Head Attorney Civil & Criminal

Carry out the duties of this position in support of the agency's public mission.

26 employees hold this title in City Attorney. Median total compensation for the role is $365,308, above the department median of $246,505.

Employees: 26
Total payroll: $8M
Role median: $365,308
Agency median: $246,505
Comparison: Above

What the records show

Role pay distribution

Pay distribution for this role

$49,972$369,898+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How total compensation varies among the 26 people in this role. Even for one job title, pay differs with seniority, step, overtime, and tenure. Each bar is a pay range; the far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Compare departments

This role across City and County of San Francisco

Head Attorney Civil & Criminal is held in 7 City and County of San Francisco departments. In City Attorney, the median of $365,308 ranks #5 of 7.

Highest-paying departments for this role

Human Services Agency

$372,519 · 1

Child Support Services

$372,224 · 1

District Attorney

$366,412 · 18

Public Defender

$365,751 · 16

Rent Arbitration Board

$311,062 · 3

Department of Police Accountablility

$92,961 · 2

Median total compensation for the Head Attorney Civil & Criminal role in other City and County of San Franciscodepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.

Record list

Employees with this title

Page 1

Peter Cownan

Head Attorney Civil & Criminal/City Attorney

2024 total comp

$352,053

Sub-department: Legal & Court
Organization group: General Administration & Finance
Base pay: $275,279
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $76,774
Total compensation: $352,053
Employment type: Permanent Exempt
Union / bargaining unit: Municipal Attorneys Assoc
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1.04

Source-specific fields

Data As Of: Jun 14, 2026
Data Loaded At: Jun 15, 2026
Department Code: CAT
Health and Dental Benefits: $21,199
Job Code: 8182
Job Family Code: 8100
Organization Group Code: General Administration & Finance
Other Benefits: $14,810

At City Attorney, Peter Cownan serves as a Head Attorney Civil & Criminal within Legal & Court. They work permanent exempt, 1.04 FTE. Their 2024 pay totaled $352,053. Their bargaining unit is Municipal Attorneys Assoc.

Margarita Gutierrez

Head Attorney Civil & Criminal/City Attorney

2025 total comp

$351,525

Sub-department: Legal & Court
Organization group: General Administration & Finance
Base pay: $270,373
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $4,483
Benefits: $76,669
Total compensation: $351,525
Employment type: Permanent Exempt
Union / bargaining unit: Municipal Attorneys Assoc
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1

Source-specific fields

Data As Of: Jun 14, 2026
Data Loaded At: Jun 15, 2026
Department Code: CAT
Health and Dental Benefits: $21,941
Job Code: 8182
Job Family Code: 8100
Organization Group Code: General Administration & Finance
Other Benefits: $15,644

Margarita Gutierrez is a Head Attorney Civil & Criminal at City Attorney within Legal & Court. They work permanent exempt. 2025 total compensation came to $351,525. Their bargaining unit is Municipal Attorneys Assoc.

Sarah Crowley

Head Attorney Civil & Criminal/City Attorney

2025 total comp

$341,889

Sub-department: Legal & Court
Organization group: General Administration & Finance
Base pay: $267,747
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $74,143
Total compensation: $341,889
Employment type: Permanent Exempt
Union / bargaining unit: Municipal Attorneys Assoc
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 0.95

Source-specific fields

Data As Of: Jun 14, 2026
Data Loaded At: Jun 15, 2026
Department Code: CAT
Health and Dental Benefits: $20,844
Job Code: 8182
Job Family Code: 8100
Organization Group Code: General Administration & Finance
Other Benefits: $15,255

At City Attorney, Sarah Crowley serves as a Head Attorney Civil & Criminal within Legal & Court. They work permanent exempt, 0.95 FTE. Their 2025 pay totaled $341,889. Their bargaining unit is Municipal Attorneys Assoc.