Overview

Thomas R. Manniello is a Partner in Lozano Smith's Monterey office and serves as chair of the firm’s Community Colleges Practice Area. His practice focuses on employment and student matters.

Mr. Manniello assists school districts, community colleges and other government agencies with collective bargaining, matters before the Public Employment Relations Board, employee discipline, layoffs, grievances and general personnel issues. He has extensive experience with CalPERS and CalSTRS issues, executive compensation issues, employee benefit plans, post-retirement benefits and early retirement incentive options. Mr. Manniello has served as general counsel for community colleges for over twenty years.

In student matters, Mr. Manniello assists school districts with student discipline, students' rights to freedom of speech and freedom of the press, disruptive parents, field trip liability, student organizations, residency and transfer issues. His work covers all areas of student discipline matters including search and seizure and other student investigation issues, expulsion hearings and appeals, and readmission of expelled students. Mr. Manniello regularly provides training for clients on these subjects.

Presenter Experience

Mr. Manniello is highly sought as a presenter on education law issues throughout California. He is a frequent presenter on the Brown Act, governance and conflict of interest issues, the Political Reform Act, labor negotiations and employee benefit issues, CalSTRS, CalPERS and post-retirement benefits.

Admissions

He is a member of the California Bar Association and is admitted to practice in all California courts, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Education

Mr. Manniello earned his J.D. from Hastings College of the Law in 1997 and a B.S. in Finance from California State University, San Jose, in 1993.

According to CalPERS, School Districts May Not Hire Retired CalPERS Annuitants While Recruiting

By: Thomas Manniello- 01/15/2025

AB 1997 Presents Significant Changes to California’s Teachers’ Retirement Law

By: Thomas Manniello- 11/07/2024

New Law Modifies Post-Retirement Employment Limitations for CalSTRS Retirees, Making it Easier for Districts to Hire Retirees

By: Thomas Manniello- 02/06/2024

Important Changes Regarding Liability to CalSTRS for Benefit Overpayment

By: Thomas Manniello, Emma Sol- 01/18/2023

New Excused Absences Added to the Education Code; and Designation of September 11th as 'Remembrance Day'

By: Thomas Manniello- 10/27/2021

Significant Cases

Published appellate decisions he has briefed or argued include Katz v. Campbell Union High School District (2006) 144 Cal.App.4th 1024; West v. Umialik Insurance Co. (2000) 8 P.3d 1135; Northern Alaska Environmental Center v. State of Alaska, Dept. of Natural Resources (2000) 2 P.3d 629; Gerstein v. Axtell (1998) 960 P. 2d 599.

Police in Schools - The Role of a School Resource Officer

By: Thomas Manniello- 02/14/2019

The role of law enforcement officers on school campuses is not well understood. Devon Lincoln is joined by attorney Tom Manniello, an expert in student discipline issues and discipline reform, and Jenell Van Bindsbergen, an attorney specializing in working with police officers and police departments. In a wide ranging discussion, the panelists lay out the complex issues that come up when an officer polices a school campus.