Ann Polus, Special Counsel

Ann E. Polus is a special counsel in the Employment & Labor practice group and a member of the Cooley Godward Kronish Litigation department. She joined in early 1998 and is resident in the Palo Alto office.

Ms. Polus specializes in providing strategic advice and counseling to employers on subjects within the full range of domestic and international employment matters. She assists clients with respect to pre-litigation resolution of employee disputes; represents clients in administrative charges and claims, including before the federal Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission, the federal Department of Labor, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, and the California Labor Commissioner; negotiates and drafts executive and other employment-related agreements; advises clients with respect to discrimination, harassment, wage and hour, and trade secret issues; assists clients to comply with required leaves of absence, including those under federal and state law; and provides advice and counsel on other important employment-related subjects including but not limited to independent contractor status, employment policies, employee management issues, and employee discipline and discharge. In addition, Ms. Polus has represented employers in numerous civil lawsuits, including active litigation of complex class action discrimination lawsuits. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Polus was an employment associate specializing in litigation at Pillsbury Madison & Sutro (now Pillsbury Winthrop LLP).

Ms. Polus received her J.D. from Hastings College of Law in 1994, where she graduated cum laude and was elected to the Thurston Society and to the Order of the Coif, received three American Jurisprudence Awards for Excellence, and was a merit scholarship recipient. While attending Hastings College of Law, Ms. Polus was a member and Associate Articles Editor of the Hastings Law Journal. Ms. Polus received her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley.

Ms. Polus is a member of the State Bar of California, the employment law section of the American Bar Association, and the Bar Association of San Francisco.

Education

• University of California, Hastings College of the Law
  JD, 1994, Cum laude, Thurston Society, Order of the Coif
• University of California, Berkeley
  BA

Admissions

• California

Memberships

• American Bar Association
• Bar Association of San Francisco