I became a lawyer in order to help people who otherwise would not have access to the legal system. In my legal career, I have sought to work with others who share that goal. In my practice with Bogatin, Corman & Gold, I have the good fortune to be associated with people who share my vision of using the law as a tool to assist persons who have been unfairly and unlawfully treated.
Immediately before helping to establish Bogatin, Corman & Gold, I was staff counsel with California School Employees Association ("CSEA"), the country's largest classified school employees union. At CSEA, I represented the union and California school employees in a variety of administrative, trial and appellate court proceedings. In 1992, I was named CSEA's Employee of the Year for my litigation efforts on the union's behalf. Before working at CSEA, I was staff counsel to the National Treasury Employees Union where I represented federal employees in negotiations, mediations, arbitrations and federal administrative proceedings throughout the western United States.
Because of the nature of the legal practice we have at Bogatin, Corman & Gold, I am consistently presented with stimulating issues and challenges in my day-to-day work. My practice emphasizes the representation of individuals in public and private sector employment and labor law issues, labor union representation, and the counseling of non-profit organizations and small business enterprises in employment policies and procedures. The cases I handle range from traditional labor union representation to representing individuals in wrongful termination, employment discrimination and harassment litigation to negotiating employment contracts and employee severance packages. My litigation practice encompasses both state and federal courts, and local, state and federal administrative forums.
With my partner Andrew Gold, I served as co-counsel in a federal class action case, Presley v. Carter Hawley Hale Profit Sharing Plan, representing approximately 20,000 former employees of Carter, Hawley, Hale Corporation, former owner of the Emporium, Capwell, Weinstock and Broadway department stores. This case was brought under the federal ERISA statute to recover millions of dollars in losses these persons suffered as a result of the company's misfeasance in administering their employee profit-sharing plans. In January 2000, a federal court judge approved a settlement of $36 million in this action. This is one of the largest ERISA class action settlements or awards on record. I have also secured substantial six-figure awards for many clients whom I represented in individual employment-related disputes.
I believe that an essential role for any lawyer is to educate and demystify the law for his clients and the public. Throughout my legal career, I have taught undergraduate and professional courses and lectured extensively in the areas of labor and employment law. In recent years, I have made several presentations focusing on sexual harassment and discrimination issues. I believe that teaching plays an important part in clarifying otherwise arcane and complex legal concepts and makes me a more effective advocate for my clients.
I am committed to using the law as a means to advance societal progress and change. Beginning in law school, I have been an active member of the National Lawyers Guild, an organization of lawyers and legal workers dedicated to progressive social and political activism. In recent years, I have worked with Guild members and other community activists to fight attacks on affirmative action programs in California. From 1985 to 2000, I served on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Neighborhood Legal Assistance Foundation, now renamed as Bay Area Legal Aid. This organization is the primary legal services provider serving the underprivileged and underrepresented communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Currently, I am the CEO and President of the Bay Area Community Law Foundation whose purpose is to promote education and training on progressive legal issues to both lawyers and the general public.
I make every effort to provide my clients with effective legal services suited to their uniquely individual needs and circumstances. I invite you to contact me at wcorman@bcgattorneys.com to discuss how I might be of assistance to you.
Please click here to view William Corman's list of publications and presentations
