GENERAL PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

James E. Mesnier is Of Counsel in the Sacramento office of Cook Brown, LLP. As former general labor counsel for several national companies, Mr. Mesnier brings thorough knowledge and sensitivity to the complex nature of labor relations and employment law in the corporate setting. He represents private and public sector employers in traditional labor relations matters such as collective bargaining and in the developing area of employment law. Committed to progressive labor relations, he has contributed his time and expertise to several non-profit organizations in the Sacramento area to advance their employment policies and practices.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND ACADEMIC BACKGROUND

Mr. Mesnier has represented management in labor relations and employment law for over 40 years. Early in his career, he was Assistant General Counsel for Labor with Pet, Inc. in St, Louis, Missouri and was member of the General Counsel staff for Union Electric, a publicly-held utility. Mr. Mesnier moved to California in 1980 and worked as a labor specialist with law firms in Modesto and Sacramento before joining Cook Brown, LLP in 1993. He is a graduate of Missouri University and Washington University Law School (St. Louis).

PROFESSIONAL AND BUSINESS AFFILIATIONS

Mr. Mesnier is a member of the California Bar Association, the Missouri Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He is also active on the Labor Law Committee of the American Bar Association and the Labor Law Committee of the California Bar Association. He was the founding chair of the Labor-Employment Law Section of the Sacramento County Bar Association. He was also a member of the founding Board of the Public Law Section of the Sacramento County Bar Association and served as its chair for two years. He was a member of the Labor Relations Committee for the American Bakers Association. In addition, Mr. Mesnier was a contributing editor for labor law for the California Business Law Reporter, published by California's Continuing Education of the Bar, and is currently a consulting editor. He is a member of the Labor Advisory Board for the University of California, Davis. He has traveled in the Far East as part of a delegation studying labor relations in several Pacific Rim countries. Mr. Mesnier has served on both national and local committees and boards of several business and service organizations including United Way, Boy Scouts and YMCA of Greater Sacramento.

PROFESSIONAL LICENSES

Mr. Mesnier is licensed to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the Missouri Supreme Court, and the California Supreme Court. He is also licensed to practice before all state courts, the U.S Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and all federal district courts in the State of California.