Tracey K. Merwise

Tracey K. Merwise is a Member and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Labor and Employment Practice Group.  She provides clients with strategic, practical counseling, compliance advice and training on all aspects of workforce management.  In addition, Ms. Merwise specializes in serving as "In-House On-Call Counsel" and in helping employers de-escalate workplace conflicts to minimize litigation risk.  She also conducts workplace investigations and consults on litigation strategy with the Practice Group’s Litigation Team.

Since 1995, Ms. Merwise has focused her practice exclusively on labor and employment litigation, advice and counsel, and compliance. Prior to joining Severson & Werson, Ms. Merwise served as Senior In-House Counsel in SBC/Pacific Telesis’ Labor and Employment Department and was associated with the labor and employment departments of the national law firms of Heller Ehrman and Seyfarth Shaw. Ms. Merwise has litigated cases and provided expert legal advice on all aspects of unionized and non-unionized workforce management, including employee leaves, performance management, reasonable accommodation, workplace violence prevention, and wage and hour compliance.

Ms. Merwise received her J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1992 and holds a B.A. in Government cum laude from Dartmouth College. She was a law clerk to the Honorable John W. Bissell, United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Ms. Merwise joined Severson & Werson in 2005. She is admitted to the Bar in California and Illinois and is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the Labor & Employment Sections of the American and California Bar Associations, the Bar Association of San Francisco and the San Francisco Bank Attorneys Association.

Recent Professional Activity

Co-Presenter, “Identifying and Addressing Bias Against Women and Minorities in the Legal Profession,” with Rhonda Nelson (Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada's Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California, December 2008).

Presenter, "Understanding and Addressing Unlawful Harassment and Retaliation in the Workplace" (San Francisco, California, August 2008).

Presenter, "The Top Ten Things Every Manager Must Know About Employment Law" (San Francisco, California, July 2008).

Presenter, "Getting RIFs Right: How to Avoid the Unintended Consequences of a Reduction-In-Force" (San Francisco, California, June 2008).

Presenter, "Surviving San Francisco's New Paid Sick Leave Law," Severson & Werson's Labor & Employment Department Seminar Series (San Francisco, California, January 2007).

Author, “Proactive Measures: Helping Your Company Avoid Retaliation Claims,” 8-K Magazine (June 2006).

Co-Presenter, “Recruiting and Retaining Staff in a Tight Job Market: Strategic Advice for Design Firms” with David E. Ericksen (San Francisco, California, February 2006).