Lois Voelz

Lois has worked more than four decades in the labor and employment field, allowing her to share a wealth of practical experience with her clients. She counsels employers with strategic advice and practical implementation steps. Her goals for her clients are both to prevent claims, and to be best prepared to defend claims when necessary.

Lois advises large and small employers across the full range of employment law. Specialty topics include performance management and corrective action, leave of absence compliance, California and federal wage and hour, background investigations, disability accommodation, pre-employment testing and employee safety requirements. Lois often serves as employment counsel for M&A transactions, both purchaser-side and seller-side. She also has experience in labor union relations and employment litigation.

Lois has represented employers in state and federal court, and before the following state and federal agencies such as the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, California Labor Commissioner (DLSE), California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board (UIAB), California Occupational Safety and Health (Cal-OSHA), California Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB), US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH).

While at the UC Berkeley School of Law, Lois was editor-in-chief of the Industrial Relations Law Journal (now Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law). She was a National Merit Scholar at Harvard University.

Prior to attending law school, Lois worked for the National Labor Relations Board from 1975 to 1978. Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she investigated union representation issues and alleged violations of the federal labor relations laws. From 1979 to 1984, she served as an industrial relations specialist at Texas Instruments, responsible for human resources management, labor relations and EEO discrimination cases.

Lois served as a Cooley partner for 17 years, and currently serves in the role of Senior Counsel. Prior to joining the firm, she was associated for three years with Littler in San Francisco, specializing in employment litigation and union labor relations.