George J. Barron, Attorney

George J. Barron is a partner and head of the firm's labor and employment practice. Mr. Barron has over 30 years of litigation experience representing management and employees in employment and labor disputes involving wrongful termination, discrimination, sexual harassment, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and employer/employee relations. He also has significant experience with claims of defamation, false arrest, malicious prosecution and interference torts. He represents clients ranging from small businesses through large, international companies with multiple locations. In addition to his litigation practice, he also advises employers and employees on employment policies and regulations, as well as arbitrating and mediating employment and attorneys' fees disputes.

Mr. Barron is particularly skilled at developing strategies that best represent his clients' interest while achieving quick resolution of disputes. He has successfully defended employers in individual and class-action suits brought by employees, unions and contract workers. He has extensive experience in cases in which employees have misrepresented their job experience and/or credentials on resumes, stolen from their employers, and threatened co-workers and employers. Mr. Barron has frequently obtained temporary restraining orders on behalf of employers in cases of violent employees and strikers.

Mr. Barron has been litigating discrimination cases for employers for nearly three decades. His employment law practice emphasizes wrongful termination and discrimination, including sexual harassment and age, race, disability, sex, and marital status discrimination. He has successfully represented major retailers and other large companies in individual and class action cases alleging employment discrimination with exposures from $100,000 to over $20,000,000.

Mr. Barron has successfully defended employers in numerous discrimination cases, achieving dismissals of multi-million dollar lawsuits, summary judgments, and total defense verdicts exonerating employers of all charges against them. In a recent case, he won a unanimous Federal Court Jury Verdict against a 30-year employee seeking substantial damages for disability discrimination.

Mr. Barron also maintains an active plaintiffs' practice, having successfully represented employees in sexual harassment and discrimination cases against their supervisors and employers. Many of these cases have settled favorably for his clients without trial. Collectively, Mr. Barron has recovered millions of dollars for his clients within just the past few years. In cases in which employers have refused to settle, Mr. Barron has recovered substantial judgments in compensation for back pay, and pain and suffering, and has had clients reinstated in their jobs. While many of the cases handled by Mr. Barron have received media attention, he follows the wishes of clients who choose to minimize media coverage for personal and professional reasons. His handling of both defense and plaintiff employment matters provides a uniquely thorough perspective for him to advise clients.

He represents his clients in hearings before such governmental entities as the Labor Commissioner, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the California Department of Fair Employment & Housing (DFEH), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). He has represented employers in settlement negotiations with union representatives and opposing counsel, and, when settlement was not possible, has tried employer cases in 10 jury trials and 50 arbitrations.

Mr. Barron frequently speaks before business groups, bar associations and employers on employment-related topics, union grievances, arbitration and mediation. He has been called upon by media representatives to comment upon employment and labor issues, and has served as a panelist for legal publishers to provide guidance for future legal publications.

He earned his law degree in 1972 from the University of California at Los Angeles where he was a member of the UCLA Law Review. He is a member of the State Bar of California (Labor and Employment Sections), the Contra Costa County Bar Association, and the Alameda County Bar Association. Along with several other members of the firm, Mr. Barron has been named a ""Super Lawyer"" by San Francisco Magazine, an honor bestowed on just 5% of the lawyers practicing in Northern California.