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Overview

Olga represents clients in labor and employment disputes and provides preventative counseling, with a goal of ensuring that clients have the information they need to make the best decisions possible.

Olga discovered in a high school debate class how much she loved the mental challenge of creative argumentation, and she knew litigation was her calling. Several years later, a law school class led by a former National Labor Relations Board chairperson sparked her interest in labor and employment law: his stories were fascinating, and she recognized what a meaningful and people-driven practice area it would be.

Today, Olga defends employers in individual and class action lawsuits in state and federal courts, as well as arbitrations and administrative agency proceedings. She has extensive experience defending against claims of wrongful termination, discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and wage and hour violations, and she has handled restrictive covenant, unfair competition and trade secret disputes from both sides. Located in California’s Silicon Valley, she has a particular focus on resolving the latter for tech industry clients. Olga also routinely resolves matters through mediation or other forms of alternative dispute resolution when appropriate, and represents employers in collective bargaining.

Olga’s litigation strategies are always first and foremost client centric. She understands that different clients prefer to approach litigation in different ways, and her aim is to keep client needs and goals front and center. She also places a high priority on client education: Olga sees her role as partly that of an educator, and she wants to ensure that clients have the full picture of where each option is likely to lead and feel confident that they are making fully-informed decisions at every stage of a dispute. Clients value her straightforward communication and her focus on their best interests.

While Olga has always provided preventative counseling to clients, this portion of her practice grew dramatically in 2020, and she now divides her time evenly between litigation and compliance counsel. The COVID pandemic brought with it a host of ever-shifting workplace regulations, especially in California, and Olga found it deeply satisfying to walk clients through a confusing maze of restrictions and rules, providing them with peace of mind about their compliance plans. In addition to COVID-related counseling, Olga advises on employee handbooks, personnel policies, employment contracts, severance agreements and compliance with other state and federal employment laws. Olga also conducts presentations and trainings on employment law compliance and new and emerging employment laws and trends.

Industries

Services

Education

  • J.D., Stanford Law School
  • B.A., Santa Clara University

Admissions

  • California
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • California State Court of Appeals
  • California Supreme Court

Professional Memberships and Certifications

  • Santa Clara Bar Association
  • Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada

Languages

  • Russian, native
Experience
  • Second chaired full trial for tip pooling class action, achieving complete defense verdict.
  • Defended clients against claims of trade secret misappropriation, breach of contract and violations of the Computer Fraud & Abuse Act in week-long arbitration, leading to a complete victory.
  • Represented school in grievance arbitration over the interpretation of terminology in a collective bargaining agreement. The union's interpretation would have had a substantial financial impact on the school, but the arbitration panel sided with the school's interpretation.
  • Guided multiple clients on compliance with California and federal frequently changing COVID workplace laws, including sick pay, workplace outbreaks and other health and safety issues, regularly assisting with COVID-related workplace emergencies.
Outside the Office

Olga jokes that with two pre-teen daughters at home, she doesn’t have time for hobbies. Most of her free hours are devoted to spending time with her kids. Her oldest loves the outdoors and athletics, while her youngest is a bookworm like mom.

When Olga does have time to herself, she loves to read. She’s a self-proclaimed Shakespeare geek.