Ms Ford is admitted to the bar in California, Colorado and Oregon and has represented clients in the United States Supreme Court, the California Supreme Court and the Federal Courts of Appeals for the Seventh, Ninth, and Tenth Circuits. In addition to the states in which she is admitted she has represented clients in courts and other forums across the nation including Washington, nevada, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Illinois, Utah, and New York. 

    Ms. Ford became and attorney in 1979 and she handled her first trial a few months later in 1980 representing the plaintiffs in the legendary case of Seritis v. Lane. In that case she represented three waitresses who sued their former union leader for sex discrimination and sexual harassment. It was a landmark case and resulted in the largest award of general and punitive damages in a sex harassment case up to that time. The case was appealed and the decision was affirmed by  the California Court of Appeals and the California Supreme Court. 

   During her remarkable career Ms. Ford has handled employment litigation and arbitrations for some of the largest companies in America. (For a sampling of past lawsuits and clients see Cases and Clients.) She has also represented a wide variety of individuals and both union and non-union employers in traditional labor matters before the National Labor Relations Board, and in administrative procedings the Department of Labor, the California Labor Comissioner, the Workers Compensation Boards of California and Colorado.

     She has also counseled employers and employees with regard to a wide range of employment law matters including discipline and discharge, hiring, recruiting, mergers and acquisitions, lay offs, wage and hour issues, workplace safety, violence in the workplace, compensation systems and employee benefits. 

      Ms. Ford has planned and conducted hundreds of training sessions for thousands of employees and members of management.

      She has conducted employment law risk analysis and risk management including analysis and development of human resources forms, polices, and practices.

 
     Ms. Ford has drafted all varieties of employment documents including employment contracts, executive agreements, employment applications, handbooks, job descriptions, summary plan descriptions for ERISA plans, performance review forms, termination and layoff notices, and COBRA notices.

 

      Professional Achievements and Memberships

·         Frequent speaker at programs sponsored by the American Bar Association, CLE International, CLE of Colorado, Federal Publications, Lorman, Associated Builders and Contractors, Building Industry Association, the Association of Federal Credit Unions, the California Council on Apprenticeship, and other business and industry groups.

 

·         From 1989 to 1991, served as labor and employment law Division
Chair for the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Construction Industry, and in 1990 served as the Chair of the Forum’s national meeting. 

 

·        1994-96 director for the San Francisco Legal Aid Society and the Employment Law Center of San Francisco.

 

·        Starting in 1989, an instructor for CEBS, a graduate degree program in employee benefits sponsored by the Wharton School of Economics of the University of Pennsylvania.