Paula C. Clark

Paula is Of Counsel in the Fresno Office of Ogletree Deakins. Her practice focuses on defending employers in class and representative actions. She also litigates single plaintiff cases including but not limited to alleged wage and hour disputes, overtime, meal and rest breaks, and wage statement statutes.

Prior to joining Ogletree Deakins, Ms. Clark served as a Deputy County Counsel at the Tulare County Counsel’s Office in California, on the Resource Team. She provided legal advice to Tulare County’s Fire Department, Capital Services, Environmental, Public Works, and Code Enforcement divisions of the County. She also served as general counsel to Tulare County Employees Retirement Association (1937 Plan) and defended Tulare County in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) litigation, and Eminent Domain litigation.

In private practice, Ms. Clark handled numerous types of civil cases – defended wage and hour claims, both individual and class action cases, contract disputes, partnership dissolution, family law, probate and trust litigation. She has also litigated third-party adversary claims in bankruptcy matters.

Before she moved to the world of private practice, Ms. Clark served on the Financial Crimes Division of the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office, prosecuting complex white collar embezzlement cases, large scale identity theft cases, cattle rustling, and welfare fraud. Ms. Clark also handled a large caseload of general felony matters. She litigated the involuntary civil commitments of sexually violent predators, mentally disordered offenders, and other offenders deemed a danger to self or others. She litigated asset forfeiture, civilly seizing large cash amounts recovered during narcotics investigations. She also worked with counties all over the state to civilly enforce California’s consumer and environmental protection statutes. During her career she has prosecuted countless preliminary hearings and Court Trials and has taken 15 Jury Trials to verdict.

Ms. Clark is a Past President of the Tulare County Bar Association. Ms. Clark has worked with the Tulare County Mock Trial Program for the last 16 years. She teaches Constitutional Law at her local Junior College.