Paul S. Cowie

Paul Cowie is the go-to employment class action/PAGA defense lawyer in the firm’s Silicon Valley office. Recently recognized as a “Top 40 Under 40” California attorney by the Daily Journal (2018) and one of only 335 attorneys nationwide to receive the Client Service All-Star by BTI Consulting (2019), Paul is highly responsive and an expert in his field. Paul serves as the Leader of the firm’s Transportation Team and has deep experience across many industries, including retail, technology, manufacturing, and transportation. Paul manages a large team that defends employers in every type of employment dispute, including discrimination and harassment, independent contractors and the gig-economy, wrongful termination and whistleblower complaints, as well as trade secret litigation. He is also a leader in Gamification to engage employees in the workplace. Paul also has a special interest in cyber-security, data privacy, and social media and is a member of the firm’s multi-practice group industry teams for these specialties.

Paul manages dozens of class actions, related to all forms of wage & hour disputes, discrimination, as well as misclassification. He counsels clients on all aspects of employment, including compliance, workplace investigations, workplace violence, protecting intellectual property, and founder disputes. In addition, Paul has significant experience supporting M&A transactions and has worked closely with clients in structuring deals to minimize employment-related risks and to maximize the value of the transaction from an employment perspective.

Before practicing in the US, Paul practiced in the UK for approximately five years, representing and advising employers at all stages of employment litigation, including as lead counsel in UK Employment Tribunals. Paul has drafted hundreds of employment contracts and settlement agreements, negotiated warranties and indemnities in corporate transactions and is very familiar with the challenges faced by companies expanding into in the US.

Paul is a trial-ready litigator who knows how to resolve all forms of employment-related disputes efficiently and effectively.

Honors

Top Labor and Employment Attorney, Daily Journal, 2019

Client Service All-Star, The BTI Consulting Group, 2019

Recommended Lawyer - Labor and Employment, Legal 500, 2019

Top 40 Under 40, Daily Journal, 2018

Northern California Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2013-2018

Insights

Articles

•PAGA is Warping the California Labor Code
Daily Journal, 12.20.2019
•Don’t Let Trade Secrets Walk Out the Door with Departing Employees
Daily Journal, 04.11.2018
•Telecommuting: a reasonable accommodation?
Employment Law Daily, 10.30.2015
• Arbitration Agreements and the Use of Electronic Signatures, Employment Law Strategist, Vol. 23 No. 2, June 2015
• Litigating Trade Secret Claims, Employment Law Strategist, Vol. 22 No. 2, June 2014
• Social Media: Protecting Trade Secrets and Proprietary Information, American Bar Association Section of Litigation, Vol. 12 No. 2, Winter 2014
•Featured in Employee engagement programs come with warnings of liability, Daily Journal, January 6, 2014
• Employment Litigation in the Age of Social Media, The Recorder, November 4, 2013
• Gamification in the workplace and its impact on employee privacy, Westlaw Journal Employment, October 23, 2013
• Survey of California Employment Privacy Law, MLRC Employment Survey, 2014
• The Phenomena of Gamification - The Next Big Thing for Employers? Bender's California Labor & Employment Bulletin, August 2013
• Personal Tech Pitfalls at Work, California Lawyer, June 2013
• Who Owns Your Online Persona? The Recorder, March 22, 2013
• Recordkeeping in Human Resources - Electronic Storage and the Use of Electronic Signatures, Bloomberg BNA, February 11, 2013
• World Courier Settlement Is Reminder To All Employers To Be Vigilant, California Delivery Association, Autumn 2012
• Paying A Price For Misclassifying Workers In Calif., Law360, September 22, 2011

Labor & Employment Law Blog Posts

• San Francisco Surpasses Other Jurisdictions and Enacts Expansive COVID-19 Related Paid Sick Leave, April 20, 2020
• Employee Privacy Forecast: Temperature Checks, March 25, 2020
• Los Angeles County and City Ban Gatherings and Order Immediate Closure of “Nonessential” Businesses in an Effort to Curb COVID-19: What You Need to Know About L.A.’s Safe At Home Orders, March 20, 2020
• California Statewide Stay at Home Order: What Employers Need to Know, March 20, 2020
• Governor Newsom Issues Executive Order Easing Restrictions on Commercial Drivers During COVID-19 Outbreak, March 18, 2020
• AB 51 - Arbitration Under Attack, October 23, 2019
• Peace for Piece-Rate Employers in Washington, September 17, 2019
• California’s Meal and Rest Break Rules for Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers Remain Preempted by Federal Law . . . For Now, May 10, 2019
• #MeToo Changes the Face of Sexual Harassment Litigation for Employers, November 19, 2018
• Part Time Workers Must Be Offered Additional Hours: San Jose’s Opportunity to Work Ordinance (Effective March 2017), December 8, 2016
• Cyberattacks a mounting challenge for employers, April 9, 2013
• California Legislature Passes Worker Misclassification Bill Creating Civil Penalties For Willful Misclassification Of Independent Contractors, September 15, 2011

Video Game Law Blog Posts

• 'Unlimited' Time Off Policies - Fad or Fun? March 17, 2015

Media Mentions

•Wash. High Court Says Per-Hour Pay For Truckers Not Needed
Law360, 09.05.2019

Speaking Engagements

•Employment Law Update, Silicon Valley Chapter of Association of Legal Administrators, 2017
•Employment Law Update, Silicon Valley Chapter of Association of Legal Administrators, 2016
•Gamification - Benefits, Pitfalls and Legal Considerations, FX Conferences, 2015
•Structuring Independent Contractor Agreements to Avoid Costly Misclassification Liability, Strafford Webinar, 2014
•Blackbox Connect U.S. Employment Law for Start Ups, Palo Alto, 2014
•LebNet, Palo Alto, 2014
•PASCO HR, Santa Rosa, 2013
•Innovation Presentation Panel, Palo Alto, 2013
•CDA Lunch and Learn, Silicon Valley, 2012
•Doing Business in Europe, Los Angeles, 2011
•Class Actions in the Financial Industry, San Francisco, 2010
•Restrictive Covenants in the UK, Washington D.C., 2009

Events

•Labor and Employment Law Update
Sheppard Mullin Chicago, 11.28.2018

•Dynamex - What Now for Your Independent Contractors and Subcontractors?
Sheppard Mullin San Francisco, 05.23.2018

•Breakfast With Your Labor Lawyer - Palo Alto
Spring 2017 Seminar Series, 05.16.2017

•Labor & Employment Law Update & Happy Hour - Palo Alto
Fall 2016 Seminar Series, 10.25.2016

•Breakfast With Your Labor Lawyer - Palo Alto
Spring 2016 Seminar Series, 04.19.2016

•Labor & Employment Law Update & Happy Hour - Palo Alto
Fall 2015 Seminar Series, 10.07.2015

•Breakfast With Your Labor Lawyer - Palo Alto
Spring 2015 Seminar Series, 06.03.2015

•MCLE Credit Crunch
01.27.2015

•Labor & Employment Legal Update & Happy Hour
Fall 2014 Seminar Series - Palo Alto, 10.08.2014

•Employment Basics for Start-ups
Third Thursday Emerging Company Webinar Series, via WebEx, 06.19.2014

•The Silicon Valley Enterprise Social Media Council (SVESMC)
06.13.2014

•Breakfast With Your Labor Lawyer - Palo Alto
Spring 2014 Seminar Series, 04.16.2014

•Not So Fast! Employment, Ownership and Privacy Concerns When Using Social Media for Business
SVForum Marketing SIG, 04.14.2014

•Prevailing Wage and Misclassification Traps For Contractors and How to Avoid Them
Sheppard Mullin, November 2013

•The Phenomena of Gamification - The Next Big Thing for Employers?
Sheppard Mullin Palo Alto, 10.24.2013

•Electronic Record Keeping & Electronic Signatures
Hosted by Sheppard Mullin & Payroll Resource Group, 05.07.2013

•Electronic Record Keeping & Electronic Signatures
Hosted by Sheppard Mullin & Payroll Resource Group, 04.25.2013

•Labor and Employment Law Update & Happy Hour Fall 2012 - Palo Alto
Sheppard Mullin Palo Alto Office, 10.16.2012

•Labor & Employment Law Update & Happy Hour - San Francisco
Hyatt Regency San Francisco, 03.15.2011