Barbara Christiansen

Barbara Christiansen has devoted twenty years to the exclusive practice of employment law. In 1999, she established a mediation practice dedicated to the resolution of employment disputes. She routinely achieves remarkable success mediating cases under California and federal employment laws asserting claims for: * Unlawful discrimination and harassment based on age, disability, ethnicity, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, family rights and family and medical leave. * Violation of wage and hour laws regulating meal and rest periods, bonus and commission payments, employee misclassification, independent contractor status, and waiting time penalties. * Common law actions for breach of employment contract, interference with prospective employment, defamation, wrongful discharge based on an array of public policies, and whistleblower claims. From 1987 to 1998, as an attorney with a national employment law firm, she gained the respect of her colleagues and opposing counsel alike for her ability to analyze complex employment law theories, evaluate facts, and negotiate early resolution. In her practice before California and federal courts and administrative agencies, she represented public and private sector clients from a wide range of business and industry in cases involving the entire spectrum of employment law. Barbara’s employment law and mediation expertise combined with her previous experience in social work with disabled adults, education and business, and independent studies of economics, language, and world cultures provide a unique foundation for her employment mediation practice. In all respects, she possesses the competencies that employment attorneys demand of a career employment mediator: expertise in employment law; experience as an employment law mediator; the ability to communicate effectively with employers and employees; and extensive knowledge of business and industry. After years of service as a mediator for numerous court, administrative agency and private mediation programs, she has withdrawn from all panels to provide her clients with superior service and accessibility. She is pleased to offer her mediation services to employment attorneys throughout Northern California at competitive rates without additional charge for travel.