Event Speaker:  Chris Boucher, Esq.

Christopher Boucher’s practice focuses on labor and employment law, and his expertise includes representing employers in a union environment, including labor negotiations, changes to existing terms and conditions of employment and/or the effects of those changes, and the meaning and application of labor contract provisions.  He also serves as trusted counsel to employers throughout California regarding workplace investigations, employee discipline, due process, and grievance procedure issues.  In addition to his advocacy skills, Christopher has successfully utilized his mediation training to achieve settlements on labor and employment matters.  As an experienced workplace investigator, Christopher holds the Association of Workplace Investigators Certificate Holder (AWI-CH) credential, in addition to serving as part-time faculty for the Association's Training Institute for Workplace Investigators.  He is also a frequent speaker at a variety of conferences on labor and employment law topics, including legal updates and keynotes. 

Prior to joining the firm, Christopher spent over a decade as a seasoned human resources executive with a broad spectrum of industry experience, including municipalities, public utilities, aviation, maritime, special districts, K-12 as well as higher education.  Most notably, Christopher served as the Port of Oakland's Director of Human Resources from 2014 to 2018, where he directed the Port's human resources, labor relations, benefits, EEO, leaves and disability compliance, occupational health and safety, and workers' compensation functions.  In recognition of his accomplishments, Christopher was featured as one of 2016’s national “Top Five Rising Stars” by Human Resource Executive magazine.

Christopher earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and graduated cum laude with a Juris Doctorate degree from the Abraham Lincoln University School of Law.  In addition, he received a professional certificate from Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and attended the Harvard Negotiation Institute at Harvard Law School.  Christopher is a member of the State Bar of California and a member of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the California Lawyers Association.  His clients greatly value his extensive practical human resources and labor negotiations experience, in addition to his legal skills.