RBGG’s Lisa Ells and Gay Grunfeld have once again been named to the Daily Journal’s Top Women Lawyers list. The 2026 Top Women award is the fifth for Lisa and the 14th for Gay. The DJl included both lawyers in the special Top Women issue published on June 12, 2026.
According to Lisa, ” I like applying my skills to solve problems in different areas of the law, while working on some of the most important civil rights cases of the day.” In reference to Coleman v. Newsome, a class action on behalf of more than 35,000 people with mental illness in California state prisons. Lisa noted “I was honored to lead the trial team that secured a historic order finding the State in contempt and imposing over $110 million in fines dedicated to improving staffing levels in the prisons.”
Speaking of California Housing Defense Fund v. City of La Canada Flintridge, a case involving the “builder’s remedy” provision of California’s Housing Accountability Act. Lisa said, “We are hopeful this case will convince other recalcitrant municipalities to do their part to address the State’s housing crisis by showing them the concrete risks that come with dodging their obligations under state law.”
Gay’s DJ profile calls out her 25-year career in the law dedicated to seeking justice for the vulnerable, including racial and ethnic minorities minorities, incarcerated persons, and those living with disabilities.
In Stiner v. Brookdale, Gay and her team obtained a precedent-setting ruling that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applied to assisted living facilities and negotiated a settlement that sets out policy changes to benefit residents. In Dunsmore v. San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, Gay’s team have achieved a comprehensive settlement of ADA claims and preliminary approval of a settlement of medical and mental health claims again a jail system that had previously had one fo the hightest in-custody death rates in the U.S.
Both cases involved years of hard fought litigation that ultimately resulted in systemic change. “You can’t burn your bridges during the litigaiton phase,” said Gay. “You have to keep the doors open for change.”