Yen P. Chau Senior Counsel (510) 451-3300 ychau@donahue.com Download vCard LinkedIn

Download Bio

A member of the firm’s Employment and Litigation practice groups, Senior Counsel Yen Chau handles virtually all aspects of employment-related matters and complex commercial litigation. Yen is also a registered patent attorney and is based in our Oakland office.

A Valuable Asset to Employers
A seasoned employment law litigator, Yen handles claims involving alleged FEHA/Title VII violations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, failure to accommodate, and wrongful termination. She also represents her clients in cases involving trade secret misappropriation and wage and hour violations. She litigates in state and federal courts, as well as before administrative boards and the appellate courts. She has significant experience advising clients on performance management, disability accommodation, non-competes, and other issues associated with the terms and conditions of employment. A guiding force and advocate for her employer clients, Yen provides advice and guidance to avoid potential pitfalls, drafts employment handbooks, and designs processes to ensure legal compliance while minimizing risk and expense.

Letters of the Law
As a knowledgeable author and speaker, Yen presents and writes on labor and employment topics. Since 2014, she has served on the Board of the Contra Costa County Bar Association Employment Section, and in 2017 was President of the Board.

Before Donahue Fitzgerald
Prior to joining the firm, Yen handled a wide range of employment and commercial litigation cases including corporate dissolution, will and trust contests, professional malpractice, toxic torts, and personal injury and wrongful death actions. She has a strong scientific background and has worked in biotech as a research associate for a gene therapy company.

Professional & Community Affiliations

Director, Board of Directors, Alameda County Bar Association, 2019
Member, Asian American Bar Association
President, Employment Section, Contra Costa Bar Association, 2017
Los Angeles County Bar Association Scholarship

Past Articles/News

“California’s Wage Equality Law: Will a Rise in Social Awareness and Litigation Lead the
Way to a Rise in Pay?” Contra Costa Lawyer Magazine, July 2017
“Admissibility of Immigration Status in Employment and Personal Injury Cases,” Contra
Costa Lawyer Magazine, September 2014