcome

• Helped invest over $1 billion for First 5 LA for children aged 0-5
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Institute for Local Government (ILG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCraig Steele frequently speaks and teaches about elections, voting rights, and government ethics laws in collaboration with ILG, including webinars on ballot measures and campaign contribution regulations.
• League of California CitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRWG attorneys regularly present at League of California Cities events including the Annual Conference and Expo. The firm serves city attorney clients and provides AB 1234 ethics training for League members.
• California Special Districts Association (CSDA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRWG attorneys conduct webinars and present at CSDA conferences on topics including sexual harassment prevention, Brown Act compliance, public meeting management, and governance. The firm serves as special counsel to various CSDA member districts.
• American Planning Association (APA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRWG attorneys present at APA events including the Orange County Section legislative updates and Planning Commissioner Workshops. Diana Varat provides annual training on Planning Law for AICP exam preparation.
• CLE InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRWG is an event sponsor for the California Eminent Domain Conference organized by CLE International. Regina Danner co-chairs the conference and RWG attorneys present on eminent domain topics.
• California Statewide Communities Development Authority (CSCDA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSteven Nguy represents CSCDA and successfully defended the authority in Rosebrook 58, LLC v. CSCDA, handling the appeal resulting in affirmance.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rutan & Tucker: Orange County-based California firm with a deep public-agency practice covering municipalities, special districts, and JPAs. Competes with RWG for similar city-attorney and public-entity mandates in Southern California.
• Best Best & Krieger: California-based full-service law firm widely regarded as the leading public-agency / municipal-law practice in the state. Directly competes with RWG for city-attorney, special district, JPA, and public-finance engagements across California.
• Downey Brand: Sacramento-based California firm with a strong municipal and public-agency practice. Competes with RWG particularly in Northern California and on water-law and public-finance matters.
• Burke Williams & Sorensen: Long-established California firm specializing in municipal and public-entity law with offices across the state. Directly competes with RWG for city-attorney and special-district counsel work.
• Liebert Cassidy Whitmore: California firm specializing in public-sector labor and employment law, with overlapping service to many of the same cities, counties, and special districts RWG serves. Direct peer for the labor & employment practice.
• Hanson Bridgett: Northern California full-service firm with a substantial public-agency practice serving cities, special districts, and JPAs. Competes for many of the same clients RWG serves in the Bay Area and Sacramento region.
• Aleshire & Wagner: Orange County-based municipal law firm serving cities, special districts, and JPAs throughout Southern California. Directly comparable specialty boutique competing for overlapping public-entity clients.
• Colantuono Highsmith & Whatley: California boutique focused on municipal law, public utilities, CEQA, and eminent domain. Directly competes for the same city-attorney, water-district, and public-utility briefs as RWG.

Broad incumbents

• Norton Rose Fulbright US: Global full-service firm with a California public-sector practice covering municipal finance, real estate, and infrastructure. Represents a different scale (global) but competes for the same large municipal and JPA engagements.

Regional players

• Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth: California-based firm with a leading public-finance practice serving many of the same municipal bond issuers and conduit authorities as RWG. Overlaps materially on the public-finance and JPA advisory work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Richards Watson Gershon