Experience
Dawn Ross leads CMPR’s employment group and commercial litigation team.  Ms. Ross has represented employers successfully in state and federal litigation and administrative proceedings.  Ms. Ross serves as counsel to some of the leading wineries, along with many other clients in the public and private sector. She assists clients in preparing employee handbooks, employment agreements, counseling on layoffs and terminations, and conducts training seminars on sexual harassment and discrimination. Ms. Ross also acts as trial counsel in intellectual property and commercial litigation matters such as breach of contract, real estate transfers, fraud, trade secret and trademark violations and construction defects. Ms. Ross works hard to control litigation costs without compromising the case.  Ms. Ross has a reputation as an aggressive, detail oriented advocate, who has great success at trial.  Ms. Ross was an associate at Bronson, Bronson & McKinnon and partner at arron, Reid & Sheehy prior to founding Carle, Mackie, Power & Ross LLP in 1998.

Awards

• Ms Ross is rated AV (the highest rating possible) by the Martindale-Hubbell nationwide attorney rating service.
• Ms. Ross has been selected as a Northern California Super Lawyer three consecutive years 2004, 2005 & 2006.   The selection process includes peer nominations based on ballots to 47,000 attorneys in Northern California, a blue ribbon panel review, and independent research on candidates.

Professional and Community Associations

• Past President, Sonoma County Bar Association  (2003)
• Past President, Sonoma County Women in Law  (1997)
• Past President, Sonoma County Young Lawyers' Association  (1996)
• Past Chairperson, Labor & Employment Law Section, Sonoma County Bar (2000)
• Board Member, California Parenting Institute
  
• Volunteer, Valley of the Moon Children's Home

Publications

• Labor Code § 970 - The Ramifications of Overselling the Job, 1995
  Wrongful Demotion - How to Protect Your Organization, 1996
  
• Name, Rank & Serial Number - the Rules on Reference Checks, 2004

Speaking Engagements

• Empire Law School , Substitute & Visiting Professor, 2000 – present
• HR Matrix, Employment Law Update, 2007
• HR Matrix, Managing Risk and Compliance in California, 2007
• Sonoma County Bar Assn., Deposition Skills Workshop, 2004 & 2006
• SCBA Labor & Employment Law Section, Witnesses in Employment Cases, 2001
• Lorman Education Services, HR Audits in California, 2001
• Telecom Valley Alliance, Attracting& Retaining Key Employees, 2001
• Sonoma State University, Human Resources in the Wine Industry, 2000
• Legal Secretaries Association, Organizing Complex Cases, 1999
• Sonoma County Bar Assn., Recent Developments in Employment Law, 1998 & 1999
• Engineering Contractors Association, Employment Law Overview, 1998
• Department of Social Services, Sexual Harassment Seminar, 1998
• Santa Rosa Junior College Forensics Program, Title VII Basics, 1998
• Client Seminar, The Basics of Employment Law, 1996
• Client Seminar, Sex, Drugs & Locker Searches, 1994 & 1995