Employee Spotlight: Natasha Galvez

Meet Natasha Galvez, Associate Counsel at Berman North. She is an experienced member of our team of employment and business litigators. Her dedication to her clients and the rapport she builds with them leads to strong results.

What types of cases do you typically handle?

I typically handle plaintiff-side employment law cases. Most commonly, I handle wrongful termination and retaliation cases. I also frequently handle cases that involve unlawful discrimination, failure to accommodate a disability, independent contractor and exemption misclassification, and wage and hour violations. 

How did you become interested in employment law and general civil litigation?

I became interested in the general process of litigation when I interned at a family law office before applying to law school. Through that experience, I learned a lot about the general process of a lawsuit and navigating the civil court system. I became interested in employment law during law school when I took a few employment law courses. Then, when I went to work at Pierce & Shearer after graduating, I worked on a mixture of cases, but the employment law matters were always the most interesting to me.

How do you approach taking on a new client?

My biggest priority, in addition to grasping what viable legal claims exist, is to truly understand the client’s long-term and short-term goals and how these fit within their unique circumstances so that I can offer clients options for how I can help them, as well as give clients an idea of what they can reasonably expect as an outcome.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your work? 

The most rewarding aspect of my job is helping to put clients in a better position than they were in when they came to me. 

During law school, you served as the Law Student Division Liaison to the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession. What was that experience like?

Working for the American Bar Association was a unique experience as a student because I traveled to other cities for ABA meetings and networked with attorneys in geographic locations and practice areas with whom I otherwise would never have crossed paths. Serving as the liaison for the Commission on Women in the Profession was particularly rewarding because I got to hear about many of the issues facing women in the legal profession and be part of the process of making the profession more inclusive and equitable. 

Are there particular types of cases that pique your interest the most? 

I have found whistleblower retaliation claims, particularly during the pandemic and as they relate to public health and safety, to be intriguing. These cases are interesting, not only for the legal issues that are raised, but they are also compelling because they have the potential for a widespread effect on society and I feel strongly about protecting the rights of people with inside information to call out companies for illegal activities that endanger public health.   

Practicing law is challenging. How do you approach some of those challenges? 

As someone who likes to plan things out in advance, one thing that was challenging for me at the beginning of my career is my tendency to project into the future and try to anticipate every possible outcome of a case at the very beginning. While it’s helpful to have a general idea of the direction a case might take, I’ve learned that it’s usually better to stay flexible and approach issues as they arise, rather than trying to be prepared for all possible scenarios. This is especially true when clients come to me while they are still employed and we are waiting to see how the employer is going to deal with a situation. For example, how will the employer deal with our client’s complaint about discrimination, and depending on the employer’s response, how will our client’s goals change? Will the client want to remain with that employer or will they immediately want to negotiate a separation? In these instances, it’s not always helpful to try and be as prepared as possible for an outcome that hasn’t yet occurred. Instead, I’ve learned it’s better to consider the various possibilities and have a loose, general plan of action that can be adapted, rather than try to anticipate and strategize in detail ahead of time. 

What led you to joining Berman North? 

I was a brand new attorney when I joined Pierce & Shearer, and I enjoyed working with Scott [Berman] and Stacy [North] because they have a wealth of experience in general civil litigation and employment law. They are both very approachable and insightful. When they decided to found Berman North, I was excited by their idea of starting a virtual law firm– a fairly novel idea for a law firm at the time– that would give the attorneys the flexibility of working from home and around family and other interests and responsibilities.

You seem to thrive in helping others. Would you share some advice for early career lawyers? 

One thing I’ve realized about the law is that no matter how long you’ve been practicing, there will always be so much information you still don’t know, particularly because the law is constantly evolving. As someone who strives to learn and memorize every fact about a given topic, this felt frustrating for me at first. I think it’s important to accept that you will always be learning new things and be ready to adapt and meet new challenges.

Outside of work, what keeps you busy? 

When I’m not working, I am with my 3-year-old son, who loves the outdoors. So we are typically enjoying the Sonoma County sunshine and practicing his soccer skills.