Erika N. Foster

Ms. Foster is an attorney and certified mediator who focuses her practice on family and employment law matters. As an attorney, she advocates for the best interests of her individual and business clients. In handling disputes, Ms. Foster assists her clients to achieve expedited and cost-effective resolutions, where appropriate, through detailed case assessment and mediation or negotiations, as well as representing clients in court, arbitration and administrative hearings? She also provides her clients with legal counseling to assist them in complying with applicable legal standards and best practices. As a mediator, Ms. Foster assists parties in reaching a voluntary and mutually beneficial settlement outside of the adversarial environment of the courtroom. She is able to bring a neutral perspective, her knowledge of the law and multiple, facilitative tools to assist the parties in overcoming any impasses or difficulties in communication. In her practice, she focuses on the following legal issues: Family Law: Divorce Child Custody and Visitation Child Support Spousal Support Property and Asset Division Premarital and Marital Agreements Divorce and Family Mediation Employment Law: Employment Law Counseling Employment and Severance Agreements Employee Handbooks Discrimination Sexual Harassment Wrongful Termination Workplace Investigations and Audits Employment Mediation Prior Experience Before becoming a solo practitioner, Ms. Foster worked at Shearman & Sterling LLP, where she represented multinational corporations and investment banks on employment law and executive compensation issues. Her experience includes handling labor and employment matters in connection with complex corporate transactions, including Cadbury Schweppes' $4.2 billion acquisition of Pfizer's Adams candy business, Barrick Gold Corporation's $2.3 billion acquisition of Homestake Mining Company and Viacom's spin off of Blockbuster. In addition, her experience includes handling the following, among other things: Employee terminations, including reductions in force and individual terminations. Compensation and benefit plans. SEC filings and corporate governance matters. Due diligence reviews and audits. Human resource policies and procedures, including employee handbooks and company communications. Employment agreements and severance arrangements for senior executives (including change-in-control, non-compete, trade secret, indemnification and consulting agreements).

• Sole Practitioner

• Shearman & Sterling, LLP, Associate, 2000 - 2004
• Shearman & Sterling, LLP, Law Clerk, 1999 - 2000

• "Mediating the Litigated Case" Mediation Training, Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University School of Law

• California, 2008
• Connecticut, 2001
• New York, 2001
• U.S. District Court Central District of California
• U.S. District Court Southern District of California
• Specialties and Certifications
• Mediation Training and Certification, National Conflict Resolution Center

• State Bar of California, Family Law Section and Labor and Employment Law Section
• San Diego County Bar Association, Family Law Section and Labor and Employment Law Section
• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) (Professional Member)