Selin Akkan

Selin’s practice encompasses employment counseling and litigation for a broad range of employers. She advises on all aspects relating to the workplace, including hiring, worker classification, equal opportunity, anti-harassment, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), wage and hour, leaves of absence, employee separations, noncompetition, nonsolicitation, trade secret misappropriation, and more.

Selin works with clients at all stages, from recently formed startups to public companies, in various industries, including technology and life sciences. She has significant experience advising venture capital and other investment firms on industry-specific issues. Selin has a deep understanding of the venture capital industry, and she partners closely with Cooley’s fund formation practice to advise hundreds of fund clients on employment-related matters.

In her employment counseling practice, Selin serves as a trusted confidante to many clients, advising them on ever-changing aspects of employment law. She prioritizes giving thoughtful and balanced advice that considers not just the law but also a practical understanding of human resources (HR) best practices and business realities.

Selin’s litigation practice includes representing employers in federal and state court litigation, arbitration, and mediation. She has experience in various administrative proceedings before state and federal agencies, including charges filed by employees and audits initiated by such agencies.

Selin routinely conducts or advises on workplace investigations and is an active member of the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI). She has participated in the rigorous AWI Training Institute and satisfactorily completed the testing required to be an AWI Certificate Holder.

Selin regularly presents to diverse audiences and conducts trainings for employers on various topics, including anti-harassment and equal opportunity. She is passionate about DEI in the workplace and is a founding member of the firm’s DEI strategic counseling and litigation group. Additionally, Selin is a member of Cooley’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) affinity group, as well as her local Palo Alto DEI committee.

Selin is also active in pro bono matters, including advising nonprofits on employment issues and representing individuals in guardianship and U-visa immigration proceedings.

Selin rejoined Cooley in 2017 after a one-year judicial clerkship with US Senior District Judge Maxine M. Chesney at the US District Court for the Northern District of California.

While at Yale Law School, Selin served as a research assistant to professor Vicki Schultz and as a senior editor for the Yale Journal of Law & Technology and the Yale Journal of International Law. She also served as a student director for the Temporary Restraining Order Project, assisting domestic violence victims with the restraining order process, and represented clients in unemployment benefits proceedings through the New Haven Legal Assistance Clinic.