California Employment Litigation

Joseph (“Joe”) Beachboard is a nationally recognized employment lawyer with more than 35 years of experience helping California employers prevent and resolve employment-related disputes. He is co-founder of EmployersLawyer, an innovative employment law firm that combines experienced legal counsel with AI-powered tools, real-time legal updates, training, and practical resources to make useful employment law guidance accessible to all California employers.
Joe previously spent more than two decades with Ogletree Deakins, where he served in several senior leadership positions including Chief Strategy Officer and Managing Director. Earlier in his career, he spent ten years as President of The Labor Letters, a legal information company that provided employment law resources and practical guidance to thousands of employers throughout the United States.
A frequent speaker on employment law topics, Joe has presented at the SHRM Annual Conference for more than two decades. He also serves as a moderator for the LEAP program, which annually brings together leading employment attorneys to address emerging workplace issues, and Executive Director of the Management Labor & Employment Roundtable. He also produces Week@Work, a program highlighting significant employment law developments for California employers, and is regularly quoted by national business and legal publications.
Joe received his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School and is a member of the California Bar. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Whittier College, where he received his undergraduate degree in Economics and Political Science.

Krista Cabrera is an employment attorney at Foley & Lardner LLP focusing her practice on employment litigation, counseling, and training. She is a partner in the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice and serves as the Litigation Practice Group Leader for the West Region. Krista regularly represents employers in discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, proprietary information and trade secret, and class action wage and hour litigation. In addition to her litigation work, Krista also provides counseling services, focused on drafting agreements, litigation avoidance, and the review and preparation of various employment related policies and procedures. She trains managers and human resources (HR) professionals regarding harassment, discrimination, and retaliation avoidance.

Tracy Fehr is a founding partner of Alexander Fehr LLP, a plaintiff‐side employment and civil rights firm located in Century City. She represents employees, workers, and executives in appeals, negotiations, and litigation and is a Certified Appellate Specialist (California Board of Legal Specialization). Ms. Fehr is a member of the Executive Board of the California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA) and co-chair of its Amicus Committee. She is active in the Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) and serves on its State Appellate Judicial Evaluation Committee (SAJEC) and Labor and Employment Retreat Committee. Ms. Fehr has been named a Southern California Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers Magazine every year since 2017 and was named to its Top 100 and Top 50 Women Attorneys lists in 2026 and 2027. In 2020 and 2024-2026, the Daily Journal named her one of the Top Women Lawyers in California, as well as one of the Top Labor and Employment Lawyers in 2024-2025.

Dawn Irizarry is a Partner and Co-Chair of the firm’s Healthcare Industry Employment Defense Practice Group at CDF Labor Law LLP. She is a seasoned litigator with over 20 years’ experience defending California businesses in the full spectrum of employment law matters, with extensive experience representing clients in both Southern and Northern California. Dawn has litigated hundreds of matters involving claims of sexual harassment, unlawful discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, defamation, failure to accommodate, and related claims. Dawn also provides strategic advice and counsel to employers regarding California’s stringent employment laws, offering guidance on personnel policies, employee discipline, terminations, and other critical employment issues.

Thomas (Tom) McInerney is a shareholder with the international labor and employment firm Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. For over 30 years, Tom, a co-founder of Ogletree’s San Francisco office, has been a leading and trusted labor and employment advisor and litigator for many of the Bay Area’s most prominent companies. He has tried to verdict many cases in both state and federal court in several states, and he represents clients in a wide range of fields, including technology, financial services, rideshare, staffing, insurance, construction, energy/utility, healthcare, hospitality, healthcare, and logistics. Tom has a long-standing commitment to public service and has been a board member of several nonprofits and an elected official in the Bay Area.

Jeff Michalowski is a partner at Quarles & Brady LLP and vice chair of the firm’s Appellate Group. He is a certified appellate specialist and elected member of the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers and is an experienced advocate who helps Fortune 500 businesses, universities and public entities navigate legal challenges at all levels of the state and federal judiciary.

Leigh White is a partner at CDF Labor Law LLP. In her over two decades of defending and advising employers, she has successfully resolved complex litigation and disputes, ranging from individual claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour class actions, and trade secret allegations. When defending clients against these types of claims, Leigh brings her focused determination and her tried and true experience to the courtroom.