Erik Johnson is a member of the firm’s Employment Law and Class Action practice groups. He has spent his legal career advising and defending employers ranging from family businesses to multinational companies on a variety of labor and management matters, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, unfair competition, and wage and hour claims.

Erik has extensive experience litigating in California’s state and federal courts at both the trial and appellate level.  He has also successfully represented clients before a broad array of state and federal administrative agencies and alternative dispute resolution (“ADR”) providers.  His ADR experience includes defending against mass arbitrations, and he recently spearheaded the defense of arbitration claims made against a publicly traded company by claimants around the world.

In addition to litigation, Erik counsels employers on effective ways to reduce their risk of litigation through policy changes, employee handbook updates and revisions, compliant leaves of absence, workplace investigations, discipline and terminations, employment agreements, enforceable arbitration agreements, and other human resource issues and strategies.

Erik earned his Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law, where he served as a Board Member and Lead Articles Editor of the San Diego Law Review.  Before law school, Erik graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in History.

Prior to his career as an attorney, Erik taught elementary bilingual education at a public school in Harlem through the New York City Teaching Fellows program.

Affiliations

• San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, Volunteer Attorney
• Surfrider Foundation, San Diego County Chapter, Member
• American Inns of Court, J. Clifford Wallace Chapter

Honors and Recognition

• Included in The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch™ in America for Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Labor and Employment (2024)
• San Diego Super Lawyers Rising Stars (2018-2020)
• Wiley W. Manuel Certificate for Pro Bono Legal Services (2020)
• San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program Standout Award for Microbusiness and Nonprofit Support (2019)