Paul Cowie

Mr. Paul S. Cowie is a partner in the Labor and Employment Practice Group in the Silicon Valley office and serves as the Leader of the firm’s Transportation Team. Paul focuses on defense work for a variety of industries, including retail, technology, manufacturing, and transportation related to a wide range of employment disputes, including discrimination and harassment, independent contractors and the sharing economy, wrongful termination and whistleblower complaints, as well as trade secret litigation.

He is also a leader in Gamification to engage employees in the workplace.  Paul also has a special interest in cyber-security, data privacy, social media and BYOD and is a member of the firm’s multi-practice group industry teams.  Paul also manages a wide range of class actions, related to all forms of wage & hour disputes, as well as they relate to independent contractors. He counsels clients on all aspects of employment, including compliance, workplace investigations, workplace violence, protecting intellectual property, and founder disputes.

In addition, Paul has significant experience supporting M&A transactions and has worked closely with clients in structuring deals to minimize employment-related risks and to maximize the value of the transaction from an employment perspective.

Before practicing in the US, Paul practiced in the UK for approximately five years, representing and advising employers at all stages of employment litigation, including as lead counsel in UK Employment Tribunals.

Paul has drafted hundreds of employment contracts and settlement agreements, negotiated warranties and indemnities in corporate transactions and is very familiar with the challenges faced by companies expanding into in the US. Paul is a trial-ready litigator who knows how to resolve all forms of employment-related disputes efficiently and effectively.

Education:

• J.D., University of Northumbria at Newcastle, UK, 2001, LLB honors

Admissions:

• California
• UK
• United States District Courts for the Northern and Central Districts of California
• United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Memberships:

• State Bar of California
• UK Licensed Solicitor