Outside Counsel Corner

Paul W. Sweeney, Jr.
Partner
K&L Gates LLP

Paul W. Sweeney, Jr. is a member of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis LLP's ("KL&Gates") Commercial Litigation group in Los Angeles, California. Sweeney handles business disputes and employment cases. He has handled class action lawsuits involving unfair business practice claims, consumer actions, warranty claims, wage-hour disputes, securities fraud, and financial service transactions. Sweeney has also handled individual actions in the areas of contracts, employment, entertainment, intellectual property, and other commercial disputes. Prior to joining KL&Gates, Sweeney served as a White House fellow and as a volunteer prosecutor for the Los Angeles city attorney, criminal branch. Sweeney's recent engagements include winning summary judgment in a case filed against a telecommunications company accused of engaging in discrimination. He has presented before the Association of Corporate Counsel and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. Sweeney also has published numerous articles on employment matters, including Blocking Incoming E-Mails and Internet Postings - The Empire Strikes Back, E-Commerce Law Report (February 2002). Sweeney was named a Southern California "Super Lawyer" by Los Angeles Magazine in 2006 and 2007. He serves on several boards including the Hollywood Wilshire YMCA. Sweeney received his B.S. from the University of Southern California, cum laude, and his J.D. from Columbia University Law School.

 

Barbara L. Johnson
Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, LLP
Washington, D.C. Office

Barbara L. Johnson is a partner in the Employment Law Department in Paul Hastings's Washington, D.C. office. She is a nationally known employment jury trial and class action lawyer representing employers. She regularly tries cases in various state and federal courts, involving claims of race, age, gender and disability discrimination, wage and hour violations, retaliation, breach of contract, and various employment torts. Ms. Johnson has tried more than 25 employment law cases. Johnson  is Chair of the Firm's Global Pro Bono and Community Involvement Committee and also serves on her firm's Diversity Committee. Before joining Paul Hastings in 2002, she was a shareholder  at Wickliff & Hall in Houston, Texas. Prior to that, she served as in-house counsel for The Dow Chemical Company. Johnson is a frequent speaker at seminars sponsored by the American Bar Association, ALI-ABA, the National Employment Law Institute, National Employment Law Counsel, and the American Employment Law Counsel. A few of her  speeches and papers include: Direct Examination-How to Get Them to Say What You Want; Conducting Effective Investigations Into Workplace Misconduct  Arbitrating Employment Disputes; Current Developments in Gender and Race Harassment; Recent Developments in Wage and Hour Litigation.  Johnson received her B.S. from Hampton University and her J.D. from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law, College of William and Mary.