Ash Pirayou

Ash Pirayou’s expertise is in the following practice areas: Political Law—Federal, State and Local Ordinances; Municipal and Government Agency Law—Government Relations Law, Renewable Energy; Strategic Counseling, Lobbying; Government Contracts and Procurement; Election Law and Litigation; Land Use, Redevelopment, and Natural Resources; and Nonprofit Law.

Ash is one of Silicon Valley’s premier government relations attorneys and lobbyists, advising clients on all aspects of their government relations, lobbying and community outreach efforts. He has led and participated in some of Silicon Valley’s largest and most difficult real estate land use entitlement projects as well as helped clients navigate the complex interactions of law and public policy relating to government contracts and procurement. He serves as a public policy attorney to a number of renewable energy companies advising them on statewide and local regulations impacting their business enterprises.

Ash is recognized as one of Silicon Valley’s premier political law attorneys having been involved with a number of high-profile campaigns and cutting-edge issues including obtaining a favorable ruling for a client before the Fair Political Practices Commission in the In Re Pirayou Opinion. He has served as political law counsel to a number of corporations, school districts, community colleges, political action committees, candidate committees, and ballot measure committees (referendum and initiatives), advising clients on all aspects of campaign-finance laws and reporting requirements, campaign audits, enforcement matters, and governmental ethics and related statutes. He has litigated a number of high profile ballot statement challenges and writs of mandate involving the Elections Code.

In 1992, he graduated from Santa Clara University with a B.S. in Political Science and, in 1995, received his J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law. During law school, Ash served as a Judicial Extern to the Honorable Franklin D. Elia, Justice of the California Court of Appeal (6th District).

Following law school, from 1995-1996, he served as the Principal Policy Aide to the Santa Clara County Crime Task Force. In 1997, he served as the Special Counsel to the Sheriff of Santa Clara County and as a Deputy District Attorney in Santa Clara County, winning a number of jury trials.

Ash has served on numerous nonprofit boards, including the Santa Clara University’s Board of Fellows and the Support Network for Battered Women. He currently serves as Pro Bono Counsel for the Silicon Valley Education Foundation’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education (S.T.E.M.) Program.