Nikki Hall

Managing Partner, Bay Area

Nikki Hall is a Managing Partner with Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation and heads up the firm’s Bay Area office.

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Nikki’s practice primarily focuses on conducting workplace investigations. She also acts as an expert witness in evaluating workplace investigations, advises clients on personnel matters, and leads trainings on investigation best practices and state and federal anti-discrimination, harassment and retaliation laws.

Nikki has personally handled more than 200 workplace investigations, the majority involving allegations of misconduct against high-ranking employees, elected officials, and all ranks of law enforcement and fire department personnel.  Having conducted and overseen hundreds of investigations for public sector employers, Nikki is well versed in the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act and the Firefighters Procedural Bill of Rights, as well as the Weingarten rights afforded to public employees.  She is co-author of the book, “Conducting Effective Personnel Investigations, A Manual for Public Sector Managers” (Public Law Group Press, 3rd edition 2013).

Nikki is regularly called upon to investigate high profile matters, such as complaints of harassment, discrimination, retaliation and other misconduct alleged against elected officials and high-ranking employees, as well as charges of excessive use of force and other alleged misconduct by law enforcement and fire department personnel.

Nikki spent the first nine years of her legal career litigating employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation cases on behalf of employees.  She spent the next ten years at a law firm representing public sector and non-profit employers.  Nikki headed the firm’s investigations practice, regularly conducted training on anti-discrimination laws and provided advice to employers on a full range of personnel matters, with an emphasis on employer obligations under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, Title VII of the Federal Civil Rights Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, California Family Rights Act and Americans with Disabilities Act. Nikki then joined Van Dermyden Makus in 2016.

CA State Bar No. 184233

+ Professional Degrees, Certifications, Awards and Organizations

  • Juris Doctor, University of San Francisco School of Law
    • American Jurisprudence Award, Legal Research and Writing
  • Bachelor of Arts, Sociology, University of California Santa Barbara
    • Graduated with High Honors
    • Academic Excellence Award
    • Seven-time Dean’s Honor list recipient
  • Member, State Bar of California (admitted December 1996)
  • Member, California Employment Lawyers Association
  • Member, Association of Workplace Investigators
  • Certified Title IX Investigator

+ Notable Presentations and Publications

  • “Under the Spotlight: Public Scrutiny of Responses to Complaints of Misconduct” – CALPELRA Annual Training Conference in Monterey, CA (November 2022)
  • “The Good, Bad, and the Ugly When Overseeing Workplace Investigations” – CALPELRA Annual Training Conference in Monterey, CA (November 2021)
  • Investigative Report Writing – Association of Workplace Investigators Virtual Seminar Series (July 2021)
  • “Lessons Learned in The MeToo Era” – HR West 2020 in Oakland, CA (March 2020)
  • “Lessons Learned in The MeToo Era” – CALPELRA Annual Training Conference (November 2019)
  • “Conducting Effective Investigations: Navigating The Difficult Witness” – CALPELRA Annual Training Conference (December 2017)
  • “Fair And Balanced POBR/FOBR Investigations” – CALPELRA Annual Training Conference (December 2017)
  • “Drug and Alcohol Policies, Common Pitfalls for the Public Employer” – Public Law Journal, co-author (Fall 2015)
  • “Integrated Disability Management” – presented to clients and at conferences statewide (2012-2015)
  • “Conducting Effective Personnel Investigations, A Manual for Public Sector Managers” – Public Law Group Press, co-author (3rd ed. 2013)
  • “Workplace Bullying, The Next Harassment Claim?” – CALPELRA Annual Training Conference (November 2013)
  • “Mind Your Own Business, Using Social Media As An Investigative Tool” – Association of Workplace Investigators Annual Conference (October 2013)
  • “Disability Law Update” – State Bar of California, Labor and Employment Law Section Annual Public Sector Conference (May 2012)
  • “Conducting Effective Workplace Investigations” – presented to clients and at state and national conferences (since 2010)
  • “Accommodating Religion in the Workplace” – CALPELRA Annual Training Conference (November 2009)
  • “Celebrating 50 Years of Fair Employment Laws in California” – California Labor and Employment Law Review (September 2009)
  • “At the Crossroads: The Interplay of ADA, FMLA and Workers’ Compensation” – presented at conferences statewide (Spring 2009)
  • “Update on Amendments to the ADA and FMLA” – County Counsel Labor and Employment Section Conference (March 2009)
  • “Emerging Issues in Workplace Accommodation” – CALPELRA Annual Training Conference (November 2008)
  • “12 Angry Jurors, Lessons Learned From The Year’s Big Employment Verdicts” – CALPELRA Annual Training Conference (November 2007)
  • “Avoiding a Workplace Rashomon” – Wall Street Journal (October 2005)