Anderson, Carolyn A

Carolyn has specialized in labor and employment law since 1990.  She is a graduate of Yale University and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She’s licensed to practice law in both California and Oregon, and she is an inactive member of the Washington State Bar Association.  Carolyn represents plaintiffs and defendants in wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination and wage claims.  She advises employers on how to avoid these claims, and helps negotiate employment, independent contractor and severance agreements.

Education and Experience

Carolyn grew up in Rhode Island and moved west after graduating from Yale in 1984 with a degree in History.  After attending law school at Hastings in San Francisco, she practiced briefly in Seattle and returned to the Bay Area to work in labor and employment law.  She spent nine years with Neyhart, Anderson, Freitas, Flynn & Grosboll in San Francisco, representing labor unions in the building trades and public transit industries.  Working with unions meant that Carolyn handled a wide range of issues, including grievance arbitrations, pension fund (ERISA) disputes, real estate transactions, and defending against charges of discrimination.  She also handled employment claims on behalf of individual plaintiffs in areas such as discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful termination and overtime.

Carolyn eventually left the Bay Area and founded The Law Office of Carolyn Anderson in Siskiyou County, California.  In the mountains of Northern California she continued to specialize in labor and employment law, representing public employees in Siskiyou County, the City of Yreka, and the Siskiyou County Superior Court.  She also began advising employers about ways to avoid claims.  In 2004 Carolyn became General Counsel of Simply Inspired Software, Inc., a software development firm in Ashland, Oregon.  She also assisted with the formation of several local non-profits and regularly advises them on a broad range of issues.

Founding Anderson Bradley Krant

Carolyn joined with Susan Bradley Krant in founding Anderson Bradley Krant in Ashland, Oregon, in 2006.  “I really wanted to get back into collaborative practice with another attorney,” Carolyn says.  “Susan and I have entirely complementary legal skills, and I know that together we can create a really dynamic practice.  In our case, one plus one definitely equals more than two.”

At Anderson Bradley Krant, Carolyn represents both plaintiffs and defendants in employment disputes, specializing in wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination, whistleblower and overtime claims.  She counsels employers on how to avoid such claims, and she helps employers draft a wide range of agreements, including independent contractor agreements and severance agreements.  Carolyn offers a wide range of services, including business formations and representation (for both plaintiff and defense) in civil litigation.  “I see people coming to the Rogue Valley to start new businesses, and they have no idea where to begin.  They’re faced with questions of corporate formation and employment issues.  It’s amazing to me how many mistakes can be made by people in good faith, because they simply don’t know where the law draws the line on certain issues.  I’d like to help people keep on the right side of that line.”

Carolyn appears regularly in state and federal court, and also handles cases before state and federal agencies such as the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI), the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).  She has argued cases before both the California and the Oregon Court of Appeal, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, and the Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel.  She is a member of the Labor and Employment Law sections of both the State Bar of California and Oregon State Bar.  She is a member of the Jackson County Bar Association and the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association.