About

Terry has provided employment law advice to clients for over twenty-five years.  She has expertise in a wide range of employment law areas, including: CalPERS pension and health benefits; employees' family and medical leave rights; leaves of absences employees are entitled to in California; employers' obligations to provide reasonable accommodation for disabled employees and to engage in the interactive process with employees; the interaction between workers' compensation laws, medical leave laws and disability discrimination laws; employees' privacy rights in the workplace; wage and hour rules under the Fair Labor Standards Act; public sector employees' due process rights; discrimination, harassment, and retaliation issues; disciplinary appeals and grievance procedures; employee background checks; performance evaluations and how to determine, impose and defend disciplinary actions against employees.

Terry also provides training which can be individually tailored to the specific needs of small or large employee groups.  She has provided training in conducting investigations, and also in imposing and defending disciplinary actions.  She has also provided training on personnel policies, such as FMLA and pregnancy disability leaves, as well as sexual harassment.  She regularly sponsors and presents at the California Public Employers' Labor Relations Association (CALPELRA) annual conference.  She has also presented at the League of California Cities City Managers' conference.

Representation in Legal Proceedings

Terry has also represented clients in state and federal court litigations, and in administrative proceedings before the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, California Public Employment Relations Board, California Department of Industrial Relations and in proceedings before Administrative Law Judges involving CalPERS retirement benefits issues. In addition, Terry has successfully represented clients in dozens of arbitrations involving disciplinary appeals and grievances.

Background and Education

Before starting the Law Office of Terry Roemer in 2010, Terry was Senior Labor and Employment Counsel for the Meyers Nave firm in Oakland for ten years (from 2000 to 2010).  Before that, she was Senior Employment Counsel at the Liebert Cassidy firm in San Francisco from 1994 to 1999. From 1992-1994, she worked for a San Francisco law firm, Ruiz & Schapiro, representing California school and community college districts in employment matters.

Terry was admitted to the California state bar in 1990. Before coming to California, she practiced law in New York City after being admitted to the New York state bar in 1984. She worked as a litigation associate for a large corporate law firm in New York City, Schulte, Roth & Zabel, and later as in-house counsel for The City University of New York specializing in labor/employment matters.

Terry obtained her Juris Doctor degree from New York University School of Law in 1984. She received her Bachelor's degree with Honors in English Literature from Wellesley College.  She is currently a member of the Association of Workplace Investigators, the State Bar of California, and the Alameda County Bar Association.