Partner
Michael Travis
Best Best & Krieger LLP (BBK) Partner Michael T. Travis provides strategic, forward-thinking solutions to a broad range of public sector clients, including cities, counties, school districts, community college districts, and universities. With a practice centered on resolving complex labor and employment matters, Michael advises on navigating challenges of personnel management, investigations, governance, administrative hearings, and high-stakes litigation.
Michael also represents clients before the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). He has significant experience advising public employers regarding the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act (POBR) and Firefighters Procedural Bill of Rights Act (FBOR). He has led large-scale harassment and discrimination investigations and handled administrative hearings for multiple law enforcement agencies throughout the state.
Before joining BBK, Michael served as both general and special counsel at prominent California-based firms, advising public entities on a wide range of legal issues, including the Brown Act, the California Public Records Act, and Title IX.
Recognized for his excellence in education law, Michael was named a Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2013 to 2020. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Central and Eastern Districts of California.
- In re RG (2022) Tenured Faculty Dismissal. The Office of Administrative Hearings upheld the termination of a long-time tenured community college faculty soccer coach after 11 days of trial for permitting a sexually harassing and intimidating environment on the women's soccer team, and for failing to stop retaliation for protected activity.
- In re AF (2021) Permanent Classified Dismissal. Successfully obtained arbitration award sustaining the termination of a permanent classified employee for theft, dishonesty and failure to cooperate with an investigation. The case was based entirely on circumstantial evidence.
- Somin v. Porter (2018) 2nd District Court of Appeal, Division 7, No. B271775. Court upheld the issuance of a restraining order against community college student who threatened an instructor on Facebook. Review was denied by the California Supreme Court.
- Super Lawyers, Rising Star, Schools and Education, 2013 – 2020
- American Bar Association
- State Bar of California
- The Literacy Project, Board of Directors
Presentations
- “Title IX and Mandatory Compliance Issues You Might Be Missing,” Association of California Community College Administrators (ACCCA), February 2024
- “Title IX – But Wait, There’s (Even) More!” Association of Chief Human Resource Officers (ACHRO), October 2023
- “EEO Best Practices in Hiring,” California State University, Northridge, Oct. 2023
- “Title IX: But Wait, There's (Even) More! The New Regulations and Mandatory Compliance Issues you Might be Missing,” ACHRO/EEO Fall Training Institute, Oct. 2023
- “EEO Best Practices in Hiring,” California State University, Northridge, Feb. 2023
- “Preparing for and Dealing with Violence Issues in the Workplace,” Orange County Labor and Employment Relations Association (OC LERA), July 2016