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Attorney
By
Attorney
 Career
Profiles of the Profession
Who?
What?
Primary Practice Area & Subspecialty Fields:
General business litigation practice with emphasis on employment
litigation, including claims involving wrongful termination, discrimination,
harassment, Americans with Disabilities Act, wage and hour law,
trade secret violations, interference with business claims, privacy
right violations, ERISA claims, 132(a) claims, and other types
of employment-related litigation.
When?
Years in Practice Area:
Since 1986
Years in the Legal Profession:
Since 1983
Where?
Employer:
Wilson Petty Kosmo & Turner, LLP
wpkt.com
Size/Sector:
12 Attorneys
City/State:
San Diego, CA
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Law School:
UC Davis
Undergraduate School/Degree:
UCSD, B.A. in History
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Why?
Pluses/Challenges of Practice Area:
Employment litigation is by far the most interesting of all the
practice areas. While there is the occasional boring case, most
deal with the complexities of human relationships and related
emotional dramas.
Core Skills/Key Knowledge Needed in Your Practice Area:
The ability to listen/ a keen 6th sense/an understanding of state
and federal employment laws/ the usual trial skills/ the ability
to research and write persuasively (it is a very motion intensive
practice) and the ability to juggle a transactional practice with
a litigation practice (clients seek both advice and litigation
support in the employment area).
Advice to Lawyers and Law Students Interested in Your Practice
Area:
Trial skills are important to this practice area, but trials are
hard to come by as an associate. If you have an opportunity to
go into a trial intensive program (for example the District attorney's
office) before joining a firm, it would be a great skill to have
developed before you start your employment practice.
How?
Career Path to Current Position:
See advice above.
Influences and Mentors:
Many. My father who told me I could do anything, senior associates and partners at my current firm and my first firm, Luce Forward, who were and are informative and supportive.
Suggested Reading About Your Practice Area:
For attorneys who want to practice in California I would recommend
a cover-to-cover review of the 2-volume set on Employment Law
from the California Chamber of Commerce. It is a good summary
of the many California laws in this area.
Job Search Techniques Used in Finding Your Position(s):
For California in general I recommend the Los Angeles Daily Journal.
For San Diego specifically: the San Diego Daily Transcript, and
Lawyers Club job board. I do not recommend using a recruiter generally,
since the expense will cause you to lose opportunities you might
otherwise have.
Bar Affiliations and Activities:
Recipient, San Diego Business Journal's San Diego Women
Who Mean Business Award (2002)
President, Association of Business
Trial Lawyers of San Diego (1999)(Vice President (1998), Treasurer
(1997), Secretary (1996), Board Member (1994-1996))
Master, Louis
M. Welsh American Inn of Court (1998-2001)
Lawyer Representative,
Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference (1999-2001)
Co-Chair, Use of
Technology in Practice Subcommittee, American Bar Association, Section
of Labor and Employment Law, Technology Committee (2001 - Present)
Committee Member, American Bar Association, Section of Labor and
Employment Law, Technology Committee (2001 - Present)
Committee
Member, San Diego County Bar Association, Judicial Evaluation Committee
(1998)
Recipient, San Diego County Bar Association Annual Award
for Service to Legal Education (1994)
Recipient, YWCA's Tribute
to Women in Industry Award (1993)
Co-Chair, Sexual Harassment Task
Force, Sponsored by Lawyers Club of San Diego (1992-1994)
Member,
Lawyers Club of San Diego
Member, California Women Lawyers Association
Member, State Bar of California and San Diego County Bar Association
Recent Professional Publications:
Dubious Duties: New Identity Theft Law Leaves Employers
Unsure About Their Obligations, Los Angeles Daily Journal, June
10, 2002, Claudette G. Wilson and Michael S. Kalt
Identity Theft Law Leaves Employers Uncertain, San Diego
Daily Transcript, Law Week Edition, May 3, 2002, Claudette G. Wilson
and Michael S. Kalt
Armendariz' Viability After Circuit City, California Labor
& Employment Quarterly, Vol 16, No. 1, State Bar of California
Labor and Employment Law Section, January 2002, Claudette G. Wilson
and Michael S. Kalt
Workplace Arbitration Agreements Upheld By California Supreme
Court, San Diego Lawyers Magazine, November/ December 2000,
Claudette G. Wilson and Michael S. Kalt
Recent Professional Presentations:
Speaker, American Bar Association, Section of Labor and
Employment Law, Technology Committee (April 2003)Regulatory Compliance
in An Electronic World
Participant, University
of San Diego Executive Round Table (March 2003), Women in
Leadership
Speaker, Lorman Education Services (October 2002)Federal
Civil Litigation in California
Witness, Association of Business
Trial Lawyers of San Diego(May 2002) Beyond Common Experience
- Persuading The Jury With Expert Testimony
Speaker, KPBS-FM
Radio Station (March 2002) These Days: Hring Ex-Felons
Speaker, South County Personnel Association (March 2002) Avoiding
Liability During the Employee Selection Process
Speaker,
American Corporate Counsel Association (January 2002) Creating
Effective Diversity Programs
Speaker, Pyxis Corporation (January
2002) California Employment Law Update
Speaker, The
State Bar of California, Employment Law Section (October 2001) The
Future of Employment Litigation After Circuit City
Speaker,
The San Diego Chapter of The Federal Bar Association (October 2001)
Discovery and Disclosure Under the New Rule 26: What Every
Practitioner Should Know.
Speaker, East County Personnel
Association (September 2001) Avoiding Liability During the
Employee Selection Process
Speaker, Continuing Education
of the Bar: Advanced Course of Study Employment Litigation 2001
(May, 2001)
Speaker, Continuing Education of the Bar (February
2001) Employee or Independent Contractor: The Pros and Cons
Speaker, GlaxoSmithKline, Recent Developments in California Employment
Law (January 2001)
Memorable Career Moment:
There are good and bad ones, and generally too many to
mention - one of the problems with practicing for 20 years.
Intriguing Interests:
Scuba diving in San Diego and more tropical locals, camping
in Baja California, eating well in France, drinking great wines,
playing volleyball on the beach and generally enjoying living in
paradise.
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