F. TRAVIS BUCHANAN practices in the areas of Personal Injury (auto accidents, truck accidents, premises liability, and wrongful death); Labor and Employment (discrimination, harassment, retaliation, arbitration under public sector and private industry collective bargaining agreements, and severance agreement negotiation), and Civil Rights/Police Abuse. He has extensive experience representing clients in state and federal courts in in the above-listed practice areas. Mr. Buchanan represents clients in a wide variety of industries as well as clients employed by various governmental entities.
Bar & Court Admissions
*Passed all Bar Exams on 1st Attempt
• State Bars of Nevada, California, and District of Columbia
• U.S. District Court, District of Nevada and Central District of California
• 9th Circuit Court of Appeals
Supreme Court of the United States, admitted en banc
Accolades
• 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012 – Listed as one of the Best Government Lawyers in Nevada, NV Business Magazine’s Legal Elite
Certificate of Congressional Recognition for Public Law Service, U.S. Congressman Steven Horsford (Nevada), 2014
• National Bar Association – Regional Director of the Year Award, 2012, President’s Award, 2011
• Attorney of the Year – Las Vegas Chapter of the National Bar Association, 2010
• Who’s Who in Black Las Vegas “Emerging Leader,” – 2010
Certificate of Commendation for Leadership from U.S. Senator Harry Reid (Nevada), 2010
• Wiley W. Manual Award for Volunteer Legal Services, State Bar of California
Memberships
• American Bar Association, Labor & Employment Section Member, and Employee Rights & Responsibilities Committee Member
• National Bar Association, Past President, (2007-2009), Las Vegas Affiliate Chapter; National Board of Directors (2011-2012), Past Regional Director (2011-2012), Region IX (AZ, CA, ID, MT, NV, OR, WA, AK, HI and Guam); Past Deputy Regional Director (2010-2011); Past Treasurer, Region IX (2007-2008); Past Secretary, Labor & Employment Section (2010-2012)
• Supreme Court of Nevada, Bench and Bar Committee Appointed Member 2009-2011
Clark County Indigent Defense Attorney Selection Committee, Appointed Member 2008-2011
LA County Bar Association Diversity in the Profession Committee
• Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Past Theta Pi Lambda Grad Chapter Legal Counsel & Past Vice President, Past President Mu Eta Chapter, UNLV/AZ State
• Sigma Pi Phi, Inc., Grand Boule
• 100 Black Men of Las Vegas, Inc.
Community
• Workforce Connections of Southern Nevada, Board of Directors 2009-2012
• LV Urban Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors 2011-2013
Legal Experience & Prior Positions Held
Senior Assistant City Attorney, Assistant City Attorney III,
Assistant City Attorney II & Assistant City Attorney I
Henderson City Attorney’s Office 2011 – 2016
*Responsibilities Included: Assisting the City Attorney in Nevada’s 2nd largest city (275,000 residents) in managing and overseeing the activities of the office. Additional responsibilities included: Assisting the City Attorney with researching and preparing legal opinions for the City Council, City Manager, and Department Heads; Assigning, training and managing the work of ACA I , II’s and III’s; Serving as co-chair of the Litigation Practice Group which defended all civil legal matters filed against the City; Representing the City before judicial and administrative agencies in civil proceedings primarily in the area of Labor & Employment; Acting as assigned co-legal counsel for the HR Dept. (advisor on employee investigations, collective bargaining and labor contract issues, pending grievance matters, complaints/claims filed with federal and/or state agencies, drafting NERC and EEOC position statements, and representation before the EMRB, DOL, EEOC and NERC), and Police Dept., (in peace officer labor arbitrations, provision of sexual harassment training, and assistance with other employment law issues). Other duties included: Advising the City’s Risk MGT Dept. on ADA building compliance issues and the City’s Executive Safety Team in compliance with federal and state laws related to workplace safety. Major victories included: Successfully representing the City in City of Henderson v. Henderson Police Officers’ Association/Employee G.E., labor arbitration. Per the binding decision, Termination of a 16 year employee with no significant prior discipline was sustained and the City was spared approximately $140,000 in potential back-pay, benefits, arbitration costs and interest; Successfully procured the dismissal of two separate Wrongful Termination complaints filed by a City SWAT officer in the Clark County District Court, and separately before the NV EMRB; Led a team of municipal attorneys in drafting a NV Supreme Court Amicus Brief in a highly contentious case that clarified that government employers budget related layoffs are excluded from collective bargaining, and not subject to arbitration.
Deputy Assistant General Counsel 2005 – 2011
Clark County School District
Office of the General Counsel
*Responsibilities Included: Providing day-to-day legal counsel and representation for the Superintendent, Bd. of School Trustees, and other District administrators primarily in the area of Labor & Employment, but also on Civil Rights, Personal Injury and Risk Management matters; defended the District in state and federal court litigation; prepared written legal opinions, provided in-service legal trainings covering labor and employment issues, and managed outside counsel in cross-jurisdictional litigation. Notable victories include: Procuring a defense verdict in a federal court race discrimination trial, successfully defending the District in a federal sex discrimination case at both the U.S. District Court and 9th Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals levels, and successfully defending the District in all (9) of the additional litigation cases assigned to me, which have included claims as diverse as: 42 USC §1983 Civil Rights Violations, Defamation claims, alleged ADA violations, Negligent Hiring, National Origin Discrimination under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Title IX claims. Additionally, during tenure with the District, won, outright (8) out of (9) assigned labor arbitrations, with one split decision, covering issues ranging from administrative, teacher and support staff terminations, demotions, suspensions and compensation disputes.
Assistant General Counsel 2002 – 2005
Los Angeles Unified School District
Office of General Counsel
* Responsibilities Included: Providing day-to-day legal services to District administrators (in the nation’s second largest school district with over 750,000 students, approximately 83,500 employees and a budget of over $9 billion dollars), including risk management, preventative legal counseling and general legal advice in the areas of Civil Rights, Education and Government Law; defending the District in litigation involving the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”), ADA and Rehabilitation Act (including providing representation at mediations and due process administrative hearings); Preparing written legal opinions, reviewing District policies and procedures, providing in-service trainings, and seminars, managing In-House staff counsel. Interviewing, budgeting, hiring and directing outside counsel in handling overflow litigation on behalf of the District.
Deputy City Attorney 1999 – 2002
Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office
General Counsel to the Department of Water & Power Division
* Responsibilities Included: Advising all levels of DWP management and the Board of Water and Power Commissioners in Employee Relations, Collective Bargaining, Civil Rights, the ADA, and related matters, DWP is the largest municipal utility in the United States. Evaluating, defending, mediating, arbitrating and/or litigating writs, trials and appeals of lawsuits involving the foregoing matters in both State and Federal court; representing DWP in administrative proceedings before Cal-Osha, the City Employee Relations Board, and the Civil Service Commission; Representing DWP in responding to, and conciliating EEOC and DFEH discrimination charges; assisting in EEO/AA investigations and reports; advising and training all levels of management on Title VII compliance, Employee Privacy Rights, Federal and State Family Medical Leave Rights, the FLSA, Sexual Harassment Law; Work Place Violence Prevention; and related duties.
Criminal Central Trials Division 1998 – 1999
* Responsibilities Included: Misdemeanor Criminal Prosecution. Served as lead trial counsel in over 15 Jury Trials to verdict yielding an 85% conviction rate. Cases involved Penal Code, Health & Safety Code, Vehicle Code and Los Angeles Municipal Code violations. Responsibilities also included conducting Restitution hearings, Arraignments, Progress Reports, Pre-Trial hearings, Witness interviews and managing a Direct Set Court that processed over 400 cases per month.
Associate Attorney 1998
Mallory & Brown-Curtis (now Mallory & Associates)
West Los Angeles, CA
* Responsibilities Included: Conducting Legal Research in a wide variety of legal areas, including but not limited to the following: Real Property, Contracts, Civil Rights, Civil Liability Defense and Government Relations. Preparing numerous legal motions, including dispositive Motions for Summary Judgment and/or Summary Adjudication. [Four of Five Motions for Summary Judgment were granted, one of which resulted in the Dismissal of a case wherein the Plaintiff sought $500,000 in damages].
Education & Certificates
• J.D., Western State College of Law
Cambridge University, Gonville & Caius College
Summer International Programme of Instruction, Comparative Healthcare & Constitutional Law
Georgetown Law School eDiscovery Academy
• B.S., University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Lee College of Business 1992
