Will Brieger grew up listening to his parents discussing politics, war and civil rights. The family protested Viet Nam in an era when protest meant something. His father taught history while his mother worked as a social worker in the community. Dinner conversations centered on the day's headlines, the fights worth fighting and the changes worth pushing for. It's no surprise that, like his sister, Brieger ended up in law, choosing a career where he could serve the public rather than just himself.
"It starts with family," he says. "Both of my grandmothers devoted significant time as volunteers to protect the environment and democracy, respectively. My mother was passionate about the outdoors, civil rights, and social justice."
Public service ran deep in his bloodline. His mother served the United States as a naval officer. So did several generations before her, dating back to before the Civil War. The expectation wasn't subtle. Serve your country. Serve your community. Make yourself useful.
The lawyers in the civil rights movement were his heroes. They fought for change through the courts, using law and strategy as a weapon against injustice. That path suited Will’s competitive streak and intellectual curiosity. After graduating from Amherst College and UC Davis Law School, he channeled that energy into environmental law. As a prosecutor under three California attorneys general, he gravitated toward air quality and climate cases. Not the small stuff, the kind that could protect Californians' health and the state's astounding natural environment on a massive scale.
Brieger's legal skills and abilities as a negotiator caught the attorney general's attention. They sent him to the Capitol, where he worked to move civil rights and environmental bills through the legislative maze and into California law. In federal courts, he collaborated with attorneys general from other states to file the nation's first climate change lawsuit two decades ago. A first-of-its-kind legal fight.
That lawsuit changed everything for Brieger.
Once he understood the scale and urgency of the climate challenge, he never looked back. The work became personal.
"Researching and drafting the complaint in the nation's first climate lawsuit taught me enough about the issue that I have spent the intervening quarter century working on climate and air quality," Brieger says. "The warming planet, and knowing that we already know how to solve the problem, clarified for me that what remains is 'simply' enacting legal and economic policies that will get us there."
The warming planet became impossible to ignore. More than that, the solutions already exist. Science, technology and engineering have come up with many of the tools we need prosper without burning various fuels to make energy. Engineers had built the tools. The real work isn’t discovering how to solve the problem anymore. It’s getting legal and economic policies in place to actually implement those solutions at scale. That realization shifted Brieger's entire career trajectory.
Whether representing the People, the Governor, the Air Resources Board or climate nonprofits, Will Brieger has engaged effectively across all three branches of California's state government. His focus remains consistent: energy policy, fuel standards, climate regulations. The legislative process, which had always fascinated him, became his primary arena. His years in court gave him an understanding of how legislative drafting choices play out in the real world.
His work spans decades of California's environmental evolution. He saw the state lead the nation on air climate policy. He helped make some of that leadership possible. The cases he prosecuted set precedents.
Now he runs an advocacy firm with a straightforward mission. Build runways so green businesses and bold policymakers can fly. Create the conditions where climate solutions can actually happen. Remove obstacles. Open doors. Make connections between private enterprise and public policy that accelerate progress.
Brieger doesn't separate his personal values from his professional ones. They're the same. Always have been.
"My personal and professional values are 100% aligned," he says. "Integrity and service."
Those two words sum up a career. Integrity means doing the work honestly, even when cutting corners would be easier. Service means putting the public good ahead of personal gain. Both values came straight from his upbringing. His mother's passion for civil rights and social justice shaped his worldview early. His father's historical perspective gave context to the struggles for justice that define American progress. The marches they attended together weren't just political events. They were lessons in citizenship.
When asked what advice he'd give his younger self, Brieger didn't hesitate. "Be more confident," he says. "Realize that you belong at the front of the pack."
That confidence came with time and results. Early in his career, he might have doubted whether he deserved a seat at the table. Later, he realized he'd earned it. The cases he won proved it. The policies he helped advance demonstrated it. The respect he gained from colleagues across the political spectrum confirmed it.
Will Brieger built a career advocating for climate policy by drawing on all his experience, skills and passion. The legislative process gave him a way to combine everything he'd learned as a prosecutor with his fascination for how government actually works. It wasn't enough to win cases. He wanted to change systems. Create lasting frameworks that would keep working long after he left the room.
Success, for Brieger, isn't about personal achievement or recognition. When asked how he defines it, his answer was simple. "Helping others achieve," he says.
Brieger looks to entrepreneurs and investors who've steered their businesses toward serving the world rather than just maximizing profit. He cites Jigar Shah as one example, a leader in renewable energy and climate-focused business who's made a career out of proving that doing good and doing well aren't mutually exclusive.
"There is a legion of entrepreneurs and investors, like Jigar Shah, who have steered their businesses and career in directions that serve the world," Brieger says.
These are the people who inspire him now. Not because they're making money, though many are successful financially, but because they're using business as a tool for change.
Brieger's advocacy firm works at the intersection of those entrepreneurs and the policymakers who can help them succeed. He connects green businesses with legislators who understand their potential. He helps climate nonprofits navigate the complexities of state government. He translates technical concepts into political language and political realities into business strategies.
But when asked about his proudest achievement, Brieger didn't mention a lawsuit or a bill or a policy win. He didn't talk about cases won or legislation passed.
He talked about his kids.
"Raising three thoughtful children who contribute to society and gave me incredible grandchildren," he says.
Brieger has three children and six young grandchildren. If you can't find him visiting them, he's probably on or in the water somewhere. Rowing. Sailing. Swimming.
He carves out time for loved ones and outdoor exercise deliberately. It's not accidental. It's a choice he makes to stay grounded and healthy in work that can consume people if they let it.
For more than a decade, Brieger has volunteered with the Court Appointed Special Advocates program, working with foster youth navigating the child welfare system. It's hands-on work. One kid at a time. The kind of service that doesn't make headlines or win awards but changes lives in profound ways.
"For more than a decade I have helped foster youth through the Court Appointed Special Advocates program," he says.
CASA volunteers serve as appointed advocates for children in the foster care system, ensuring they don't get lost in bureaucratic shuffles or overwhelmed by a system that's supposed to protect them. They show up. They pay attention. They speak up when a child needs someone in their corner. For Brieger, it's a direct application of the service values his family instilled in him decades ago.
He's also served on nonprofit boards focused on education, the environment and youth sports organizations. The commitment to service that started at his family's dinner table continues today across multiple fronts. It all connects back to the same core belief that you're supposed to leave things better than you found them.
The work continues because it has to. The warming planet won't wait for perfect conditions or ideal political moments. Brieger knows the solutions exist. The technology works. The economics make sense. The challenge now is getting private enterprise and public leaders to move faster, push harder, act bolder.
"We know how to do this," he says. "Now private enterprise and public leaders need to get it done."
It's a challenge. A call to action. A statement of what's possible when people choose to act on what they know instead of waiting for someone else to solve the problem. Will Brieger's been acting on that knowledge for 25 years. He's not stopping now.
