News

Bar Association Honors Berliner Cohen Partner

November 13, 2009

The Santa Clara County Bar Association has named Roberta S. Hayashi, Berliner Cohen litigation partner, its recipient of the 2009 Professional Lawyer of the Year Award. 

Ms. Hayashi, head of Berliner Cohen’s Employment Law group, was one of three attorney honorees at the SCCBA’s Judges Night on November 12, 2009, an annual event that acknowledges judges serving in Santa Clara County for their dedication and contribution to the administration of justice.

“It has been a privilege to be a part of the Silicon Valley legal community for the last 27 years,” said Ms. Hayashi.  “The SCCBA and the local judiciary have been leaders in creating an environment in which zealous advocacy and professionalism flourish.  I am honored to be recognized for having made even a small contribution to that effort.”

The award recognized Ms. Hayashi’s outstanding contributions and leadership during her legal career.  She has received numerous honors previously from the SCCBA, including being named as a recipient of the 2008 Salsman Award for outstanding contributions to the community and the legal profession and the 2006 Minority Access Committee “Unsung Heroes Award.”  In 1996, she was the first Asian-American elected as President of SCCBA.

Ms. Hayashi is the current chair of the SCCBA’s Professional Responsibility Rules Revision Task Force, and a member of the Superior Court Alternative Dispute Resolution and Bench/Bar/Media/Police Committee.  She has served as past president of the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, a Lawyers Representative from the Northern District of California to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, and chair or member of several committees and task forces for the local bar association.  She currently participates as a member of the California Certification Advisory Committee of the Society of Human Resource Management and head of the Planned Giving Committee for the Hospice of the Valley. 

Ms. Hayashi has over twenty-five years experience representing and advising Silicon Valley employers in employment and business litigation. She has extensive trial experience in wrongful termination, discrimination, and misappropriation of trade secrets and proprietary information actions in both state and federal court.

Berliner Cohen’s experienced employment law attorneys advise and represent employers and managers on a full range of legal issues affecting the workplace, including harassment and discrimination, unfair competition and trade secrets, wrongful discharge, wage and hour issues, and labor disputes.  Berliner Cohen is one of the largest and oldest law firms in San Jose serving the business and regulatory needs of private business and public agencies in Northern California.  For 40 years, the Firm has developed the special expertise required by a diverse client base consisting of nationally recognized business interests and a number of Silicon Valley’s largest national and multinational corporations, new ventures, leading real estate developers and brokerages, cutting-edge technology companies, healthcare and other service providers, banking and financial institutions, municipalities, public agencies and individuals.  Berliner Cohen also meets the growing demands of the San Joaquin Valley with its expanding office in Merced.