Timothy W. Moppin is an American lawyer whose career has focused on labor and employment, commercial, environmental, construction, and civil litigation. He has practiced with major California law firms and served as president of the Bar Association of San Francisco in 2015.
Background
Timothy W. Moppin was born on August 29, 1960, in Oakland, California. His parents and older siblings moved from Arkansas to California and settled in East Oakland. He was the seventh of eight children and later moved with his family to Hayward, where he attended school.
During his youth, Moppin participated in football, baseball, wrestling, and scouting. He initially hoped to become a professional football player, but changed his plans during adolescence. In high school, he took part in College Bounders, an advising program that encouraged students to pursue higher education.
Education
Moppin received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1982. Wharton, founded in 1881, was the first collegiate business school in the United States and is known for combining business education with quantitative and economic study.
He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1987. Boalt Hall, now known as Berkeley Law, is one of the major American law schools and has long combined legal scholarship with preparation for public and private practice. His legal education preceded his admission to the California bar in 1988.
Career
Moppin began practicing law in 1987 as an in-house attorney at New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. His early professional work developed into a litigation career involving labor and employment, commercial, environmental, construction, insurance, and civil matters. He was subsequently associated with Arnelle, Hastie, McGee, Willis & Greene, a regional minority-owned firm whose practice included litigation for corporations and public entities, as well as bankruptcy, intellectual-property, and computer-law matters.
He later practiced as a partner at Duane Morris, Bullivant Houser Bailey, and Jackson Lewis. His employment-law work included representing management in disputes involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, wage-and-hour claims, workplace policies, and related matters before courts and administrative agencies. He also handled environmental, toxic-tort, construction, commercial, and insurance litigation and used arbitration, mediation, and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.
In 2013, Moppin joined Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck as a litigation partner in its San Francisco office. He subsequently joined Bassi Edlin Huie & Blum as a partner and has also practiced through the Law Offices of Timothy W. Moppin. His later practice at Apex Employment Law has emphasized labor and employment litigation, labor-management relations, commercial disputes, preventive counseling, negotiations, training, and risk-management advice for businesses.
Moppin has been admitted to practice in California and before the United States District Courts for the Northern, Central, Eastern, and Southern Districts of California and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. His professional work has included representation of employers in state and federal courts and before agencies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the California Labor Commissioner, and the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.
Achievements
Moppin served as president of the Bar Association of San Francisco in 2015, advancing initiatives concerning access to justice, pro bono legal service, and diversity in the legal profession.
Views
Moppin has publicly connected his professional service with access to justice, pro bono legal assistance, and diversity in the legal profession. His leadership priorities also reflected the role of metropolitan bar associations in providing legal services, professional education, and community programs.
Membership
Moppin has participated in professional and civic organizations connected with the legal profession and access to justice. His association work includes the Bar Association of San Francisco, the State Bar of California, the Alameda County Bar Association, the Charles Houston Bar Association, the California Trial Lawyers Association, the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, and the California Minority Counsel Program.
He also served with the Wiley Manuel Law Foundation, which supports scholarships and encourages Northern California students to pursue legal careers. His leadership in the Bar Association of San Francisco included service as treasurer, vice president, and president, while his 2015 presidency placed particular emphasis on access to justice, pro bono service, and diversity in the legal profession.
Served as treasurer, vice president, and president; served as president in 2015.
Bar Association of San Francisco
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United States
Served as president and supported legal-service and community-service programs.
Justice & Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco
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United States
2015 - 2015
State Bar of California
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United States
Alameda County Bar Association
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United States
Charles Houston Bar Association
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United States
California Trial Lawyers Association
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United States
Participated in the foundation's work supporting scholarships and legal-career encouragement for Northern California students.
Wiley Manuel Law Foundation
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United States
Minority Corporate Counsel Association
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United States
California Minority Counsel Program
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United States
Interests
Scouting during his youth.
Sport & Clubs
Football, baseball, and wrestling were among the sports in which Moppin participated during his youth.
