Jodi Cleesattle is a career trial attorney, a dedicated public servant representing the State of California, and an active community volunteer.

She strongly supports the rule of law and the pursuit of justice, and she is proud to represent the people of the State of California.

Experienced

Jodi has been practicing law for 32 years, working both in private practice and for the California Office of the Attorney General, and she has tried multiple jury trials and bench trials.

She has the breadth of practical experience and knowledge needed to hear cases fairly and thoughtfully – and the commitment to treating all people with dignity and respect.

As a Supervising Deputy Attorney General for the Employment Law Section of the California Department of Justice, Jodi leads a team of attorneys and represents state agencies in complex civil lawsuits involving employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, disability accommodation, constitutional rights, and other issues.

She previously was a Senior Assistant Attorney General, supervising the Tort and Condemnation Section statewide and overseeing the litigation of difficult and sensitive cases involving government tort liability, personal injury, wrongful death, property damage, civil rights, mass torts, and more.

Before joining the California Department of Justice in 2007, Jodi was a partner at a national law firm, where she litigated complex cases in state and federal courts nationwide. Before practicing law, she excelled in law school, graduating in the top 5 percent of her class at American University’s Washington College of Law.

Honored by her Peers

The San Diego County Bar Association awarded Jodi the 2025 Service by a Public Attorney Award, and the California Lawyers Association named her the 2021 Public Lawyer of the Year.

She also was recognized with the 2014 Community Service Award by Lawyers Club of San Diego, in honor of her community activities that have improved the status of women and promoted equality.

She has been named one of the Top 50 Women of Influence in Law by the San Diego Business Journal for several years and also has been named one of the Top 50 LGBTQ+ Leaders of Influence in San Diego.

Recognized as a Leader

Jodi has been a leader in the legal community in San Diego, statewide, and nationally.

She served as president of California Women Lawyers in 2024, is the current chair of the CWL Foundation, and has served on the CWL Board since 2017. She also is a past co-chair of the California State Bar’s Council of State Bar Sections and a past chair of the State Bar’s Public Law Section.

Jodi is a founding member of the San Diego Unity Bar and co-chairs its programs committee. She is a past co-president and current board member of the Tom Homann LGBTQ+ Law Association and a past board member of the San Diego County Bar Association and Lawyers Club of San Diego.

She is active in numerous SDCBA committees, including the Bench-Bar Committee, the Public Positions Advisory Committee, and the Leadership Outreach Committee, and she co-chairs the San Diego Lawyer Editorial Committee.

Jodi also is an attorney member of the National Association of Women Judges, for which she serves on the LGBTQ+ Committee, the Judicial Independence Committee, and the Fairness and Access Committee, and she is active in the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association.

She is called upon often as a speaker and has given presentations for the American Bar Association, National Association of Women Judges, California Lawyers Association, Western States Bar Conference, Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys, San Diego County Bar Association, Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association, and more.

Committed to Community Service

Jodi has a long history of volunteering to help San Diego’s underserved communities.

For more than ten years, she has volunteered for a local women’s shelter, Rachel’s Center, cooking meals once a month along with members of her church. 

Jodi has volunteered with and served as president of Juvenile Court Book Club, which provides book club programs and tutoring for teens in and emerging from San Diego’s juvenile detention facilities.

She also participates in the annual Success Inside & Out program at Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility, a day-long program aimed at helping incarcerated women prepare to transition back into the community.

Devoted to her Family

Jodi has lived in San Diego since 2002 and is the proud mom of two young adult children.

Her kids, graduates of San Diego public schools, went on to graduate with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from Laguna College of Art and Design and a Bachelor’s of Science in neurobiology from UC San Diego. Jodi volunteered in her kids’ classrooms and with their sports teams as they were growing up, and she could not be more proud of them today.

Jodi also is the mom of three dogs and two cats, and she lives in Kensington.