Regina A. Garza

Partner | Fresno

rgarza@lozanosmith.com
Tel: 559.431.5600
Fax: 559.261.9366
Vcard   | Bio

Overview

Regina A. Garza is the Assistant Office Managing Partner of Lozano Smith's Fresno office. Ms. Garza provides a wide array of services to the firm's clients, representing both municipalities, special districts, and school districts.

Ms. Garza serves as County Counsel for the County of Madera. In that capacity, she acts as the legal advisor to the Board of Supervisors and represents the County and the County's officers and employees in their official capacities. She also serves as the Deputy City Attorney for the City of Clovis and the City of Fowler. She is a prosecuting attorney for municipal code violations, abatement and compliance matters, and is skilled in drafting zoning and regulatory ordinances. She is also experienced in serving as general counsel for public agencies. She regularly consults with executives regarding labor and employment issues, collective bargaining, liability and risk management, the Brown Act and the Public Records Act.

Additionally, Ms. Garza represents school districts as general counsel. She handles certificated and classified employee discipline re-assignments, layoffs and terminations. Ms. Garza is a skilled negotiator, representing public agencies in collective bargaining, grievance arbitrations, and defense of unfair practice charges. She also presents workshops and trainings to school boards, administrators and schoolsite staff on various issues relating to labor and employment law, school finance and the Local Control Funding Formula, negotiations, team building and communications, the Brown Act and other areas of state and federal law.

Prior Experience

Prior to joining Lozano Smith, Ms. Garza worked full-time during law school as a litigation law clerk with the Sacramento firm of Dreyer, Babich, Buccolla & Callaham, LLP. Ms. Garza was involved in the various aspects of litigation, including drafting pleadings, preparing witnesses for trial and deposition, and negotiating settlements.

Education

Ms. Garza received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Westmont College, cum laude. She received her Juris Doctor degree from University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. During law school, she received the prestigious Witkin Award for academic excellence in Negotiations & Settlements. Ms. Garza has received certification through ATIXA as a participant in Level 1 and Level 3 ATIXA Civil Rights Investigator Trainings.

Community Involvement

Ms. Garza is a current board member of Community Youth Ministries a non-profit community organization focusing on social and spiritual needs of youth. She has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Fresno Pacific University, teaching Theological Ethics of Conflicts and Peacemaking.

Significant Cases
In Doe 1, et al. v. State of California, et al., plaintiffs alleged state constitutional and federal statutory claims against a small Central Valley school district and the state Department of Education. Ms. Garza successful represented the school district, negotiating a settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union and others, which substantially limited attorney fees, and included other terms that enabled her school district client to better serve its students.