09/28/2026
ALRP joins Peter Kearns’ family, friends, and colleagues in celebrating his life and legacy.
Peter served as ALRP's first in-house Housing Attorney from 1998 to 1999, bringing extraordinary dedication and compassion to his work. He joined ALRP at a time when the need for these services was suddenly escalating—as people living with HIV had new access to effective treatment, and as the city simultaneously experienced intense displacement and gentrification as a result of the dot-com boom (which is happening again today with the AI boom). Peter helped us shift our model to include a dedicated team of staff attorneys focused on housing that continues today.
Peter’s commitment to HIV justice was deeply personal. After losing a close friend, Donnie, to AIDS in 1993, Peter reaffirmed his dedication to protecting and advancing the rights of people living with HIV. “I started law school less than two months after Donnie died,” he said, “and I renewed my commitment to protect and promote the legal rights of people with HIV/AIDS.”
He excelled; in his first performance review, his supervisor said, “Peter’s initiative is superlative. He has a passion for his clients’ rights and has rave reviews from them.”
The impact of Peter’s advocacy lives on in the people he served. One ALRP client shared: “Thanks to Peter’s work, my cozy San Francisco apartment is now subsidized and affordable, and my beloved black Labrador Retriever, Max, is curled up in front of my fireplace.”
We are grateful for Peter’s service, his compassion, and the lasting difference he made in the lives of our clients.
