"I've served in both the public and private sectors on matters involving all aspects of labor relations and employment law. This experience has provided valuable insights that I believe will assist our clients in minimizing and resolving labor and employment disputes."

Before joining Avery Associates, Ellen served as Assistant County Counsel for the County of Santa Cruz, providing legal advice and representation to staff and public boards in the specialized areas of labor relations and employment law.

Earlier, she spent several years with private law firms in Santa Clara County, counseling employers and representing them in State and Federal court litigation and administrative proceedings. This experience -- with Thierman, Cook, Brown & Mason, then with Littler, Mendelson, Fastiff & Tichy -- provided the opportunity for her to develop negotiating skills and develop her expertise for representing clients before the NLRB and PERB and in union grievance arbitrations, collective bargaining, and other labor-related issues.

Throughout her tenure as Assistant County Counsel, Ellen served as attorney for the county's Personnel Department, providing her an opportunity to utilize her private practice skills of drafting and negotiating employment policy, independent contractor agreements and severance/settlement agreements, employee benefits plans, and other HR legal matters. She also served as General Counsel to the City of Santa Cruz Police Review Board during these years.

Ellen received her B.A. in Government from the University of San Francisco -- where she was a Davies Scholar -- and her law degree from Santa Clara University. She was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award for Labor Arbitration.

Ellen has served as Chair of the Santa Clara County Bar Association Labor Law Committee and as an Instructor in Law & Human Resources Management at the UCSC Extension.