Gena B. Burns

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Gena Burns is a partner in Burke’s Labor and Employment and Public Law Practice Groups. Gena maintains a diverse and robust practice representing public agencies and private entities across a broad spectrum of labor, employment, and public law matters.

Gena currently serves as Deputy City Attorney for the City of Coronado and the City of San Clemente.  She advises public agencies on a wide range of matters common to local government entities, such as the Brown Act and open meeting requirements, the Public Records Act, ethics, and conflicts of interest.  She also serves as legal counsel to San Clemente’s Planning Commission and works closely with planning staff and commission members on interpretation of local and state law, including zoning, environmental, and implementation of development standards.

Gena’s labor and employment practice includes counseling and representing employers in wage and hour, disciplinary, and other personnel matters. She also frequently serves as lead negotiator in public sector labor negotiations.  Gena has extensive experience drafting and reviewing contracts, resolutions, ordinances, administrative policies, employee handbooks, and other employment-related documents. Gena has also successfully represented clients before the Public Employment Relations Board and the National Labor Relations Board.

In addition, Gena conducts complex workplace investigations for public and private sector employers involving allegations of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, misconduct, and policy violations. She also regularly advises clients throughout the investigative process and oversees investigations conducted by outside neutral investigators, helping organizations address sensitive workplace issues while minimizing legal and operational risk.

Gena enjoys delivering training on legal matters, such as ethics, social media, the prevention of discrimination and harassment and workplace violence.  She is regularly invited to speak at conferences on a variety of topics.

Gena graduated cum laude from UC Law San Francisco (formerly Hastings College of the Law).  While in law school, she was a member of the Business Law Journal and studied at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.