Colleen A. Déziel

Colleen is the Chair of the Casualty, Education and Labor & Employment Practice Groups. Colleen’s practice includes the defense of clients in negligence, other tort and contract-based claims such as premises liability, products liability, motor vehicle and general negligence. Colleen has conducted seminars for insurance carriers concerning the latest local court procedures and practices within the Los Angeles County court system, and on the current judicial “hell hole” jurisdictions around the country, and regularly provides advice and insight to them on these issues.

Colleen also regularly defends credit unions and other financial institutions in various matters, including class actions for alleged statutory violations. Further, Colleen has also published articles on the subject matter of elder abuse and mandatory reporting of elder abuse by financial institutions.

Colleen’s practice further includes the representation of management interests in various aspects of employment law including wage and hour, wrongful discharge and discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims. She regularly counsels employers on various employment issues, conducts anti-harassment training and has participated in seminars for clients on the subject of recent developments in new statutory and case law on employment issues.

She is an experienced trial attorney, having obtained numerous verdicts and judgments in favor of her client in employment, contract and negligence-based actions. She also has more than 30 years’ experience in arbitrations and mediations in her areas of practice and has argued before several of the California appellate courts.

Education

• McGeorge School of Law
  • J.D., 1992
• California State University, Sacramento
  • B.S., 1989

Admissions & Associations

Bar Admissions

• State Bar of California

Professional Associations

• California State Bar, labor & employment section
• Defense Research Institute (DRI)

Speaking & Publications

Published Works

• Quarterly Employment Newsletter by Anderson, McPharlin & Conners LLP
• Financial Elder Abuse, Mandatory Reporting by Financial Institutions
• Contributing Author for DRI’s Uninsured and Underinsured Coverage Compendium

Speeches and Presentations

• 2015 Judicial Hell Holes—Presentation
• Sexual Harassment Training/Prevention

Experience

Colleen’s representative experience includes but is not limited to the following:

• Three and a half week jury trial involving claims of sexual battery, employment discrimination and assault- defense verdict.
• One week jury trial involving claims of discrimination and failure to accommodate- defense verdict.
• One week jury trial involving claims of breach of contract arising out of a construction defect based action- Nonsuit.
• Several one week jury trials arising out of negligence claims resulting from automobile accidents-All defense verdicts.
• One week jury trial arising out of premises liability claim – defense verdict.
• One week jury trial arising out of car versus common carrier accident- defense verdict.
• Favorable Settlement for pre-trial offer after one day of trial in a matter involving a camel versus human animal attack.

Community Involvement

• Board of Regents – La Salle High School, College Preparatory, 2014 – 2017
• Member of the Tournament of Roses, 2006 – 2018
• Volunteer for the Constitutional Rights Foundation Mock Trial Program, 2004 – Present

Awards

• AV rated by Martindale Hubbell

• Recognized by Los Angeles Business Journal as one of southern California’s top “Women of Influence” attorneys