professionals
Teresa R. Tracy | Principal
ttracy@gladstonemichel.com
(310) 821-9000
Teresa Tracy chairs the firm's Labor and Employment Group. She represents management in all areas of labor and employment law and litigation, including wrongful termination, discrimination, wage and hour, class action, union organizing campaigns, grievances and arbitrations, and collective bargaining. She also provides preventive services, including comprehensive counseling and training.
Teresa has been selected seven times by her peers as a Southern California Super Lawyer in the area of Labor & Employment. In 2005, Teresa was identified as one of the "Top 75 Women Litigators" by the Los Angeles/San Francisco Daily Journal.
Teresa has litigated before state and federal courts throughout the country, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, numerous state departments of civil rights, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, the National Labor Relations Board, state public employment relations boards, arbitrators, the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor, and several state labor boards.
Teresa's clients include entrepreneurs, medium-sized and major national and international companies and corporations in a broad range of industries. She also has extensive experience representing public employers. She stresses a preventive approach designed to allow management as much latitude as possible in employee relations while avoiding unnecessary litigation.
Teresa is the author of a chapter in Advising California Employers and Employees and regularly wrote the column on employment discrimination law for The California Labor & Employment Law Quarterly. She has been quoted in Workforce Management, Employment 360, Bloomberg News, Los Angeles Business Journal, Variety Magazine, Contra Costa Times, American Medical News, and FinancialWeek, among others.
Education
J.D., cum laude, Loyola University School of Law, 1979
B.A., magna cum laude, California State University Northridge, 1974
Memberships
American Bar Association
California State Bar Association
Los Angeles County Bar Association
National Association of Professional Women
Strafford Publications
Employment & ERISA Teleconference Advisory Board Member
Los Angeles Urban League
Board of Directors (Present); Emeritus Board Member (2006 to Present)
Presentations and Publications
Speaker, “Cell Phone, BlackBerry and Social Media Policies that Minimize Employer Liability,” National Constitution Center (January 28, 2010)
Speaker, “EEOC Investigations on the Rise: Proactive Strategies to Respond to Discrimination Investigations and Prevail in Claims,” Strafford (January 5, 2010)
Speaker, "Effective Employee Handbooks: Drafting Policies That Work," Progressive Business Audio Conferences (November 19, 2009)
Speaker, "California Wage and Hour Issues Affecting Molly Maid Franchisees," Presented by Gladstone Michel (October 6, 2009)
Speaker, “E-mail, Facebook & Blogging: Employee Internet Policies You Need Now,” Progressive Business Audio Conferences (September 30, 2009)
Speaker, "Drafting and Enforcing Dress Code Policies: What's Working, What's Not," Progressive Business Audio Conferences (August 27, 2009)
Speaker
, "Ricci v. DeStefano: Balancing Title VII Disparate Treatment and Disparate Impact" Teleconference, Strafford (July 30, 2009)
Speaker
, "Bulletproof Your Employee Handbook" Teleconference, Progressive Business Audio Conferences (June 30, 2009)
Panelist, "EEOC Investigations: Effective Employer Strategies," Strafford (April 28, 2009)
Moderator and Panelist, "2009 Labor and Employment Law Update," Paramount Educational Seminars (April 21, 2009)
Speaker
, "Employee Free Choice Act: Legal Strategies for Employers Facing Broader Unionizing Rights," Strafford (April 15, 2009)
Panelist, "California Employment Law Update 2009: New Changes You Need to Know," National Constitution Center (April 7, 2009)
Faculty, "The New Employer COBRA Obligations," Professionals in Human Resources Association, District 11 (March 12, 2009)
Speaker
, "The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act," Strafford (February 24, 2009)
Faculty, "The Employee Free Choice Act," Professionals in Human Resources Association (January 8, 2009)
Author, "2008 Supreme Court Case Studies," Inside The Minds - The Impact of 2008 Supreme Court Employment Law Cases: Leading Lawyers Analyze Key Cases and Trends, published by Aspatore Books (January 2009)
Panelist, "EEOC Investigations: Effective Employer Strategies," Strafford Legal Publications (November 5, 2008)
Panelist, "Fundamentals of Employment Law Practice," Continuing Education of the Bar (October 24, 2008)
Panelist, "Civil Rights Litigation Update," National Business Institute (July 25, 2008)
Panelist, "When the EEOC Comes Knocking," Strafford Legal Publications (March 6, 2008, November 15, 2007, March 6, 2007 and January 31, 2007)
Author, "New Laws for California Employers for 2008," Blue Collar Crossing (January 2008)
Panelist, "Defending Collective and Class Claims: Class Certification, Trial and Settlement Strategies," Strafford Legal Publications (September 26, 2007)
Panelist, "Managing DOL Investigations and Avoiding Litigation," Strafford Legal Publications (September 12, 2007)
Panelist, "Latest Developments in Employment Law: What's In It For In-House Counsel?", Association of Corporate Counsel America Southern California Chapter (January 11, 2007)
Panelist, "Wage and Hour Collective and Class Claims: Strategies for Defending Claims and Limiting Damages," Strafford Legal Publications (March 22, 2006)
Panelist, "When the EEOC Comes Calling," Strafford Legal Publications (February 15, 2006)
Panelist, "Electronic Discovery Do's and Don'ts," Association of Corporate Counsel America Southern California Chapter (January 12, 2006)
Panelist, "Workplace Romance Poses New Legal Risk for Employers," Strafford Legal Publications (November 17, 2005)
Panelist, "FMLA in Flux," Strafford Legal Publications (October 19, 2005)
Panelist, "Wage and Hour Collective and Class Claims: Changing State of the Law and Best Practices for Minimizing Claims," Strafford Legal Publications (September 15, 2005)
Panelist, "Non-Compete Agreements Under Fire: Crafting Contracts to Protect Your Assets," Strafford Legal Publications (August 17, 2005)
Panelist, "Disparate Impact Under the ADEA: Understanding the Practical Effect of Smith v. City of Jackson, Mississippi," Strafford Legal Publications (July 6, 2005)
Panelist, "10th Annual Litigators Forum," Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (May 18, 2005)
Panelist, "The Elimination of Bias in the Legal Department," Association of Corporate Counsel America Southern California Chapter (January 19, 2005)
Speaker, "Practical Applications of Employment Law," Sterling Education Services (April 21, 2004)
Panelist, "How Medical Information Fares in Judicial Proceedings," Los Angeles County Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Section (February 26, 2004)
Speaker, "Navigating the Maze: Various Leaves," Professionals in Human Resources Association Annual Conference (January 8, 9 & 14, 2003)
Speaker, "What Do You Mean This Person Is My Employee??," Society for Human Resource Management, 52nd Annual Conference & Exposition (June 28, 2000)
Speaker, "Fundamentals of Employment Law Practice," Continuing Education of the Bar, State of California (1998 to 2001)
Moderator, "Avoiding Employer Liability: Things You Should Know and Do," Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles and National Association of Women Business Owners, Los Angeles Chapter (November 16, 1999)
Guest Lecturer, UCLA MBA Program "Employment Law for Entrepreneurs"
Author "Employers May Debit Exempt Workers for Part-Day Absences," Los Angeles Daily Journal (September 26, 2005)
Author, "Discrimination and Harassment," Advising California Employers (1st and 2d Editions)
Author, "Equal Employment Opportunity Cases," The California Labor & Employment Quarterly (1996 to 2005)
Recent Mentions
"Legislation Loosens Up Alternative Work Week Schedule Rules," California Executive (April 10, 2009)
"Censoring HR," Human Resource Executive (December 23, 2008)
"Family Responsibility Discrimination: A Primer," California Executive (September 23, 2008)
"U.S. Supreme Court Weighs In On Labor Arbitration," California Executive (July 1, 2008)
"Appellate Case Illustrates Pressure to Seize Business Owners' Assets," California Executive (April 24, 2008)
"Top 10 Legal Decisions of 2007 Affecting Employment Law in 2008 and Beyond," Workforce Management (December 10, 2007)
"Five Employment Law Basics," Small Business Resource Center (November 13, 2007)
"World Bank Drama Highlights Risk to Employers," FinancialWeek (May 28, 2007)
"Lawyers Up in Arms Over Landmark Wage Ruling," Employment Law 360 (April 17, 2007)
"Handling the Toxic Employee: How to Avoid - or Dilute - the Poison," American Medical News (July 21, 2006)
"Google Reviewing Microsoft Offer to Settle Lawsuit," Bloomberg News (September 15, 2005)
Contra Costa Times, July 6, 2005 - "No Strike: BART, Unions Reach Deal for Four-Year Contract"
Admissions
California
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
U.S. District Courts, Central, Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of California