Overview

Eleanor M. Welke is a Partner in Lozano Smith's Los Angeles office. She is a member of the Labor and Employment, Governance, and Investigations Practice Groups.

As a Partner at Lozano Smith, she serves as an adviser to public agency leaders, assisting with policy development, board governance, training programs, and risk management strategies. Ms. Welke provides comprehensive day-to-day general counsel services to public entities, including advising clients on personnel decisions, employee discipline, due process and termination, wage and hour laws, leave entitlements, disability accommodations, workplace investigations, the Brown Act, and compliance with state and federal employment laws.

Experience

Ms. Welke serves as lead negotiator for school district clients in collective bargaining and meet-and-confer sessions, where she drafts and presents proposals, develops negotiation strategies aligned with district priorities and financial constraints, and advises on contract interpretation, grievances, and unfair practice charges.

She also oversees independent workplace investigations and provides training on labor and employment law, investigations, and governance for school boards, school district employees, county offices of education, and statewide organizations such as CASBO and ACSA. In addition, Ms. Welke represents clients in administrative proceedings before PERB, the EEOC, the CRD, the California Labor Commissioner, and the OAH. Drawing on her strong background in civil litigation, she advises on litigation matters and risk management protocols, and represents public entity clients and their employees in litigation proceedings as needed.

Related Experience

Prior to practicing law, Ms. Welke was a Resources Specialist Teacher, and she worked in the Children’s Rights and Special Education Clinic at Whittier Law School.

Education

Ms. Welke received her Juris Doctor from Whittier Law School. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Civilization, and minored in Public Policy, from the University of California, Los Angeles. She received the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Contracts while in law school, and she was a member of the UCLA national champion water polo teams. Ms. Welke has received certification through ATIXA as a participant in Level 1 and Level 3 ATIXA Civil Rights Investigator Trainings.

California Employers Required to Establish New Safety Measures for Indoor Heat Illness Prevention

By: Eleanor Welke, Scarlett Loving- 11/18/2024

New Requirements for the Protection and Collection of Certain Student Records and Information

By: Sarah Kaatz, Ruth Mendyk, Eleanor Welke- 12/22/2021

New Juneteenth Federal Holiday's Effect on California School Calendars

By: Louis Lozano, Eleanor Welke- 06/22/2021

A School District's Ability to Discipline Students for Off-Campus Conduct

By: Desiree Serrano, Eleanor Welke- 10/26/2018

With texting and social media, it seems as though the line between school and "not school" are blurred. School districts are often faced with determining whether they can discipline a student for their conduct while not at school. In this episode, we discuss a school district's ability to discipline a student for off-campus conduct and go over court cases that analyze this issue.