Gregory P. Palmer

Senior Associate

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Gregory P. Palmer joined the Law Offices of Jones & Mayer as a Senior Associate in 1999. Prior to that, Mr. Palmer spent almost ten years with the Law Offices of Mayer, Coble & Palmer. He has extensive experience acting as a legal advisor to more than 100 chiefs of police and sheriffs throughout the State of California. In that capacity, he has provided legal assistance in all aspects of operating a police department. Mr. Palmer has represented Chiefs of Police in more than three hundred disciplinary appeal hearings and arbitrations with a ninety percent success rate. He has also handled several disciplinary hearings involving firefighters and public works employees. Mr. Palmer is experienced in handling excessive force, dishonesty, insubordination, off-duty criminal conduct, and other matters. He has appeared in court on a Pitchess motions hundreds of times, and has prepared and argued a dozen appellate court writs challenging improper trial court decisions on these motions. Mr. Palmer has also briefed and argued approximately twenty administrative writ petitions on discipline cases and AB 301 issues. Prior to entering the practice of law, he was a police officer for ten years in La Palma, California.

Mr. Palmer is also conversant in all aspects of the criminal prosecution of city code enforcement cases. He has performed as the City Prosecutor in two local cities and Assistant City Prosecutor in several more cities. Mr. Palmer has developed unique expertise in prosecuting sexually-oriented businesses, both criminally and by administratively suspending or revoking city permits.

Mr. Palmer has handled several high profile cases. In 1997, he prosecuted the First Southern Baptist Church and its pastor for illegally housing the homeless on its grounds. This case gained national notoriety and the city prevailed on appeal. He filed an injunctive action and negotiated the final closure of the last remaining X-rated theater in Orange County. Mr. Palmer has also assisted in municipal code prosecutions arising out of the multi-department task force approach to critical problem areas. In 1998, Mr. Palmer and fellow members on the Buena Park Neighborhood Improvement Task Force were nominated for the Orange County Human Relations Commission Community-Oriented Policing Award.

Mr. Palmer has lectured at POST-approved programs, conferences, and numerous police departments on topics such as civil liability, sexual harassment, legal update, force, discipline, and "Pitchess" motions. He has also lectured on topics related to city prosecutor functions to code enforcement associations in Southern California and Texas. He is the author of the 2015 revision of the CPOA's "Pitchess Motion Manual", and from 2005 to 2019 he was named the State Chair of the CPOA, Police Legal Advisors Committee. Mr. Palmer is the instructor of the CPOA Pitchess Motion Update and Public Records Act Classes.

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Education

• J.D. Western State University College of Law, Fullerton, 1987
• University College of Law, Fullerton, 1985

Admissions

• California Supreme Court

Practice Areas

• City Prosecutor/Code Enforcement
• Police Legal Advisor
• Personnel and Employment
• Pitchess Motions
• Writs and Appeals

Professional Affiliations

• Los Angeles County Bar Association
• California Police Chiefs Association
• California State Sheriffs’ Association
• California Police Officers’ Association