Employment Law Practice

Michelle S. Park is founding partner of Park Fryar LLP – Employment Legal Group.  She has specialized in employment-related counseling, litigation, and training for 10 years, having practiced employment law for almost 9 years with the largest labor and employment law firm in the country.  Ms. Park formed her own law firm out of a desire to provide top quality legal representation, preventative advice, and training to clients at reasonable rates.  She focuses on providing practical, results-driven solutions for her clients with the unparalleled client service that only a boutique law firm can provide.

Litigation Experience

Ms. Park has extensive litigation experience representing clients including small and mid-sized businesses, public entities, and national Fortune 500 clients in all types of employment-related litigation including claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, defamation, negligent hiring, training and supervision, wrongful termination, breach of contract, wage and hour matters, class actions, Title III of the ADA, and unfair business practices.  She has substantial experience litigating in state and federal trial and appellate courts, and has handled numerous administrative matters before the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the California Department of Industrial Relations, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  Ms. Park has successfully handled multiple appeals, including the published precedent-setting decision reaffirming an employer’s defense to defamation claims in California (Noel v. River Hills Wilsons, Inc., 113 Cal. App. 4^th 1363 (2003)). 

Preventative Advice and Counseling Experience

Ms. Park has extensive experience providing advice and counseling to clients on all aspects of employment law issues, including hirings, terminations, disability accommodation and the interactive process, wage and hour compliance, FMLA and CFRA leaves, workplace violence issues, contractual disputes, and related issues. As part of her practice, she emphasizes preventative strategies that minimize exposure and the risk of litigation by reviewing and revising clients’ existing policies, procedures, and contracts, including their employee handbooks, employment contracts, and severance agreements for compliance with federal and state laws. She conducts prompt and thorough investigations for employers facing internal complaints of discrimination and harassment.

Prior to founding her own law firm, Ms. Park practiced law as an attorney with the nation’s largest national labor and employment law firm, Littler Mendelson, where she represented local and national clients in all types of employment and labor law matters. 

AB 1825 Sexual Harassment and Workplace Training Expertise

As Principal of Employment Training Group (a division of Park Fryar LLP), Ms. Park develops and presents live, interactive sexual harassment training programs that comply with AB 1825, California’s mandatory sexual harassment training law.  Ms. Park has extensive experience conducting on-site interactive classroom training sessions to clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses and nonprofit organizations.  She has trained hundreds of management executives, supervisors, and employees on all types of employment law issues, such as harassment, discrimination, investigations, and workplace diversity.   She has presented AB 1825 harassment training for clients including banking institutions, law firms, retail chains, construction/ building companies, and nonprofit organizations.    

Employment Training Group offers the following customized training programs for supervisors and employees:

• Sexual Harassment Prevention for Supervisors (AB 1825)
• Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Prevention for Employees
• Workplace Diversity

Ms. Park, a leader in corporate and employment law training, combines her employment law expertise with her teaching skills to deliver informative, engaging live classroom training sessions for supervisors and employees.

Bar Association Leadership and Community Involvement

Ms. Park was recently nominated for the 2007 “Women Who Mean Business Award” sponsored by the San Diego Business Journal.  She has appeared as a speaker and panelist on a variety of bar and employment-related events, and has conducted employment law seminars for employers on topics such as Effective Hiring and Firing, How to Avoid a Wrongful Termination Lawsuit, Conducting An Effective Investigation, Proper Documentation for Employers, and Diversity issues.

Ms. Park served for two years on the Leadership Outreach Committee of the San Diego County Bar Association, whose mission is to promote outreach to underrepresented members of the bar, and encourage those members to run for the Bar Board.  She served as a Bar Leader Representative on the Ethnic Relations Diversity Committee (“ERDC”) of the San Diego County Bar Association.  

Ms. Park is the past President, Vice-President, and Board Member of the Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego (“PALSD”).  PALSD is an organization dedicated to promoting the interests of Asian Americans and other underrepresented attorneys, judges, and law students in the legal and civic community. As President of PALSD, she promoted diversity initiatives and events to foster inclusion, access, and positive relationships with other bar organizations, judges, lawyers, and law students. 

She has long served as a mentor to underrepresented law students and new lawyers.  She has conducted workshops and training for new lawyers on topics such as How to Conduct An Effective Deposition and Opening a Law Practice.  

Ms. Park has been a longtime member and supporter of Lawyers Club of San Diego, an organization dedicated to advancing the interests of women in the law and in society.  She served on its Boards and Commissions Committee, and participated in its Mentor-Mentee program, which provides mentorship and support for law students and new lawyers. 

Teaching and Education

Ms. Park is currently an Adjunct Professor at National University teaching graduate level courses on Conflict Resolution, Negotiation, Organizational Leadership, and Alternative Dispute Resolution. 

Ms. Park received her Juris Doctorate degree in 1998 from U.C. Davis School of Law where she was a Law Review Editor and a Moot Court Advocate.