James T. Cahalan

Education

• University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law (J.D., with distinction, 1993)
• Santa Clara University (M.B.A. 1989)
• University of California, Davis (B.A., Economics, 1981)

Academic Distinctions

• Traynor Honor Society; National Moot Court, Best Oralist Finalist; Verne and Annabell McGeorge Academic Achievement Scholarship

Admissions and Courts

• State of California (1993)
• United States District Courts for the Northern and Eastern Districts of California (1993)
• United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (1997)

Professional Affiliations

• State Bar of California, Litigation and Labor and Employment Law Sections
• Sacramento County Bar Association, Litigation and Labor and Employment Law Section (1993-Present), Labor and Employment Law Section Executive Committee (1997-2000)
• Sacramento Area Human Resource Association (SAHRA), Vice President and Chair, Legal and Legislative Committee (2000-2005)
• American Electronics Association (AeA), Member, Sacramento Council Executive Committee (2001-2002).

Jim Cahalan was born in Palo Alto, California. He received his B.A. in Economics from the University of California at Davis and his M.B.A. from Santa Clara University.

Prior to law school, Jim worked as Vice President of Windham Hill Productions, a music and video production and marketing company based in Palo Alto. While at Windham Hill, Jim oversaw a number of company departments, including human resources, finance, administration, and manufacturing and quality control.

Jim received his J.D. degree, with distinction, from McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific, where he was a member of the Traynor Honor Society and a National Moot Court Best Oralist Finalist. Before starting Cahalan & Associates in 2006, Jim was associated with the Sacramento offices of the law firms Hanson Bridgett LLP, Morrison & Foerster LLP, and Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.

Jim Cahalan’s practice emphasizes litigation of employment-related claims, both at the trial and appellate court levels. Jim has handled a variety of matters, including cases involving employment discrimination and harassment, wage/hour laws, unfair competition, theft of trade secrets, trade libel, employment contracts and workplace violence.

Jim also has extensive experience in representing clients in administrative proceedings, litigating matters before the State Labor Commissioner, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, and Employment Development Department. He advises employers on a broad array of labor and employment law issues, including wage/hour law, disability accommodation, personnel policies, workplace safety, alternative dispute resolution agreements, discipline and termination of employees, protection of intellectual property, litigation avoidance, and compliance with various state and federal employment laws. Jim also serves as a neutral investigator for complaints of workplace misconduct.

Jim has lectured and written on a variety of topics, including administration of employee medical leaves, telecommuting, arbitration agreements, employee privacy and drug testing, pre-litigation strategy, the use of mock juries, ethical issues in litigation, and advanced litigation techniques.