Lisa Barnett Sween

Lisa Barnett Sween is office managing principal of the San Francisco, California, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. She represents employers in all aspects of employment law and litigation, including state and federal employment harassment and discrimination litigation, wrongful discharge litigation, FMLA, CFRA, ADA, and wage and hour litigation.

In addition to her litigation expertise, Lisa regularly counsels employers on preventive employment policies and practices involving all areas of federal, state and local employment law, including recruiting and hiring, employee handbooks, leaves of absence, discipline and termination, workforce reductions, discrimination and harassment, reasonable accommodation and wage and hour. She has also conducted over 200 hours of harassment prevention training in various jurisdictions throughout the United States.

Lisa’s counseling practice includes strategic human resources advice in preparation for mergers and acquisitions, preparing executive and other employment agreements, offer letters, proprietary information agreements, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements.

She has given numerous presentations on a wide variety of employment-related issues to organizations including the Northern California Human Resources Association (NCHRA), the California Employer Advisory Counsel and the American Conference Institute.

Before joining Jackson Lewis, Lisa was a partner in the employment and labor group at one of California’s largest law firms, where she served as the national vice-chair and chair of the San Francisco employment department.

Honors and Recognitions

• The Best Lawyers in America©, “Employment Law – Management” (2024-present)
• California Super Lawyers^® (2018-2019)

Pro Bono and Community Involvement

• Las Trampas, Inc., Former Board Member
• National Charity League, Lamorinda Chapter, Leadership Team Member
• Seven Hills School, Board Member
• St. Luke’s Hospital Junior Auxiliary, Former Board Member

Published Works

• “Employee Handbooks: A Company’s Sword and Shield,” HR.BLR.com (January 2012) [Author]
• “Employee Handbooks: What Makes them Effective?” California Employer Daily (January 2012) [Author]
• “Representing the Employer and Individual Co-Defendant in Employment Cases: Legal Strategies and Ethical Considerations,” American Bar Association (2000) [Co-Author]
• “California Enacts Law Limiting Employers’ Access to Employees’ Social Media: What Employers Need to Know to Avoid the Minefields” [Author]

Speeches

• “The New Normal: An Update on Current Wage and Hour Law Exposures and Trends,” Aon Risk Solutions (San Francisco and Stanford, CA, October 2017) (presenter)
• “The Hidden Cost of Not Negotiating,” NCHRA Women’s Leadership Conference (Las Vegas, NV, April 2016) (presenter)
• “Workplace Investigations, A Step by Step Primer,” HCCA’s 2016 Annual Compliance Institute (Las Vegas, NV, April 2016) (presenter)
• “The vaccine rollout: what companies need to know,” Collective Health (Webinar, February 2021) (co-presenter)