Dorothy S. Liu, Partner

Practice Areas/Industries
Labor & Employment

Based in our San Francisco Office
415-995-5046 Direct Phone
415-541-9366 Fax
dliu@hansonbridgett.com
vCard | PDF bio

Dorothy S. Liu joined Hanson Bridgett in 1999. She has practiced exclusively management-side labor and employment law since that time, representing both public and private employers with unionized and non-unionized workforces. As a partner in Hanson Bridgett’s Labor & Employment Section, Dorothy leads wage and hour class action defense litigation in state and federal courts, on issues ranging from off-the-clock and overtime claims to meal and rest period claims and penalties under California’s Labor Code. She regularly handles single-plaintiff and multiple-plaintiff litigation at the trial and appellate levels, defending employers against claims of race and gender discrimination, sexual harassment, disability discrimination and failure to accommodate, retaliation (including whistleblower retaliation), breach of contract, and wrongful termination.

As part of her practice, Dorothy regularly provides advice counseling to employers on a wide range of employment issues, including compliance with California’s Labor Code, conducting internal audits for misclassification/exempt status issues, handling workplace investigations, managing leaves of absence and disability accommodations, managing employee discipline and terminations, and drafting employment agreements, separation agreements, and personnel policies. Her practice includes labor arbitrations and assisting employers with collective bargaining agreements and contract negotiations. Dorothy also represents employers on a regular basis in administrative proceedings, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, and the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. Dorothy has been featured twice in California Lawyer Magazine’s Employment Roundtable.

Prior to joining Hanson Bridgett, Dorothy clerked for two years for The Honorable Walter E. Webster, Jr. at the Washington State Court of Appeals.

Publications and Presentations

• Navigating the Web of Disability Leave, Pregnancy Leave, and Reasonable Accommodation Issues under California and Federal Law, (QCHF DD Symposium, Riverside, CA, May 2010)
• Avoiding Employment Nightmares and Minimizing Legal Risks, from Hiring to Separation (Quality Care Health Foundation, Riverside, CA, May 2008)
• Employment Law Roundtable published in California Lawyer (February 2008)
• Employment Law Roundtable published in California Lawyer (January 2006)
• Family and Medical Leave: The Basic Do's and Don'ts of Handling FMLA Requests (national audioconference, October 2007)
• Wage & Hour Law Presentation for Residential Care Facilities (Community Education, Temecula, CA, July 2006)
• Time Off in California: Leave as an Accommodation Under the ADA and FEHA, and Other Federal and California Statutory Leaves (Lorman Seminar, San Francisco, July 2005)
• Time Off in California: Leaves of Absence (Lorman Seminar, San Francisco, July 2003)
• "Labor Code 2002 and Beyond", Employment Law Bulletin, Issue 5 (2001)

Professional Affiliations
Bar Association of San Francisco (Labor and Employment Section)
State Bar of California (Labor and Employment Section)
The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA)
Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area (Co-Chair of the Community Services Committee, 2003-2007)

Education
J.D., University of Washington School of Law (1997)
B.A., Stanford University (1992)

Academic Distinctions
Law Clerk to The Honorable Walter E. Webster, Jr., Washington State Court of Appeals (1997-1999)
Extern to The Honorable Thomas S. Zilly, United States District Court, Western District of Washington (1995)
Executive Articles Editor, Pacific Rim Law & Policy Journal (1996-1997)

Admissions and Courts
State of California