Marjorie Anne Wallace

I am a recently laid off longtime managerial public employee over the age of 40 in the Bay Area. When I contacted Marjorie Wallace to review my severance agreement I was very frustrated. I did not understand the agreement my employer was pressuring me to sign right away or lose it and be fired and ...I could not get a response from my management association's attorney whose representation was covered by my dues. My collective bargaining unit president/representative and the bargaining unit Attorney didn't care and were in my opinion, painfully useless. Marjorie's confidence and competence when I called her made me decide I wanted to meet with her, even though I had to pay her and I had a "free" attorney through my management association. Marjorie suggested I contact HR about a time extension before we met since as an over 40 employee, by law I was entitled to at least two more weeks to consider the agreement. My management association's attorney did get back to me before I could meet with Marjorie, but the only feedback I got from that attorney was to sign the agreement and that I had 7 days to revoke my signature. Marjorie on the other hand, went through the agreement, paragraph by paragraph making sure I understood it. She came up with a number of more favorable-to-me proposed changes I could take back to my employer, including a novel way to get more money. I didn't get everything she proposed, but I did get more money. Plus I felt so much better about the process after talking to her. She was definitely worth it. I got some of her cards to pass out to other public employees I know and they are all gone now. I would definitely recommend her!

I was under a tight deadline to have Marjorie review a severance agreement. Despite having a tight schedule herself, she carved out time to meet with me. She explained every clause of the agreement, making sure I understood it. Where needed, she helped me see what changes I should ask for in the a...greement. She also analyzed my possible claims against my former employer and how to use them as leverage to maximize my bargaining position. As a result I was able to negotiate a severance more than double the initial offer from my former employer and obtain some non-monetary relief not originally offered. While I didn't enjoy losing my job, I am glad I had Marjorie's help and support with my exit.

Marjorie helped me negotiate and keep my sanity through a long drawn out roller coaster "drama" with my former employer. She knows the law and the quirks of negotiating with a public employer. She constantly sought practical, sometimes out of the box solutions to try to maximize my position in the ne...gotiations. She really listened to me and helped me see the reality of my situation, not just my theoretical legal rights. Her authenticity and genuine caring and concern for my welfare came shining through.

Marjorie was a huge help in outlining my best legal options when my employer forced me into retirement. I only wish that I had contacted her earlier in the process to get a legal advice from my own attorney rather then depending on the union's very poor recommendations. I believe that by doing so I... would have had a much better understanding of my employment rights and the risks I was undertaking. You can trust Marjorie.