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Education
University of California Santa Barbara, B.A., Political Science / Public Service, with honors, 1989
University of California, Hastings College of the Law, J.D., Magna Cum Laude, Order of the Coif, 1992
Memberships
BAR ADMISSIONS
California
MEMBERSHIPS
State Bar of California
Santa Barbara County Bar Association
Santa Barbara Human Resources Association
American Health Lawyers Association
I have practiced employment law at Mullen & Henzell in Santa Barbara since 1993, representing only employers. When I started practicing, California was the least favorable state for employers in the United States in terms of employment laws. Thirty years later, that is still true, but during that time, California has continued to get so much worse that my beliefs about having “hit bottom” are constantly proven wrong. It is not your imagination; California really is that bad for the employer community.
However, the California weather is still relatively good (despite getting hotter and dryer all the time) and people like me who were born in California don’t seem to be interested in relocating to employer-friendly states with zero state income tax and no meal periods, rest periods or daily overtime laws. Accordingly, we play the cards we are dealt, which means compliance with California employment laws. If we were professional athletes, this would be called “playing at the highest level”.