Dennis Childs is a partner in the Employment & Labor practice group and a member of the Cooley Godward Litigation department. He joined the Firm in 2000 and is resident in the San Diego office.

Mr. Childs’ practice is devoted to employment law. He has over twenty years experience representing employers and management, with an emphasis on civil litigation in federal and state court involving wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment, disability claims, trade secrets and unfair competition, ERISA, union-management issues, defamation, privacy, and wage and hour claims. He also represents employers before numerous federal and state agencies.

Mr. Childs counsels employers regarding all aspects of the employment relationship requiring day-to-day and strategic attention, including terminations and discipline, employment contracts, trade secret and intellectual property protection, executive compensation, reductions-in-force and associated compensation and severance issues, privacy and free speech issues, recruitment, hiring, collective bargaining, and employment policies and practices.

Before joining Cooley, Mr. Childs was a partner with the law firm of Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, where he practiced for over 13 years in its San Diego office. Mr. Childs began his legal career with the Houston, Texas-based firm of Bracewell & Patterson in 1982.

Mr. Childs received a J.D. from the University of Texas Law School, with honors, in 1982. He received a B.A. from the University of Texas, with high honors, in 1979, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Mr. Childs is admitted to practice before all federal and state courts in California, the U.S. Courts of Appeals, Ninth and Fifth Circuits, and the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the California, Texas, and Idaho bars and a member of the San Diego County Bar Association and a member of the Board of Governors for the San Diego Association of Business Trial Lawyers. Mr. Childs holds SCI and Top Secret clearance.