Brian K. Nagatani

Brian K. Nagatani co-founded Hixson Nagatani LLP with his long-time colleague Ray Hixson in 2008.

Mr. Nagatani has an active counseling and litigation practice.  He provides preventive counseling to employers on a number of employment-related issues including terminations, hiring, and leaves of absence.

Mr. Nagatani has defended court lawsuits involving numerous claims including discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, fraud, and breach of contract.  He also has experience defending both single plaintiff and class action lawsuits involving alleged wage and hour violations.  He has experience handling claims before the EEOC, DFEH, EDD, and other administrative and governmental agencies.

Mr. Nagatani has presented legal seminars sponsored by various organizations including the Northern California Human Resources Association, Practising Law Institute, and CEB, and also frequently conducts on-site legal compliance training sessions for clients.  He has also been quoted by the Associated Press on multiple occasions regarding various employment law topics.

Prior Experience
Mr. Nagatani has practiced employment law in the Silicon Valley since graduating from law school, first with Fenwick & West from 2000 through 2005, and then with Heller Ehrman Venture Law Group from 2005 through 2008.  During this time, he has represented numerous technology companies and defended lawsuits in courts throughout the state and country.

Educational Background
Mr. Nagatani graduated from Columbia University School of Law in 2000.  While at Columbia, he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and an Articles Editor for the Journal of Asian Law.  Prior to law school, Mr. Nagatani attended the University of California at Berkeley as an Alumni Leader Scholar where he earned a B.A. degree with Honors in Political Science in 1997.

Community Service
Mr. Nagatani coached the Cupertino High School mock trial team for 15 years.  He also previously served as a Board Member of San Jose Japanese Community Youth Service, a non-profit organization designed to provide children with the opportunity to learn and develop skills in dance and individual and team sports and to learn the fundamentals for good sportsmanship.

Honors
The 2021 edition of Northern California Super Lawyers magazine, published by Law & Politics, recognized, Mr. Nagatani as a “Super Lawyer” in Northern California in employment and labor law.  This honor is limited to those evaluated to be within the top 5% of lawyers practicing in the jurisdiction.  The magazine evaluates attorneys based on a variety of criteria, including verdicts, settlements, transactions, representative clients, experience, honors and awards, scholarly lectures and writings, education, employment background, and other achievements.  Mr. Nagatani received the same Super Lawyer recognition in 2020 and prior to that, was a “Rising Star” from 2009-2015.

Mr. Nagatani has received the highest Martindale-Hubbell peer rating, “AV” preeminent (5.0 out of 5.0).  Martindale-Hubbell describes this as “a significant rating accomplishment – a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence.”

Bar Admission
California

Memberships
State Bar of California; Santa Clara County Bar Association.