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Mary E. Wright

Mary E. Wright

Partner

San Francisco

415.989.5900

Expertise

Employment Litigation

Ms. Wright has substantial experience in representing employers before courts (including both bench and jury trials), administrative agencies, arbitrators and mediators. She represents employers of every size over a wide range of industries in cases involving discrimination, harassment, wrongful discharge, retaliation and other employment-related claims.

Employment Counseling

Ms. Wright has both practical and professional experience in handling the day-to-day human resources obligations that face all employers. She works with employers to set up non-discriminatory hiring procedures, draft employment agreements, create handbooks and other policies and procedures, create employment forms, and counsel employers on employment issues including wage and hour, privacy, electronic workplace, leave, competition and confidentiality. She also provides guidance in the areas of employee discipline and termination, layoffs and reductions in force.

Educating and Protecting Employers

Ms. Wright routinely provides training on EEO and diversity issues. She performs audits to bring human resources functions into compliance with all state and federal employment laws for reporting requirements under Sarbanes-Oxley.

Recent Presentations/Publications

• "Sexual and Racial Harassment in the Workplace" (May 2008), Sterling Educational Service
• Employment Round Table, General Counsel Magazine (March 2006)
• "Avoiding Penalties for Misclassification of Independent Contractors," General Counsel Magazine (March 2006)
• Published Case: Spaziano v. Lucky Stores, Inc., 69 Cal. App. 4th 106 (1999) (employer's policy distinguishing between length of leave for work-related injury and injury caused by pregnancy not discriminatory); cited in "Fundamentals of Employment Law," American Bar Association (2nd ed. 2002), Ford, Notestine & Hill, editors ("Selected Cases," p. 232)
• "The Changing Face of Sexual Harassment: Transgender Issues in the Workplace" (September 2004), BASF MCLE program
• Employment in Indian Gaming Casinos, JobFlash (August 2004)
• "Defining 'Applicant' in the Age of Internet Recruiting." Presented to Human Resource Executives in the Hotel Industry, Las Vegas, NV (March 2004)
• "Violence in the Workplace” presented to the Northern California Human Resources Association (February 2004)
• "Interaction between Federal and State Leave Laws" presented to Sterling Management (January 2004)
• "Age Discrimination Laws in the U.S. and California" presented to the International Bar Association, international conference in San Francisco (September 2003)