Nixon Peabody LLP has expanded its Labor & Employment practice with the addition of experienced Occupational Safety & Health (OSHA) attorneys Melissa Peters, who joins as partner, and Eric Compere, who joins as counsel. Melissa and Eric will co-lead Nixon Peabody’s OSHA team.
Having both previously served as attorneys for the California Department of Industrial Relations’ Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA), Melissa and Eric bring extensive experience in advising employers on how federal OSHA and corresponding state plan regulations apply to their workplaces and operations. Melissa joins Nixon Peabody’s San Francisco office and Eric will be based in firm’s Los Angeles office.
“Melissa’s and Eric’s vast experience and understanding of how Fed/OSHA, Cal/OSHA and other state programs operate further enhances our full-service offerings and will be a strong asset for our clients,” said Tara Daub, leader of the firm’s Labor & Employment practice. “Workplace health and safety are critical and evolving areas of the law that impact our clients across all industries at federal and state levels. We’re thrilled to have them join our team, and in particular in California as we continue to build our presence across the state.”
Melissa’s practice focuses on matters involving occupational safety and health across industry sectors, supporting clients in all aspects of litigation against OSHA, from citation contest to enforcement proceedings. She also provides strategic advice and compliance assistance to employers. This includes guiding clients through auditing, developing, and implementing safety programs and protocols, safety and health compliance, and representing industry stakeholders in all aspects of OSHA rulemaking at the federal level. In Melissa’s prior experience at Cal/OSHA, she represented the Division in administrative appeal hearings and third-party litigation related to occupational fatalities and accidents.
Eric focuses his practice on defending clients in OSHA-related administrative proceedings and federal and state court litigation, as well as counseling and advising employers on workplace safety initiatives and policies. Eric brings his extensive experience in complex litigation to successfully litigate OSHA matters through appeal and uses his deep knowledge of workplace safety to negotiate advantageous settlements. Eric has also been active on the policy front, drafting amicus briefs on behalf of industry coalitions on topics of significant impact as well as drafting comments to regulatory federal rulemaking. Eric offers practical solutions and sees workplace safety as a way employers can develop beneficial relationships with regulators and labor.
Melissa earned her JD from Fordham University School of Law and her BA from Syracuse University. Eric earned his JD from Loyola Law School and his BA from Williams College.