Joel Aurora

Joel Aurora is a partner in the firm’s political law section.

Mr. Aurora advises corporations, non-profits, trade associations, and political committees on a variety of issues related to campaign finance, government ethics, lobby disclosure, and election laws across federal, state, and local jurisdictions.  He also has experience in a range of topics related to ballot measures, such as providing strategic advice and legal counsel to initiative and referenda campaigns, as well as matters related to independent expenditure campaigns.

Prior to joining Nielsen Merksamer, Mr. Aurora served as in-house counsel for a major interactive media company.  He also worked as a field representative for a California State Assemblymember, where he provided constituent and communication services on behalf of the Assemblymember’s district office.

While pursuing his law degree, Mr. Aurora served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Goodwin H. Liu of the California Supreme Court and the Honorable William H. Orrick of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.  He also worked as a legal extern for the Environmental Protection Agency and served as the Executive Articles Editor of the Hastings Law Journal.

Mr. Aurora graduated cum laude from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and earned his bachelor’s degree with honors in political science and Spanish from the University of California, Santa Barbara.