My Experience
I started my career in the mid ‘90s clerking for a federal judge who remained scary smart even at 81. In our first conversation, he told me about his career and attributed his success and longevity to his boundless intellectual curiosity, “It’s because I’ve always been learning, Eric, every day, even at my age, so what I say to you is this: always be learning and you’ll be successful and happy too.”
So I took his advice to heart, and every challenge in my career (there have been many) has become a learning experience.
Professional Experience
Mediator, Steinert Mediation — December 2022-present. Private employment mediations and panel employment mediations for California Civil Rights Department, USDC Northern District of California, USDC Eastern District of California, San Diego Superior Court, Los Angeles Superior Court (Resolve Law LA and Mediation Volunteer Panel), Riverside Superior Court, California Second Appellate District and AAA Mediation Panel.
Arbitrator, Steinert Arbitration/American Arbitration Association (August 2024 to present) and FINRA (April 2024 to present).
Partner, Labor and Employment Practice Group, Seyfarth Shaw LLP, 2010-2025. California-wide employment practice involving single/multi plaintiff litigation, wage-hour class actions/PAGA representative actions, employment counseling, traditional labor and mediations/arbitrations; Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White Inc.) for Litigation - Labor and Employment (2022-2025); Northern California Super Lawyers for Employment & Labor (Thomson Reuters) (2019-2021); Rated AV Preeminent (5 out of 5), Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings.
Employment Counsel, Wachovia Corporation/Wells Fargo & Co., 2007-2010. In-house employment attorney for large financial services companies.
Associate/Partner, Labor and Employment Practice Group, Seyfarth Shaw LLP, 2000-2007.
Associate, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP, 1998-1999.
Associate, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, 1996-1998.
Judicial Law Clerk to Hon. Lawrence T. Lydick, United States District Court, Central District of California 1995-1996.
Associate, Law Offices of Rick M. Stein, 1994 – 1995
Mediation Training
USDC, Northern District, Mediator/ENE Training, October 2024 (40 hours).
Advanced Mediation, Straus Institute, Pepperdine University, Caruso School of Law, January/February 2023 (30 hours classroom and final paper).
Mediating the Litigated Case, Straus Institute, Pepperdine University, Caruso School of Law, October 24-28, 2022 (30 hours classroom/10 hours roleplaying).
2022 Advanced Mediation Conference: Practical Skills for Experienced Employment Litigators, California Lawyers Association, December 1-2, 2022 (6.5 hours in various seminars).
Education
Rice University, B.A. Economics 1990 cum laude
UC Berkeley School of Law, J.D. 1993
Universität Heidelberg, 1988