Cristina Talley

Of Counsel

Cristina Talley has been practicing municipal law for more than 30 years, working in both the private and public sector. She is of counsel in the Municipal Law practice group of Best Best & Krieger LLP’s Irvine office.

While in private practice, Cristina represented cities and other public agencies in an advisory capacity, dealing with a variety of substantive areas of municipal law from the Brown Act to labor and employment. She also handled numerous litigation matters involving issues such as land use, civil rights and employment law. 

From 1994 - 1996, Cristina was the acting city attorney for Pasadena, responsible for all the legal affairs of the city. In 1996, she went to work for the City of Anaheim as the senior assistant city attorney, responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Civil Division of the City Attorney's Office. In 2009, Cristina was appointed to the Office of Anaheim City Attorney where she oversaw a staff of 18 attorneys, plus support staff, and administered an annual budget of approximately $4 million. As the Anaheim city attorney, she was responsible for all legal matters affecting the city, including serving as the city prosecutor with a staff of attorneys prosecuting all misdemeanors committed within the city's jurisdiction. During her tenure with Anaheim, Cristina was part of a select city attorney group that worked closely with the FPPC to draft gift regulations relating to agency provided tickets or passes.

Cristina's recent speaking engagements include topics such as the FPPC Ticket Regulations and ethics.

Cristina resides in Dove Canyon with her husband, Brooks, who is a criminal defense attorney. They have two teenage sons, Troy and Curtis. Cristina enjoys running and hiking. She is a founding member of the Board of Trustees of the Orange County Family Justice Center Foundation, a nonprofit created to financially maintain the many social services needed to assist and empower victims and families whose lives have been impacted by domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault and elder abuse.

Education

• University of Southern California (USC), J.D. (1982)
• California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, B.S., cum laude (1978)

Bar Admissions

• California (1982)

Court Admissions

• Federal District Court for the Central and Eastern Districts of California
• U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Ninth District

Languages

• Spanish

Cristina Talley

Of Counsel

• Orange County Hispanic Bar Association

Community Involvement

• Orange County Family Justice Center, Founding Member of Board of Trustees

Leadership Roles

• Orange County City Attorneys Association, past president