Business Law & Employment/Labor Law Sections Meeting

Robert A. Blum

Deputy General Counsel-Benefits, Permanente Medicine

Bob is currently Deputy General Counsel, Benefits, The Permanente Medical Group, Inc. (“TPMG”). TPMG provides all medical care to more than 4 million Kaiser-Permanente members in Northern California. TPMG employs over 40,000 people with over 8,000 physicians, 6,000 non-union employees and 25,000 union employees. TPMG is separate and independent from Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.

Previously, he was partner in Hanson Bridgett (2001-2013); senior HR consultant for Mercer, an international human resource, compensation and benefits consulting firm (1992-2001) and partner in Orrick, Herrington and McCutchen, Doyle (1976-1992) and Groom & Nordberg (Washington, DC, 1975).

For over 40 years he has worked with multiple stakeholders in large public and private organizations who have conflicting needs to help them develop practical legal and business solutions to resolve complex problems concerning employee compensation and benefits.

He has mediated cases involving disputes about employment, disability, business contracts, technology, real property rights, public land use, real estate, and construction. In all of these cases, his key task has been to clearly understand the parties real interests and with that understanding help them to find basic common ground. A critical part of his work is to listen carefully to what is said, and to what is not said, and dig out the real dispute and the parties’ base line goals. Then he can help the parties understand the options, find common ground and move toward settlement.

Jennifer L. Yazdi

Associate, Hanson Bridgett

Jennifer represents private and public employers in federal and state court litigation and before administrative agencies regarding discrimination (including race, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, and disability), harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, wrongful termination, and numerous other types of employment law matters. Jennifer also handles complex wage and hour class action litigation in both federal and state courts, as well as other representative and collective actions under the California Private Attorneys General Act and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

In addition to her litigation practice, Jennifer counsels employers on a wide variety of employment issues, such as hiring practices, employment policies, disability accommodations and leave administration, employee and contractor classification issues, employment contracts, enforceability of covenants not to compete, leaves of absence, terminations, and reductions in force. She specializes, in particular, in advising organizations on the evolving laws and regulations surrounding worker classification since the California Supreme Court Dynamex decision. Jennifer regularly speaks on panels and webinars on the topic. In addition to general advice and counseling, Jennifer handles sensitive harassment and whistleblower internal investigations.

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