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Berkeley City Attorney Manuela Albuquerque has been named 2005 Public Lawyer of the Year by the State Bar of California. 

Albuquerque, who has served as city attorney for nearly 20 years, will receive the award from Chief Justice Ronald George at the state bar’s annual meeting in September. 

She was selected by the executive committee of the Public Law section of the State Bar, on which she previously served. The section website praises Albuquerque’s work on legal ethics, calling her “a major force” as author of Practicing Ethics: A Handbook for Municipal Lawyers, published by the League of California Cities. 

Currently, Albuquerque is working with the State Bar Rules revision committee to amend rules addressing the concerns public attorneys face when adversaries seek to speak directly with public officials about on-going litigation.