Carolyn A Anderson

Carolyn has specialized in labor and employment law since 1990. She is a graduate of Yale University and the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She's licensed to practice law in Oregon, and she is an inactive member of the California State Bar and the Washington State Bar Association. Carolyn represents plaintiffs and defendants in wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination and wage claims. She advises employers on how to avoid these claims, and helps negotiate employment, independent contractor and severance agreements. She handles unemployment appeals and other administrative hearings. Carolyn also works with start-up businesses, creating corporations and LLCs, and advising clients on how to get their new business up and running; she regularly handles business sales and purchases.

Carolyn grew up in Rhode Island and moved west after graduating from Yale in 1984 with a degree in History. After attending law school at Hastings in San Francisco, she practiced briefly in Seattle and returned to the Bay Area to work in labor and employment law. She spent nine years with Neyhart, Anderson, Freitas, Flynn & Grosboll in San Francisco, representing labor unions in the building trades and public transit industries.

Carolyn joined with Susan Bradley Krant in founding Anderson Bradley Krant in Ashland, Oregon, in 2006. "I really wanted to get back into collaborative practice with another attorney," Carolyn says. "Susan and I have entirely complementary legal skills, and I knew that together we could create a really dynamic practice. In our case, one plus one definitely equals more than two."

At Anderson Bradley Krant, Carolyn represents both plaintiffs and defendants in employment disputes, specializing in wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination, whistleblower and overtime claims. She counsels employers on how to avoid such claims, and she helps employers draft a wide range of agreements, including independent contractor agreements and severance agreements. Carolyn has many clients in health care, freight logistics, in-home care services, and in manufacturing industries. She offers a wide range of services, including business purchase and sale transactions, business formations, and representation (for both plaintiff and defense) in civil litigation. "I see people coming to the Rogue Valley to start new businesses, and they have no idea where to begin. They're faced with questions of corporate formation and employment issues. It's amazing to me how many mistakes can be made by people in good faith, because they simply don't know where the law draws the line on certain issues. I'd like to help people keep on the right side of that line." Carolyn has appeared regularly in state and federal court, and she handles cases before agencies such as the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI), and the Office of Administrative Hearings. She has argued cases before both the California and the Oregon Courts of Appeal, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, and the Ninth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel. She is a member of the Labor and Employment Law section and the Business Law section of the Oregon State Bar. She is a member of the Jackson County Bar Association.

Carolyn has two grown children and lives in the beautiful small town of Ashland, Oregon. She is a former member of the Vestry at Trinity Episcopal Church, and has served in numerous leadership positions in that parish community. She's also an NRA-certified Range Safety Officer at the Ashland Gun and Archery Club. She was a founding board member of Options for Helping Residents of Ashland, and serves on the board of the Ashland Food Project.