Our People

Frances Rogers

Associate, San Diego

619.481.5905
frogers@lcwlegal.com

Frances Rogers provides representation and legal counsel to clients in all matters pertaining to labor, employment and education law. Frances has extensive litigation, arbitration, and administrative hearing related experience, including deposition and discovery, settlement, court proceedings and advocacy before State and local administrative officers and tribunals. Frances is experienced in conducting and assisting with investigations pertaining to harassment, discrimination, internal affairs and other employee misconduct.

Frances has extensive experience advising and advocating for local government agencies on retirement issues including reducing retirement costs, modifying benefits, retirement tiers, pensionable compensation, retirement system membership and member classifications, employer and employee contributions, U.S. and State Constitutional issues, vesting, service and disability retirements, post-retirement employment limitations, retiree health insurance, and other post-employment benefits (OPEB). Frances advises and represents clients on matters involving public pension systems including CalPERS, '37 Act county retirement systems, STRS, PARS, and other local municipal pension systems. Frances is also actively involved in advising clients on public pension reform issues including State and local reform measures.

Frances has experience in labor negotiations and matters involving labor relations, specifically with respect to the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act and the Educational Employees Relations Act.  She has negotiated collective bargaining agreements on behalf of public agencies and handled and advised on other labor relations matters including agency shop, PERB complaints, unfair labor practices, unilateral implementation, labor grievances and litigation, and decertification/certification.

Frances also represents and advises community college districts and school districts in several areas including student discipline, campus safety and police, teacher/faculty/classified discipline, reduction-in-force, merit system, hiring, leaves, Brown Act and labor relations. In 2008, Frances served as Interim General Counsel for a California community college district. In 2009 and 2010, Frances was chosen as a Northern California Rising Star in the field of Employment & Labor Law.

Frances is also a contributing author to the firm's California Public Agency Labor & Employment Blog.

Prior to joining Liebert Cassidy Whitmore Frances worked for a Central Valley firm handling a variety of civil litigation.

Representative Matters

Litigation

  • Chidester, et. al. v. Rancho Santiago Community College District (2012) - This was a successful outcome on part-time employee's suit to be reclassified as a full-time contract employee.  The court ruled against the employee based the doctrine of laches. The Orange County Superior Court held that 13 years was per se an unreasonable delay in seeking relief.
  • IAFF, Fresno City Firefighters Assoc., Local 753 v. City of Fresno (2010) - Labor union filed a petition for temporary restraining order and permanent injunction to block the City's intended work furloughs. We successfully defeated the petition for temporary restraining order and the union thereafter dismissed the petition for permanent injunction.
  • Santa Maria Police Officers Association v. City of Santa Maria (2010) - Police Officers Association (POA) filed a petition for writ of mandate to block the City's enforcment of a police officer shift bidding system, alleging the City's action violated the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act.  After hearing the petition, the court decided in favor of the City.
  • Ellis v. City of Reedley (2007) - (Not Reported) Former police officer sued City-employer for several claims relating to his termination, including disability discrimination and failure to provide reasonable accommodation and engage in the interactive process under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We successfully obtained summary judgment in favor of the City on all three ADA causes of action.

Affiliations

San Diego County Bar Association

Awards

Selected for inclusion in Northern California Rising Star in the field of Employment & Labor Law, 2010

Selected for inclusion in Northern California Rising Star in the field of Employment & Labor Law, 2009

Publications

Presentations

Education

  • JD, Santa Clara University School of Law
  • BS, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
To Contact Liebert Cassidy Whitmore:
Los Angeles 310.981.2000 | Fresno 559.256.7800 | San Francisco 415.512.3000 | San Diego 619.481.5900 info@lcwlegal.com
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