SAN JOSE – On April 27, 2021, Valley Water’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the appointment of Juan Carlos Orellana as District Counsel. Orellana assumes the role of the chief legal officer for Valley Water following the retirement of Stan Yamamoto earlier this year.
Orellana previously worked at the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), where he most recently served as their Deputy General Counsel. At VTA, he was the primary attorney responsible for construction contracts. In the months before joining Valley Water, Orellana took over the daily management of VTA’s Office of General Counsel.
Before joining VTA in 2015, Orellana was an associate at the local firm of Miller, Morton, Caillat & Nevis, practicing construction law and commercial litigation. He began his career at the national firm Fenwick & West, where he practiced in the firm’s litigation, employment, and electronic information management groups.
Orellana recently chaired the La Raza Lawyers of Santa Clara County Charitable Foundation, which awarded over $40,000 in scholarships last year.
He graduated from UCLA School of Law and received a B.S. in Political Science and a B.A. in Spanish Studies from Santa Clara University.
Originally from El Salvador, Orellana immigrated to the U.S. when he was 1. He grew up in the Bay Area and calls San Jose home.
Valley Water welcomes Orellana and we look forward to his contributions to our legal team.