Employment Law Practice

Tina M. Fryar is a co-founder of Park Fryar LLP. Her practice includes litigation of state and federal cases involving claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, defamation, negligent hiring, training and supervision, wrongful termination, breach of contract, employment-related torts, wage and hour matters and personal injury. She has extensive experience representing clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Her experience includes all aspects of discovery, law and motion practice, mediations, trials, appeals and representation of employers in administrative and civil matters pending before California state and federal courts, the California Labor Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She has also conducted AB 1825 sexual harassment training seminars for employers.

As the co-founder of one of the few women-owned, minority-owned employment law boutique firms in San Diego, Ms. Fryar serves as an example and inspiration to women in general and female attorneys in particular. Ms. Fryar's creation of her own firm is particularly inspiring in light of the huge numbers of female and minority attorneys leaving the law.

Media

Ms. Fryar's insights regarding employment law issues have been quoted in publications such as the San Diego Business Journal and the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal. She was nominated for the San Diego Business Journal's 2007 "Women Who Mean Business Award" and has also appeared as a speaker and panelist at a number of bar-related events.

Prior Experience

Before founding her own law firm, Ms. Fryar practiced as an attorney with Littler Mendelson and Higgs, Fletcher & Mack where she represented local and national private and public entity clients in cases involving administrative, state and federal claims. Littler Mendelson, founded in 1942, is the largest labor and employment law firm in the nation. Higgs, Fletcher & Mack, founded in 1939, is one of the oldest law firms in San Diego. Ms. Fryar is now applying the experience she obtained at these prestigious law firms in her own firm.

Court Admissions & Bar Association Memberships

Ms. Fryar is admitted to practice before all California state courts, the United States District Courts for the Southern, Northern, Eastern and Central Districts of California and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She is also a member of the San Diego County Bar Association, California State Bar Association and American Bar Association and an alumna of the American Inns of Court.

Bar Association Leadership & Involvement

Throughout the course of her career, Ms. Fryar has consistently demonstrated a commitment to advancing the goal of racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession.

Ms. Fryar currently serves as the President of the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association ("EBGBA"). EBGBA is an organization that represents the interests of African American lawyers, judges and law students throughout San Diego. EBGBA is committed to: defending the legal and human rights of African Americans; preserving the high standards of integrity, honor and courtesy in the legal profession; and promoting the advancement of African American attorneys in the legal field. Before serving as President of the organization, Ms. Fryar served as its President Elect and as a member of its Board of Directors and Judicial Evaluation Committee. She also serves as a mentor to African-American law students and young lawyers.

Ms. Fryar is a past President of Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego ("PALSD"), an organization dedicated to: promoting the advancement of Asian Americans in the legal profession; promoting the interests of the Asian American community at large; and preserving Asian American culture and heritage. Before serving as President of the organization, Ms. Fryar served as its Vice President and member of its Board of Directors. She also serves as a mentor to Asian American law students and young lawyers. During her tenure with PALSD, Ms. Fryar received the State Bar of California's Wiley W. Manuel Award for Pro Bono Legal Services.

Ms. Fryar is also a member of Filipino American Lawyers of San Diego ("FALSD"), an organization committed to: ensuring the availability of equal opportunities for attorneys of color; developing multi-cultural solutions for fostering diversity in the legal field; and sustaining multi-cultural coalitions in all channels of the legal system.

Ms. Fryar previously served as an honorary member of the Board of Directors of the Southwest Center for Asian Pacific American Law ("SCAPAL"), an organization that provides community members with legal assistance and guidance through the legal system and protects human and civil rights through advocacy, research, policy analysis and education.

In addition to the activities above, Ms. Fryar twice served as the past Chair of the Lawyers Club of San Diego's Equality Committee. The Lawyers Club of San Diego is a voluntary bar association comprised of attorneys, judges, law students and community members seeking to advance the interests of women in the law and in society. The Lawyers Club's Equality Committee is dedicated to combating bias and discrimination. As the Chair of the Equality Committee, Ms. Fryar was tasked with the duty to address various issues related to gender bias in the legal community, and for two years, led the Committee's annual survey of public and private sectors of the legal community for purposes of assessing the progress of women in the law and encouraging San Diego firms to recruit, develop, retain and promote qualified female attorneys.

Community Service & Involvement

Ms. Fryar was previously the Vice President of Membership for the International Visitors Council of San Diego ("IVC"), now known as the Citizen Diplomacy Council of San Diego ("CDCSD"). CDCSD links public and private businesses and institutions in the San Diego area with hundreds of rising and established global leaders each year by arranging professional meetings and public receptions for delegations sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program. The international visitors who participate in the program include professionals and leaders working in the areas of: leadership development, foreign policy, freedom of the press, prevention of human trafficking, AIDS/HIV awareness, arts and culture, education, and many other fields.

The leadership roles Ms. Fryar occupied within organizations dedicated to advancing the goals of gender and ethnic diversity and equality in law and society illustrate her long-standing commitment to empowering others. Additionally, Ms. Fryar has attempted to inspire others in their pursuit of professional excellence and achievement by serving as a mentor to local law students and young lawyers, including, but not limited to, those who matriculated through her alma mater, California Western School of Law.

Educational Background

Ms. Fryar received her Juris Doctorate degree in 1997 from California Western School of Law, where she was the Vice President and then President of the Student Bar Association. She is a Student Bar Association Service Award recipient, a Dean's Scholarship recipient, and an Academic Achievement Award recipient. Ms. Fryar also received the California Western School of Law's Faculty Award, which is bestowed upon graduating law students who have made significant and positive contributions to the school. A student's selection for the award is based upon academic scholarship, service to the school and other contributions, including extra curricular activities that enhance the reputation of the law school.

While at California Western, Ms. Fryar was a Student Trial Advocate in the Association of Trial Lawyers of America's Moot Court program and received the Advocacy Honors Board Award for Appellate Oral Advocacy. She subsequently became one of the Founding Members of the California Western School of Law Alumni Diversity Coalition, which seeks to facilitate the exchange of resources, expertise and opportunities among alumni. During law school, she also studied abroad at the University of Florence School of Law in Italy.

Ms. Fryar received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Administrative Studies in 1994 from the University of California at Riverside where she was on the Dean's List. She received her Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Arts & Sciences, cum laude, in 1992 from Saddleback College where she was a member of the Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society.