Lorraine P. Ocheltree practices in the area of employment law and civil litigation. She has represented clients in state and federal court and has served as trial counsel in jury and bench trials, resulting in defense verdicts, as well as matters that went to mediation and arbitration. She has also successfully defended appeals.

Ms. Ocheltree has defended employers in both state and federal court from claims including wrongful discharge, race, gender, age, sexual orientation, and disability discrimination, as well as racial and sexual harassment, ADA-compliance, Labor Code violations, defamation, interference with contract, and wage and hour disputes. She has worked on administrative proceedings before the California Labor Commission, the Fair Employment and Housing Commission, the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Ms. Ocheltree's practice includes providing preventative advice on all aspects of the employer/employee relationship, such as employment applications and the hiring process, employment agreements, arbitration, classification of personnel, protection of trade secrets, policy manuals, ADA-compliance, personnel leaves, progressive discipline, severance, termination and administrative proceedings. She has reviewed and drafted employment agreements, personnel policies and handbooks and has litigated claims involving mandatory arbitration, non-competition clauses, anti-solicitation provisions and the protection of company trade secrets. She has trained employees, supervisors, and business owners on how to prevent claims from arising in the workplace. She has also been involved in numerous stock option disputes.

Ms. Ocheltree represents both large and small employers in matters pertaining to the telecommunications, legal, architecture, financial services, accounting, insurance, food service, recreation, retail, education, healthcare, construction and automotive industries. She also has substantial maritime, insurance, and general business litigation experience.

A member of the American Bar Association, Northern California Human Resources Association, and Queen's Bench, Ms. Ocheltree is a 1990 graduate of the University of San Francisco School of Law and a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles.

Admissions

• California

Education

• University of San Francisco School of Law, J.D., 1990
• University of California, Los Angeles, B.A., 1985

Professional Activities

• American Bar Association
• Northern California Human Resources Association
• Queen's Bench
• Maritime Law Association of the United States

Board Memberships

• San Francisco Marine Claims Association
  - Member, Board of Directors

Publications

• Update Author on employment issues for "Specific Special Needs Trust Administration Issues," chapter in Special Needs Trusts: Planning, Drafting, and Administration, Continuing Education of the Bar - California, 2013
• Author, "Employee Evaluations and Discipline," chapter in Drafting Employment Documents for California Employers, Continuing Education of the Bar - California, 2011 (A video clip is available in which Ms. Ocheltree discusses some of the issues covered in this chapter.)
• Co-author, "Ninth Circuit Applies California Law to Determine Independent-Contractor Status Despite Choice-of-Law Provision for Texas," Duane Morris Alert, July 27, 2010
• "Highlights of New San Francisco Sick Leave Ordinance: Impact Is National ," Duane Morris Alert, February 2, 2007

Speaking Engagements

• Speaker, "Social Media Networking Sites and Employment-Related Decisions" and "Privacy and Other Workplace Issues," Sterling Education Services, 10th Annual Labor and Employment Law 2013, San Diego, April 16, 2013
• Speaker, "New Labor Law Luncheon," Berkeley Chamber of Commerce, March 6, 2013
• Speaker, "Navigating Employee Leaves of Absence," Duane Morris Employment, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group, San Francisco, October 17, 2012
• Speaker, "Internal Investigations: A Step-by-Step Approach," Duane Morris Employment, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group, San Francisco, July 18, 2012
• Speaker, "Employment Laws Made Simple," National Business Institute Seminar, San Francisco, May 2, 2012
• "Social Media and Technology in the Workplace," Bay Area General Counsel Group, June 7, 2011
• "Social Media in the Workplace: OMG! TMI at Work," County Counsel Association of California, November 4, 2010
• Speaker, "Planning for the Future: Protecting Your Current Business," Duane Morris' Developments in Workplace Law & Practice 2010, San Francisco, May 18, 2010
• Speaker, "Weathering The Recession: Employment Dos and Don'ts In A Bad Economy," Berkeley Chamber of Commerce, Berkeley, California, Thursday, March 12, 2009
• "What's New in California: A Review of Employment Law Developments in 2006," Berkeley Chamber of Commerce, January 24, 2007
• Speaker, "What You Should Know Before You Hire and The Hiring Decision," advanced continuing education workshop sponsored by Sterling Education Services, San Diego, California, January 17, 2007
• "The Perfect Storm: Navigating Health Related Leaves of Absence Laws," Conference on Labor and Employment Law, San Francisco, September 29-30, 2005
• Ms. Ocheltree's speaking engagements include continuing education seminars and conferences on topics including leaves of absence, employment agreements and updates in the law.