JEANNE E. SCHERER is the Chief Counsel of the Caltrans Legal Division and has an extensive background in risk management and litigation defense.  She began her legal career in the private sector, representing a variety of national and international corporate clients and public entities in general liability and contract litigation.  Jeanne joined the Caltrans Legal Division as a deputy attorney in 1991 and successfully litigated a number of cases in superior and appellate courts statewide before being promoted to Assistant Chief Counsel in 2006 and Deputy Chief Counsel in 2012.  She was appointed as Chief Counsel by Governor Jerry Brown in August, 2015.

A nationally recognized expert in tort liability and risk management issues, Jeanne has spoken at numerous national conferences and is the Chair of the Transportation Research Board Committee for Tort Liability and Risk Management, as well as a subject matter expert  on a variety of National Cooperative Highway Research Program panels.

Jeanne graduated from the University of California, at Davis (B.A.) and earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.