Gretchen Salazar is a shareholder at Mills Meyers Swartling who concentrates her practice on employment law, representing both employers and employees. Her work for employers includes advising clients with regard to compliance with all aspects of federal, state and local employment laws; representing clients in disputed matters before administrative agencies, in the courts and in mediation; employee relations counseling; and review and drafting of employee handbooks, employment contracts, and non-competition agreements. Her work for employees includes advising clients with regard to their rights under federal, state and local employment laws, and advocating for the enforcement of those rights through negotiation, mediation, administrative action, and litigation. She also provides individuals with advice and counsel regarding the enforceability of employment contracts, non-competition agreements, and other employment agreements. Gretchen also practices in the area of commercial litigation, representing businesses in contract and other disputes. She has a particular interest in damage assessments and calculations. In addition, Gretchen has handled a number of matters both for and against municipalities and is familiar with the unique issues that arise in those circumstances. She has litigated issues of qualified and absolute immunity for municipal employees and entities, and has also been involved in defending and asserting claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Gretchen regularly handles appeals in state and federal court. She has argued before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. Prior to attending law school, Gretchen worked for The Prudential Insurance Company of America in Woodland Hills, California, as an underwriter and consultant for new product development.
Practice Areas
Employment Law, Commercial Law, Municipal Law, Appellate Law
Bar Admissions
Washington, 1996
U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, 1998
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Washington, 1998
U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, 1998
Education
California Lutheran University, B.A. in Economics, cum laude and with departmental honors, 1988
Seattle University School of Law, J.D., summa cum laude and first in class, 1996
Editor-in-Chief, Seattle University Law Review, 1995-96
Classes/Seminars Taught
Gretchen has led classes and seminars on various employment law topics.
Professional Associations and Memberships
American Bar Association
Labor and Employment Law Section
Washington State Bar Association
Labor and Employment Law Section and Litigation Section
King County Bar Association
Labor and Employment Law Section
Community Involvement/Honors
Seattle University School of Law Alumni Board of Governors
Representative Cases
Gretchen has represented clients in a wide variety of employment cases, including sexual harassment, discrimination (disability, age, race), wrongful termination, application of leave policies (FMLA), enforceability of employment contracts and non-competition agreements, trade secrets, wage and hour issues (overtime, minimum wage), and employment torts.
She has successfully achieved a high percentage of summary judgments, including, in one particular situation, a summary judgment dismissing the sexual harassment claim of a municipal employee and a summary judgment dismissing the wrongful discharge claim of the alleged harrassor. She has also defended and prosecuted multiple cases involving claims of disability discrimination arising out of application or misapplication of leave policies.
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