Dedication. Diligence. Results.
Noah D. Lebowitz is available to serve as a mediator or arbitrator in employment cases and a discovery referee in all types of civil matters.
Awards & Recognition
Northern California Super Lawyer, 2009 to present
"10 Superb" AVVO rating
Legal Experience & Additional Legal Activities
Mediator, Arbitrator, Discovery Referee
- Signature Resolution (2026-present)
- American Arbitration Association Employment Panel (2023-present)
- American Arbitration Association Consumer Panel (2023-2026)
Judge Pro Tem, San Francisco Superior Court (2014-2022)
Adjunct Professor, UC Law San Francisco (2017-2019)
Law Office of Noah D Lebowitz (2018-2026)
Duckworth Peters Lebowitz Olivier, LLP (2007-2018)
McGuinn, Hillsman & Palefsky PC (2001-2007)
Schneider, McCormac & Wallace (1998-2001)
Essex County (NJ) Superior Court (1996-1997)
Representative Cases (Litigation)
Ramos v. Superior Court (Winston & Strawn, LLP), 28 Cal.App.5th 1042 (2018) (enforceability of arbitration agreement, sex discrimination, equal pay, and retaliation)
Ellis v. San Francisco State University, 136 F.Supp.3d 1140 (N.D. Cal. 2015) (“Ellis II“) (disability discrimination and unlawful medical exam)
Ellis v. San Francisco State University, 114 F.Supp.3d 884 (N.D. Cal. 2015) (“Ellis I“) (disability discrimination and unlawful medical exam)
Mamou v. Trendwest Resorts, Inc., 165 Cal.App.4th 686 (2008) (national origin discrimination, retaliation, and defamation)
McCollum v. XCare.net, Inc., 212 F.Supp.2d 1142 (N.D. Cal. 2002) (failure to pay commissions, breach of contract)
Publications
An Amendment to Rule 23: Encouraging Class Actions in Section 504 and ADA Employment Discrimination Cases, 30 USF L Rev 477 (1996)
Has Judicial Activism Motivated the George Court's Interpretation of the FEHA? The Answer Depends on How You Define “Judicial Activism” and Whom You Ask, 23 California Labor & Employment Law Review, No. 6, Nov. 2009 (co-authored with Michael E. Whitaker)
Arbitration: A Balancing Act, 38 California Labor & Employment Law Review, No. 2, March 2024.
Associational Disability Cases: A Trilogy Signals Consensus?, 40 California Labor & Employment Law Review, No. 3, May 2026
Activities & Affiliations
FELLOW, THE COLLEGE OF LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT LAWYERS
CALIFORNIA EMPLOYMENT LAWYERS ASSOCIATION
- Chair, Civil Rights Council Regulations Committee (2014-2024)
- Executive Board Member (2010-2014)
- Chair, Mentor Committee (2005-2010)
STATE BAR OF CALIFORNIA, LABOR & EMPLOYMENT LAW SECTION
Executive Committee (2007-2010)
- Chair, Education Grant Subcommittee
- Chair, “Your Legal Rights” Subcommittee
BAR ASSOCIATION OF SAN FRANCISCO
Executive Committee, Labor & Employment Law Section (2016-2020)
CALIFORNIA LAWYERS ASSOCIATION
ALAMEDA COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION
AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION
EDWARD J. McFETRIDGE AMERICAN INN OF COURT
Education
UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO SCHOOL OF LAW
Juris Doctor
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
B.A.
Representative Speaking Engagements (by Topic)
Disability & Medical Leave
"Duty or No Duty to Accommodate", California Lawyers Association, Labor & Employment Law Section, May 2026
"2025 Disability Employment Law Updates", Bar Association of San Francisco, San Francisco, January 2026
"2024 Disability Employment Law Updates", Bar Association of San Francisco, San Francisco, January 2025
“Disability Rights in the Workplace”, AIDS Legal Referral Panel, Free MCLE Series, San Francisco, May 2018
“ADA/FEHA Accommodating Mental Disabilities in the Workplace”, State Bar of California, Labor & Employment Law Section Annual Meeting and Public Sector Conference, Berkeley, April 2016
“Disability Discrimination in the Workplace”, AIDS Legal Referral Panel, Free MCLE Series, San Francisco, June 2014
“Disability 101: What Every Plaintiffs Employment Lawyer Needs to Know About Handling Disability Cases”, California Employment Lawyers Association Annual Conference, San Diego, October 2014
“Hot Topics in Disability Discrimination Litigation”, State Bar of California, Labor & Employment Law Section, Litigating a Disability Discrimination Case – Trial Demonstration Seminar, San Francisco, November 2014
“Employment Law: Updates on Disability Discrimination in the Workplace”, AIDS Legal Referral Panel, Free MCLE Series, San Francisco, February 2013
“New Pregnancy and Disability Regulations”, San Mateo Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Section, Redwood City, August 2013
“Accommodating Disabilities and Pregnancy”, Practicing Law Institute's 2013 California Employment Law Update, San Francisco, September 2013
“Accommodating Our Lives – Find Out What Religion, Pregnancy, and Disability Have in Common”, California Employment Lawyers Association Annual Conference, San Jose, October 2013
“The Interactive Process: How to Make it Work Effectively for Employer and Employee,” State Bar Public Sector Conference, Sacramento, May 2011
“Litigating Disability Claims: What Every Practitioner in California Needs to Know”, PLI's California Employment Law Update, San Francisco, November 2011
“California Leave Laws – Alphabet Soup for Lawyers”, PLI Teleseminar, May 2011
“Alphabet Soup: The Intersection of FMLA, CFRA, PDL, FEHA & ADA”, State Bar Annual Conference, Monterey, September 2010
“ADA Update”, PLI's California Employment Law Update, San Francisco, November 2010
Other Employment Law Topics
"Defamation in Employment Cases", National Employment Lawyers Association Annual Convention, San Francisco, July 2022
“Supporting Transgender Employees: Legal Update and Practical Guidance for Creating Inclusive Workplaces” (Organizer), Bar Association of San Francisco Labor & Employment Law Section, San Francisco, December 2018
“‘We Know All About You Already': Benefits and Pitfalls of Pre-Hire Background Checks”, Bar Association of San Francisco Labor & Employment Law Section, 41st Annual Yosemite Conference, January 2017
“CELA 2nd Annual Trial College”, (Trainer) San Francisco, June 2015
“The ABC's of EPLI: What Every Employment Litigator Needs to Know”, Bar Association of San Francisco, Insurance Law Section, San Francisco, October 2014
Arbitration
"Demystifying State Court, Federal Court, and Arbitration -- Part 2: Arbitration", California Employment Lawyers Association, January 2022.
“Arbitration Update”, Impact Fund Class Action Conference, San Francisco, February 2019
General Litigation or Law Practice
"Mentorship Panel: Tips to Set Up a Successful Career -- Ask Anything!", Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California & Nevada, San Francisco, December 2024
“Informal Discovery Conferences: Alameda County Local Rule 3.31”, Alameda County Bar Association, Oakland, January 2020
“Is there Individual Liability After Jones v. Torrey Pines?” Annual Meeting of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the State Bar of California, San Diego, November 2008
“Litigation Strategy: Taking Plaintiff's Depositions”, PLI 36th Annual Institute on Employment Law, San Francisco, October 2007