Bruce Barsook has been with the firm since 1981 and has concentrated in education and public sector employment and labor law for more than thirty years. Bruce has extensive expertise in education and employment law issues including traditional labor relations, discipline, conflicts of interest, retirement, open meeting laws and employment discrimination. He has a wealth of experience in collective bargaining, fact finding hearings, court litigation, arbitrations, and other employment law administrative proceedings. In negotiations, Bruce excels in forging strong, effective relationships both with clients and with employee organization representatives. Additionally, Bruce advises schools and community colleges regarding board, faculty, staff, and student issues, including discipline, leaves and contractual issues.
Prior to joining Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, Bruce served both as counsel and as an Administrative Law Judge for the Public Employment Relations Board. In those capacities, he was involved in drafting and making precedential decisions that affected the direction of public sector labor law during a dramatic period in its evolution.
Bruce has utilized his expertise in public sector employment relations on behalf of many city, county, special district, school district, and community college clients. He presents a number of the firm’s workshops on education, labor and employment law topics and has also published a significant number of articles in the areas of his expertise.
Bruce is an editor of the California Public Sector Employment Law book, State Bar of California/LexisNexis (2011). Bruce Barsook is a former member, Treasurer, and advisor to the Executive Committee of the State Bar of California’s Labor and Employment Law Section. He was also a long-standing member of the Editorial Board of the State Bar of California Labor and Employment Law Review, as well as a contributor and editor of the Public Sector Notes section of the State Bar of California Labor and Employment Law Review.
Professional and Community Involvement
Bruce is a member in good standing of the California State Bar – Labor & Employment Law Section, Los Angeles County Bar Association – Labor & Employment Law Section and the American Bar Association – Labor & Employment Law Section.