Perspectiva General

With a keen awareness of the opportunities and challenges posed in multilingual and multicultural workforces, and direct experience in helping clients resolve the same, Marissa Dragoo focuses her legal career on developing and facilitating training and learning tools to strengthen leadership and increase engagement for employers of all sizes. Her extensive background in handling a variety of employment issues including harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination, class actions, and wage and hour disputes has allowed her to develop a keen eye for potential problem areas in the workplace.

Marissa regularly partners with clients to ensure training products and services meet each client’s unique needs and incorporate the firm’s best legal practices and cutting-edge learning techniques. Together with the Littler Learning Group, Marissa has co-developed an award winning anti-harassment suite of courses to meet clients eLearning needs in anti-harassment space. She has conducted training and employment counseling for thousands of executives, decision-makers, human resource professionals and employees throughout the United States and across the globe. In addition to creating turnkey training solutions, Marissa has assisted a variety of clients with the following:

  • Co-developing customized solutions with HR teams and in-house employment counsel to meet specific organizational needs
  • Conducting live in-person and web-based “train-the-trainer” sessions for HR teams and training facilitators
  • Conducting 1:1 executive coaching sessions with leadership team members
  • Conducting live in-person and web-based anti-harassment training sessions in Spanish and English
  • Strategic planning with in-house legal counsel and HR teams for customized training implementation, including hybrid eLearning and live training
  • Co-developing customized video vignettes for specific client target audience in English and Spanish
  • Developing client-specific, turn-key educational materials that allow companies to self-drive their internal anti-harassment and related employment law programs

Marissa distinguishes herself from many of her peers through her ability to handle employment training and compliance matters involving a multilingual and multicultural workforce. Born in Mexico, and as a native Spanish-speaker, she is able to appreciate the cultural differences and nuances inherent when communicating with Spanish-speaking employees. This advantage enables her to successfully train multicultural workforces and raise awareness of common and costly legal pitfalls for her employer clients.

Prior to turning her focus on training and preventative solutions, Marissa was a successful litigator with extensive experience representing clients in federal and state courts and in administrative settings. Her notable successes include obtaining an all defense verdict on behalf of a Fortune 20 company in a jury trial involving sexual harassment claims and obtaining an all-defense verdict on behalf of a San Diego hotelier in a trial involving improper employee classification issues. Additionally, Marissa previously represented clients in administrative hearings, court appearances, and depositions.

Marissa is a member of the Littler Learning Group (LLG), the firm’s training division. Marissa is dedicated to continually building her skills and broadening her horizons. She recently completed the Executive Coaching Program at the Berkeley Executive Coaching Institute. During her undergraduate education, she participated in a Summer Study program at the University of Cambridge, England.

Afiliaciones Profesionales y Comunitarias

Member, Board of Directors

New Lawyer's Division

San Diego County Bar Association

2011 and 2012

Member, Board of Directors

San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association

2009-2012

Member, Board of Directors

Scholarship Fund

San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association

2010

Member, Board of Directors

MANA de San Diego

2009-2012

Director, Board of Directors

Hermanitas® Program

MANA de San Diego

2009 and 2010

Member

Latinas in the Law

2007-present

Member

Lawyers Club of San Diego

2007-present

Reconocimiento

Named, Rising Star

San Diego

Super Lawyers

2015-2016

Recipient, Top 40 Under 40 Award

San Diego Metropolitan Magazine

2010

Honoree, Top Young Attorney

San Diego Daily Transcript

2010

Honoree, Imperial Counsel Hispanic Heritage Month

2009

Girl Scouts San Diego

News, Analysis & Press

Delaware Mandates Sexual-Harassment Training

SHRM Online

September 12, 2018

Time to Stand Up To Workplace Bullies

Human Resource Executive Online

December 8, 2014

Building an Effective 'Speak-Up' Culture

Human Resource Executive Online

September 11, 2014

EEOC Regulations Implement the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act

TortSource

American Bar Association

Spring 2011

Libros & Capítulos

  • Training Really Is the Law: The Rise of Mandatory Training, The National Employer, LexisNexis, contributing chapter author, Chapter 15, 2014-2015

Speaking Engagements

A Supervisor’s Guide to Preventing Workplace Harassment | California Compliant

November 19, 2020

Anti-Harassment Compliance Training for 2020 and Beyond

September 30, 2020

A Supervisor’s Guide to Preventing Workplace Harassment | California Compliant

September 17, 2020

A Supervisor’s Guide to Preventing Workplace Harassment | California Compliant

June 18, 2020

A Supervisor’s Guide to Preventing Workplace Harassment | California Compliant

March 19, 2020

A Supervisor’s Guide to Preventing Workplace Harassment | California Compliant

November 14, 2019

A Supervisor’s Guide to Preventing Workplace Harassment | California Compliant

September 19, 2019

A Supervisor’s Guide to Preventing Workplace Harassment | California Compliant

June 20, 2019

A Supervisor’s Guide to Preventing Workplace Harassment | California Compliant

March 21, 2019

A Supervisor’s Guide to Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

November 15, 2018

A Supervisor’s Guide to Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

September 20, 2018

A Supervisor’s Guide to Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

June 21, 2018

From #MeToo to #WhatToDo? Time to Reboot Your Harassment Training Protocol

Littler Executive Employer, Phoenix, AZ

May 4, 2018

A Supervisor’s Guide to Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

March 15, 2018

Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

December 14, 2017

Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

November 16, 2017

Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

October 19, 2017

Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

August 17, 2017

Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

May 18, 2017

Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

February 16, 2017

Monthly Webinar: Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

December 15, 2016

Monthly Webinar: Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

November 17, 2016

Fall 2016 - NorCal Breakfast Briefing - Redding

Sacramento, CA

October 28, 2016

Fall 2016 - NorCal Breakfast Briefing - Modesto

Sacramento, CA

October 27, 2016

Monthly Webinar: Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

October 20, 2016

Fall 2016 - NorCal Breakfast Briefing - Chico

Sacramento, CA

October 20, 2016

Fall 2016 - NorCal Breakfast Briefing - Sacramento

Sacramento, CA

October 7, 2016

Fall 2016 - NorCal Breakfast Briefing - Stockton

Sacramento, CA

September 29, 2016

Monthly Webinar: Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

September 15, 2016

Monthly Webinar: Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

August 18, 2016

Monthly Webinar: Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

July 21, 2016

Monthly Webinar: Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

June 16, 2016

Monthly Webinar: Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

May 19, 2016

Monthly Webinar: Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

April 21, 2016

Monthly Webinar: Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

March 17, 2016

Monthly Webinar: Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

February 18, 2016

Monthly Webinar: Preventing Workplace Harassment (California and National)

January 21, 2016

Staying Ahead of the Litigation Wave with Effective Employee Handbooks

XpertHR

October 28, 2015

Educación

  • J.D., University of California, Davis School of Law, 2006
  • B.A., University of California, San Diego, 2003

Idiomas

  • Español

Admisión de la barra

California

Cortes

  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Central District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of California