Karen J. Sloat
Contact Me: 760-779-1313
Email Me
Biography
Karen Sloat has a career spanning over 35 years in many practice areas, and in three states – California, Colorado and Hawaii. Her reputation as a specialist in employment law for many years has given her the expertise to handle claims of complex wage and hour violations, discrimination and harassment, employment contracts, trade secret violations, fraud and all other employment-related issues. As a zealous litigator and trial lawyer, Ms. Sloat has a vast knowledge of professions, occupations and business issues that enhances her valuable legal advice to all of our clients – whether employees, employers or nonprofits.
After graduating from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, in addition to her labor and nonprofit law expertise, Ms. Sloat served clients in the areas of insurance defense, commercial litigation, construction, municipal, estate planning, personal injury, adoptions and conservatorships, multi-million dollar financial and real estate transactions, water and environmental law, fraud, land use, criminal and general contracts/business law. Her broad scope of experience has led to successful jury verdicts, valuable judgments in bench trials, and beneficial outcomes to all of her clients when transactions, mediations, arbitrations or other matters conclude.
Ms. Sloat is a certified mediator, retained by individuals and businesses to resolve disputes on a variety of legal issues. She also serves as a volunteer mediator in the Riverside County Superior Courts and lectures on labor law and nonprofit law issues across Southern California.
Education
- Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, California
- Juris Doctor – 1987
- College of William and Mary
- Bachelor of Arts, Theatre Arts – 1980
- Major: Theatre Arts
Bar Admission
- California, 1987
- Colorado, 1994
- Hawaii, 1989
Honors
- AV Preeminent Rating, Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™
- Top Lawyer – as recognized by Palm Springs Life magazine
- AVVO Superb Rating 10.0
- Southern California’s Top Rated Lawyers
- Listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers
Classes & Seminars Taught
- Employment Law 2014; Comprehensive Guide, National Business Institute (NBI), 2014
- Sexual Harassment Prevention Training (ongoing), Multiple clients and Chambers of Commerce, 2005 to Present
- Nonprofit Board Training – Board Orientation and Best Practices, (Multiple clients and charitable entities), 2002 to Present
- Seminars on Human Resources Laws, Desert Community Employers Advisory Council, 2013 to Present
- PIHRA – Legal Updates, PIHRA, 2019 to Present
- COVID-19 & Your Law Firm; 8 Strategies to Survive the Crisis, Guest Speaker, California Lawyers Association Solo and Small Practice Section, 2020
- Labor & Employment Laws for Attorneys, Desert Bar Association
- Federal Law Updates for Employers (COVID-19 Webinars), 2020
Pro-Bono Activities
- Ongoing work for non-profit organizations, including religious institutions, Bar Associations, and Chambers of Commerce, 1989 to Present
- Pastor’s Wife and Worship Leader, Coachella Valley Christian Church
- Co-Founder, Coachella Valley Women Lawyers
- Board of Directors, Desert Community Employers Advisory Council, 2021 – Present; and
- Advisory Council for Olive Crest
Languages
- English
Ancillary Businesses
- Preparation of Handbooks and Personnel Forms for Employers
Professional Associations
- Desert Bar Association, President, 2016 to 2017
- Desert Bar Association, Member, 2002 to Present
- Warren Slaughter-Richard Roemer (Palm Springs) Inn of Court, Board of Directors 2021 – Present
Current Employment Position
- President, Founder
