2025-’26 ACWA CLE Virtual Workshop Speakers – January 29 Jan 14, 2026 SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES ACWA appreciates the 2025-’26 ACWA CLE Virtual Workshop Series speakers for sharing their time, expertise and insights on these topics. JANUARY 29 (11:30 AM – 1:00 PM) Contract Drafting for Water Lawyers: Form vs. Manuscript 2026 ACWA Legal Affairs Committee Vice Chair: Nicholas Whipps, Deputy City Attorney, Office of City Attorney David Chiu Biography Nick Whipps is the Vice Chair of the ACWA Legal Affairs Committee. He has served as a Deputy City Attorney in the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office since 2019, advising the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission on a variety of municipal, finance, and environmental law issues. Prior to joining the City Attorney’s Office, Nick practiced at Wittwer Parkin LLP and the Center for Biological Diversity. Panelists: Claire H. Collins, Partner, Hanson Bridgett LLP Biography Claire Collins is a partner at Hanson Bridgett LLP. She serves as General Counsel to Irvine Ranch Water District, Trabuco Canyon Water District, Vallejo Flood & Wastewater District, and the Paso Robles Area Groundwater Authority, and as special counsel to a variety of other agencies across California on issues of public revenues, real estate, joint powers authorities, and ethics. Her biggest contracting pet peeves are the passive voice and the use of archaic terms like “witnesseth”, “hereinbefore”, and “wherein.” Jessica S. Johnson, Associate, Baker Manock & Jensen, PC Biography Jessica Johnson is an associate at Baker Manock & Jensen. She provides general counsel services to public agencies and nonprofits in the Central Valley. Jessi assists her clients with contracting, CEQA, land use, ethics and a host of other matters affecting local public agencies and entities providing a variety of water services. She is very peeved when the contracting parties are not defined as legally organized entities in the contract preamble. Scott Shapiro, Partner, Downey Brand Biography Scott Shapiro is a partner at the Sacramento based firm of Downey Brand. Scott provided general and special counsel services to a variety of water and flood agencies in California covering all of the various services provided by counsel. He gets particularly annoyed when people try to put operative provisions in the recitals.
