Ogletree Deakins Continues West Coast Expansion with Addition of Two Prominent Workplace Safety Shareholders

SAN FRANCISCO – February 10, 2026 – Ogletree Deakins, one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, is pleased to welcome Melissa Peters and Eric Compere as shareholders in its San Francisco and Los Angeles offices, respectively. Their arrival enhances the firm’s nationally recognized workplace safety and health practice and underscores the firm’s continued strategic growth in California.

Melissa and Eric are a unique duo, having worked together since they met while working as attorneys for the California Department of Industrial Relations’ Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA). Their prior government experience affords them firsthand insight into enforcement priorities, which they have successfully leveraged to assist employers with regulatory compliance. They firmly believe that most employers take their roles as stewards of workplace safety seriously and work to facilitate long-lasting, impactful relationships between their clients and the relevant regulators. They both bring a breadth of experience across heavily regulated sectors and frequently speak to business organizations and media outlets on emerging regulatory developments and enforcement trends.

“Melissa and Eric’s experience leading a national OSHA practice, serving within Cal/OSHA, and advising major employers on some of the most challenging regulatory issues significantly expands the practical, proactive solutions we deliver to clients,” said Managing Director Greg Cheng. “This move reflects our commitment to exceptional client service as we continue expanding in key priority markets and practice areas.” 

Melissa has a proven track record of assisting employers through crisis situations, including accident and fatality investigations and multi-agency events. She represents employers in all phases of OSHA litigation and provides timely counseling on the impact of health and safety regulations for their workplaces and operations. Her work includes advising employers on compliance strategies, managing accident and fatality investigations, and representing employers and industry groups in OSHA rulemaking proceedings. She has extensive experience across many sectors, including energy, healthcare, telecommunications, construction, manufacturing, and logistics.

Melissa earned her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and her B.A. from Syracuse University.

Eric draws on his prior experience in complex litigation to represent clients effectively and efficiently through the entire administrative hearing and appeal process. He provides employers with practical guidance on emerging OSHA regulations, crisis and incident response, internal investigations, safety audits, and the development of mandatory safety plans. He regularly defends employers during all stages of OSHA citation challenges, from issuance through appeal. His work includes public advocacy, which involves drafting regulatory comments, supporting judicial challenges to regulations, and preparing amicus briefs for industry coalitions. Eric advises clients in numerous high-hazard industries, including logistics, construction, manufacturing, automotive, logging, energy, robotics, healthcare, and agriculture.

Eric earned his J.D. from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and his B.A. from Williams College.

“I’ve known Melissa and Eric and admired their work for years. Their agency and private‑sector experience will be a tremendous asset to our clients,” said Karen Tynan, co-chair of Ogletree Deakins’ Workplace Safety and Health practice group. “We are excited to welcome them to our growing West Coast practice.”

The additions of Melissa and Eric further advance Ogletree Deakins’ strategic expansion across the West Coast, where the firm added shareholders Harold Jones in San Francisco, Natalie Fujikawa in Sacramento, and Emma Redden in Portland earlier this year.

About Ogletree Deakins
With more than 1,100 attorneys in 60 offices worldwide, Ogletree Deakins is one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management. We handle all types of employment-related legal matters, including traditional labor and employment, workplace safety, employee benefits, and business immigration matters. Guided by our Client Pledge, we focus on understanding clients’ business and objectives, collaborating and anticipating needs, harnessing technology and innovation, communicating effectively, and providing quality representation with exceptional value. www.ogletree.com