San Francisco, CA employment attorney Traci M. Hinden talks about her approach to the practice and her background & experience. She shares that her commitment to advocating for people with fewer rights began in childhood, when she experienced bullying and also stood up for friends who were being bullied. She explains that these experiences shaped her belief that everyone, particularly in the workplace, deserves to be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to go to work without having to endure inappropriate or unjust treatment. She emphasizes that her work is guided by a strong sense of fairness and justice, which she strives to extend to every client she represents.

She recalls being falsely accused of things as a teenager and remembers the profound impact of feeling that people did not believe her, even when they claimed to support her. She connects that experience to her work today, describing a recent case involving a client who was falsely accused of having a sexual relationship with her boss, which resulted in the client being fired and experiencing difficulty obtaining other employment because of the accusation. She notes that experiences like these have reinforced her desire to represent people who have endured similar forms of injustice.

She also shares that her personal experiences as a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault have given her a deeper understanding of what it can feel like to be powerless. She explains that clients who have experienced similar situations may feel a particular connection with her because of their shared experiences. She emphasizes that this personal understanding strengthens her commitment to advocating for individuals who feel that their voices have not been heard or believed.

She further discusses her work representing employees in disability discrimination matters. She explains that she began her legal career as a workers’ compensation attorney working with her family and saw firsthand how injured individuals were sometimes inadequately protected. She notes that after experiencing disabilities herself, including conditions that are not always outwardly visible, she gained an even greater understanding of how people with invisible disabilities can be misunderstood or judged based on assumptions about what a disability should look like.

She points out that people sometimes expect disabilities to have a particular appearance, such as requiring a wheelchair, or assume that someone is too young to experience significant health limitations. She explains that her own experiences have given her a deeper sense of connection with clients facing disability discrimination and allow her to better understand the challenges they encounter in the workplace.