Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Lawyer Overview

James Baca is a partner in the Cerritos office of Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo. He is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee and Chair of the Southern California Education Practice Group. He represents California public and private sector employers in labor relations and collective bargaining negotiations and represents school districts in general education law matters. He focuses on employment discrimination, personnel, labor, and special education litigation. He holds the distinction of being AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell.

Mr. Baca was the lead attorney in a precedent-setting sexual harassment case, Governing Board of ABC Unified School District v. Haar (1994), establishing the right of a school district to terminate a tenured teacher for sexually harassing students. He also is a frequent contributor to the firm's school law publications.

Mr. Baca joined Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo in 1986 and became a partner in 1990. He has his B.A. with honors from Whittier College and his J.D. from the University of California Los Angeles. Mr. Baca has completed all but the dissertation to receiving his Ph.D. in Education Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Mr. Baca has presented workshops and conferences for private sector employers, school administrators, educational agencies, and school board members on such topics as employment discrimination, and "Classified/Certificated Evaluation and Dismissal."

Areas of Practice

• Education Law

Representative Cases

• Governing Board of ABC Unified School District v. Haar , (Cal. Ct. App. 1994)

West Practice Categories

Collective Bargaining, Education Law, Employment Discrimination -- Employer, Labor Law, Litigation & Appeals

Education

• University of California at Los Angeles School of Law
  J.D.
• Whittier College
  B.A.
  Honors: With Honors
  Major: History

Published Works

• The New I-9: Coming to a Theater Near You
• Public Employers' Right to Compel Answers In Employee Investigations Upheld By California Supreme Court
• Governing Board May Convene In Closed Session to Initiate Process to Dismiss Teacher Without Providing 24-Hour Notice to Employee, 2009

Address

12800 Center Court Drive, Suite 300
Cerritos, CA 90703

Phones

(562) 653-3200 (Business Phone)
(714) 826-5480 (Other Phone)

Faxes

(562) 653-3333 (Business Fax)

Emails

Contact Us (Business Email)

Websites

http://www.aalrrlaw.com