Stacy Y. North

Berman North • Palo Alto


Stacy Y. North is a seasoned professional in labor and employment law with more than two decades of experience. She said her journey into this field was fueled by an early aspiration to become a civil rights lawyer, a passion that remains undiminished as evidenced by her ongoing pro bono work. After law school, North volunteered for the Arizona Civil Liberties Foundation, marking the beginning of a career dedicated to protecting civil rights.


"My employment law practice is an extension of these long-held interests in civil rights," she said. "Employment is one of the most important aspects of a person's life, and yet it can be taken away, wrongfully, at a moment's notice -- whether someone is brave enough to report unlawful conduct, suffers a disability, tells their employer they're pregnant, or engaging in some other protected activity."


North said some of her most significant matters involve whistleblower retaliation, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry. While she said she can't get into specifics because of confidentiality agreements, what makes these cases significant is that they involve allegations that companies are bypassing safety processes. 


"I feel it's critical that whistleblowers have an advocate when they risk their employment to protect consumers," North said.


She continued: "The major obstacle in these matters is that pharmaceutical companies are hard to hold accountable when billions of dollars in potential revenue is at stake. When someone is brave enough to come forward and expose safety concerns that a company is reluctant to talk about, it's often a long process to justice, but I'm committed to staying the course for my clients."


North said the recent PAGA developments are unlikely to adversely impact Berman North's practice. She said the firm brings PAGA claims on behalf of individuals who have personally experienced significant violations of the Labor Code, so the changes will not be impactful. 


However, she mentioned a new law that could bring about change.


"Courts previously had discretion to award less than the maximum penalty," she said. "The new law allows courts to award more than the maximum penalty, which might prove useful, such as when an employer's conduct is willful or otherwise egregious, but there are only a limited number of affected employees. It was difficult to pursue those cases because the maximum award was capped. Now we have the opportunity to demonstrate to the court why the set penalty would result in an award that is 'unjustly' low."


North is also involved with Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, a nonprofit that offers legal services that improve the lives of low-income families throughout the region, specializing in immigration, housing, workers' rights, records clearance and consumer protection.