Meyers Nave proudly announces that Principal Camille Hamilton Pating has been selected to the Daily Journal’s 2020 list of California’s “Top Labor & Employment Lawyers.” Camille is Chair of Meyers Nave’s Labor and Employment Practice and Workplace Investigations Practice. She is a go-to independent attorney fact-finder for high-profile investigations and a well-respected expert in employment law for 35 years. She is also a thought leader in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs and initiatives and develops and leads innovative training programs. Camille is an experienced litigator advising and defending employers in litigation, arbitrations and disciplinary hearings and appeals. Camille can be contacted at cpating@meyersnave.com or 800.464.3559.
The Daily Journal’s interview with Camille is provided below.
Workplace Culture – Describing her counseling work, Camille said, “I’ve been practicing for 35 years and we used to call it preventive litigation practice. Now it’s getting a lot more attention. My mentor, Louise Renne (a former San Francisco City Attorney), showed me how to think about using our work as lawyers in different ways. Now I do the work I love – helping employers elevate their workplace cultures to avoid the kinds of problems that lead to litigation. You can do it via a compliance structure, but it is much better to have a vibrant and respectful workplace culture.”
COVID-19 and Racial Justice Protests – The COVID-19 impacts and the current social unrest are being felt by many of Camille’s clients. She explained that “a lot of employers face new difficulties including direct impacts to their budgets, forcing layoffs, and the difficulties of staying connected. I also observe fewer employee claims during shelter-in-place, maybe because people are not interacting. I am also observing that from the racial justice and equality protests there has come a strong concern by employers to look closer at issues of disparities at work.”
Shifting of Diversity Viewpoints – Client interest in work disparities has led to an emphasis in Camille’s advice practice on diversity. “It’s like the MeToo movement at the end of 2017,” she said. “Then, cases that would have been seen as stale – people would ask why complainants waited so long to come forward, and it affected credibility – benefited from a greater understanding that retaliation fears and concerns about not being believed can take a long time to process. We see that now. Viewpoints have shifted towards understanding. Complaints now are seen differently and investigated differently. We are in a new movement now regarding issues of race discrimination. Systemic and structural inequality are much more widely understood.”
Opportunities for Employers – Beyond individual cases, Camille said, “I’m getting inquiries from employers about workplace climate and culture issues. Some are eager to respond to employee concerns. A lot of employers want conversations about how to improve their workplace culture. When I see the demonstrations and protests in support of racial equality, I see that they are an opportunity for employers to raise awareness and improve things at work.”
