Overview

A highly-experienced litigator, Sarah focuses her practice on the defense of discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims, as well as claims relating to medical leave issues. In addition, Sarah litigates actions relating to wage and hour issues, unfair competition and misappropriation of trade secrets.  Her practice also includes a robust component of counseling, training and policy development; she advises employers on the full range of employment law compliance topics.

Sarah is an Adjunct Professor at Tulane Law School in the Masters of Jurisprudence in Labor and Employment Law program.  The program is an online executive masters degree program aimed at human resource professionals and business owners.  Sarah designed, created, and teaches a semester-long requisite course on employee medical leaves of absence.  She is delighted to teach in this innovative program offered by her alma mater.

Sarah especially enjoys explaining the law and the legal process to non-lawyers.  Her experience has been that conflicts in the workplace, and even litigation, can produce positive change within companies if the lawyer handling the matter takes care to listen, adapt to change, and keep the client’s business objectives at the forefront of the strategy at all times.

Honors & Recognitions

  • Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Employment Law – Management (2023-2024)
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent® Peer Rated for Highest Level of Professional Excellence
  • Northern California Super Lawyers® (2008-2019)
  • Top Rated Lawyer in Labor & Employment Law, ALM (2019)

Professional & Civic Associations

  • Alameda County Bar Association, Labor & Employment Section
    • Executive Committee (2016-present)

About Me

Sarah loves to sing: into a microphone, with a band, a cappella, you name it.

News & Analysis

Speaking Engagements & Industry Publications

  • "Pitfalls in Employment Settlement Cases," California Continuing Education of the Bar Webinar, March 2019
  • "Harassment Prevention in the #MeToo Era," presented to the Marin Country Employers Advisory Council, March 2019
  • "Increasing the Diversity of Legal & Corporate Leadership," presented to the Women Diversity & Change Conference, San Francisco, CA, November 2018
  • "#PayMeToo - Navigating the New Landscape of Pay Equity Laws"(Moderator), Association of Corporate Counsel, April 2018
  • “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” 
  • Marcus Aurelius

Practice Emphasis

  • Defense of EEOC and DFEH Charges
  • Employment Policy Formulation and Advice
  • Sexual Harassment and other EEO Investigations
  • Policy Analysis and Employment Law Training
  • Education law litigation and advice
  • Defense of claims relating to physician discipline

Education

Tulane University Law School

  • J.D., cum laude, 1989
  • Tulane Law Review, Notes & Comments Editor, 1987-1989

Wellesley College

  • B.A., Music, 1986

Bar & Court Admissions

  • California, 1989
  • United States District Courts for the Northern District of California
  • United States District Courts for the Eastern District of California
  • United States District Courts for the Central District of California
  • United States District Courts for the Western District of Michigan
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
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