Associate
Email: ecs@kastnerkim.com
Practice Area
Ellie has over 15 years experience in representing and advising individuals and businesses of all sizes in day-to-day employment matters, employment litigation, as well as in complex business and commercial litigation matters. Her "soup-to-nuts" experience in employment law includes:
Representing and advising executives and individual employees in employment matters involving stock or equity compensation, stock options, severance agreements, employment contracts, change of control agreements, wrongful termination, discrimination, sexual harassment, independent contractor disputes, and wage & hour disputes.
Advising managers and human resource professionals on day-to-day employment issues, such as hiring & firing; employee discipline; leaves of absence; disability accommodations; background checks; employee privacy; use of independent contractors; wage & hour issues; workplace safety; investigating complaints of employee misconduct; sexual harassment and discrimination; layoffs and WARN Act compliance; and severance, stock, and benefits.
Representation of both employers and employees in litigation of matters involving claims of age, race, gender, national origin and disability discrimination; pregnancy discrimination; sexual harassment; wrongful termination; breach of contract; employee embezzlement; wage & hour compliance; misclassification of independent contractors, and claims under the Family Medical Leave Act and California Family Rights Act.
She has represented businesses and individuals in complex commercial disputes including trade secret misappropriation, false advertising, unfair competition, breach of contract, interference with contract and other business tort actions.
Kastner | Kim LLP since January 2009
Kastner | Banchero LLP 2005 - 2008
Prior to joining Kastner Banchero, Ellie worked at several firms in the Bay Area, including Thoits Love Hershberger & McLean, Hopkins & Carley, and Ferrari Olsen Ottoboni & Bebb. Ellie also worked as in-house legal counsel in two Fortune 500 companies (Robert Half International, Inc. and Applied Materials, Inc.)
Professional & Community Activities
California Bar Association (Employment Law and Litigation Sections)
Santa Clara County Bar Association (Member of Executive Committee for Labor & Employment Section)
American Bar Association (Labor & Employment and Litigation Sections
Judge Pro Tempore, Santa Clara County (Small Claims) and Alameda County (Small Claims and Traffic Court)
St. Clare's Choir
Ellie is also a frequent speaker and moderator at seminars. Below is a list of seminars she has presented:
Shooting the Messenger: Why Punishment for Retaliation Claims Always Far Exceeds the Underlying Crime, Santa Clara County Bar Association, September 9, 2008
Now What? The 2006 Employment Laws and Decisions Found Only in California, Santa Clara County Bar Association February 6, 2007
New Frontiers in Arbitration of Employment Disputes,Santa Clara County Bar Association, June 28, 2006
Employment Law Considerations for Using Contract Attorneys, Santa Clara County Bar Association June 22, 2005
Contract Attorneys: Ethical Issues and How to Resolve Them, Santa Clara County Bar Association, April 1, 2005
Legal and Business Issues for Performing Contract Work In-house , Association of Corporate Counsel of America (ACCA), San Francisco Career Development Committee,
March 24, 2005
How to Be A Successful Contract Attorney in the New Economy, Santa Clara County Bar Association, December 15, 2004
State Bar Admission
California State Bar
U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
Education
Santa Clara University, School of Law, JD 1992
University of California, Berkeley, Bachelor of Arts Degree, Political Science, with Honors, 1987
