Joy C. Rosenquist

Joy C. Rosenquist has had an illustrious career in the public and private sectors for the past two decades, most recently serving as the assistant chief counsel for the State of California. There she was involved with executive management in overseeing regulations, budget allocations, and coordinating with the Health and Human Service Agency, as well as the Governor’s office on compliance issues. She supervised a team of 12 attorneys and two staff, handling a wide variety of employment issues in advising health care facilities. Joy provided house counsel advice on licensing, discrimination/harassment/retaliation, COVID-19 compliance, workplace violence, and traditional labor, to name just a few.

Joy has litigated matters in state and federal court, defending multiple departments and agencies in the public sector throughout her career. She has practiced labor and employment litigation and advice and counsel work for the past 11 years at the State, with a recent emphasis on implementation of executive orders and related mandates, and oversight of regulation practice and drafting trailer bill legislation. 

Joy serves as a California liaison for Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute (WPI). Joy focuses on California state legislative and regulatory developments in employment and labor law, as well as municipal ordinances and regulation of the workplace. She assists the employer community in understanding and impacting California legislation before it becomes law. With Joy’s unique background in governmental affairs and regulatory practice, she is skilled at representing public entities on all facets of statutory and municipal compliance and related litigation.

Joy also provides advice and counsel on employment law issues, labor implications, reasonable accommodation, leaves of absence and discipline/termination best practices. Joy is skilled at workplace investigations, as well, having oversight of internal and third party investigators while employed at the State.  

Between 2001 and 2011, Joy practiced employment law with several private practice firms in the Sacramento area, developing a diverse practice including public sector litigation and advice work, trade secret and employee misappropriation cases, NLRB arbitrations related to contested elections, a jury trial and administrative hearings at the city and county level.