Gabriel Sandoval: Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo

Overview

Gabriel Sandoval is a partner at Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo where he represents universities, community colleges, school districts, charter school management organizations, municipalities, non-profit organizations, and other public and private employers in a wide range of matters, including all aspects of employment and education law and compliance with federal and state civil rights laws.

As part of his statewide law practice, Mr. Sandoval serves as a Title IX Hearing Officer, Appellate Authority, and Investigator for private and public K-12 and postsecondary educational institutions. Mr. Sandoval is also a seasoned workplace investigator who conducts high-profile, politically sensitive investigations for public and private clients involving complaints of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other types of workplace misconduct; reviews and revises policies to ensure compliance with anti-discrimination laws; and provides anti-discrimination and sexual harassment prevention trainings. Sandoval also represents and provides strategic advice and counsel to clients facing investigations conducted by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education, and other civil rights enforcement agencies.

Prior to joining AALRR, Mr. Sandoval served in President Barack Obama’s Administration as Senior Counsel in the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education—the largest office of the federal government focused exclusively on the enforcement of civil rights compliance in our nation’s educational institutions. As a member of OCR’s key management team, Mr. Sandoval worked with the Assistant Secretary and other senior staff in drafting and issuing national policy guidance and managing all aspects of complex, statewide complaints and compliance reviews, which resulted in resolution agreements benefiting students across the nation under Title VI, Title IX, and other federal civil rights laws. While in the Obama Administration, Mr. Sandoval also served as Senior Advisor and Director of Policy at the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.

A graduate of Columbia University School of Law where he was a Human Rights Fellow, Mr. Sandoval started his legal career as a law clerk to Hon. Carlos Moreno, then U.S. District Judge for the Central District of California, after which he joined one of the nation's most distinguished law firms, O'Melveny & Myers LLP, as an employment law associate. Mr. Sandoval received his undergraduate degree from Stanford University with Departmental Honors.

Mr. Sandoval served as the immediate past Chair of the California Civil Rights Council (formerly the Fair Employment and Housing Council). He is an Association of Title IX Administrators (ATIXA) member and Title IX Hearing Officer Certificate Holder as well as an Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI) Member and Certificate Holder. Sandoval is fluent in Spanish.

Honors & Recognitions

Mr. Sandoval has been appointed to several state and local boards, including the California Civil Rights Council, State Bar Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation, Voting Modernization Board, and El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument Authority. In 2009, he received the Regional President of the Year Award from the Hispanic National Bar Association, the nation’s largest organization that represents the interests of the more than 100,000 Hispanic judges, attorneys, law professors, and law students in the United States and its territories. Mr. Sandoval is also a 2007 recipient of the American Marshall Memorial Fellowship of the German Marshall Fund of the United States and has been a fellow of its Transatlantic Forum on Migration and Integration since 2008. Mr. Sandoval is a 2014 Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, a worldwide community of entrepreneurial leaders from business, government, and the nonprofit sectors.

Practice Areas

News & Publications

Firm News

AALRR Commemorates the 50th Anniversary of Title IX
06.23.2022
Governor Gavin Newsom Names Gabriel Sandoval as Chair of California’s Fair Employment and Housing Council
01.04.2021
Gabriel Sandoval to Moderate Expert Panel on Affirmative Action as Part of Civil Rights Series of the American Bar Foundation’s Network for Justice
10.22.2020
Governor Gavin Newsom Appoints Gabriel Sandoval to California’s Fair Employment and Housing Council
09.26.2019
AALRR Hosts 2nd Annual Civil Rights Conference
09.20.2019
AALRR Hosts Inaugural Civil Rights Conference
09.21.2018
Gabriel Sandoval to Advise the American Bar Foundation’s Network for Justice
01.03.2018
Gabriel Sandoval to Lead White House Panel on Ensuring Equity in Education
04.27.2016
HEMET: Students visit law firm
The Press Enterprise, 09.24.2015
AALRR Launches Title IX Compliance Initiative Focused on Addressing Sexual Violence..
04.17.2015
Governor Brown Appoints Gabriel Sandoval to the California Voting Modernization Board
10.16.2014
Gabriel Sandoval Named Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow
08.26.2014
Former Obama Administration Official Joins Statewide Education Law Practice
04.16.2013

Events & Speaking Engagements

Mr. Sandoval has provided training to national and regional professional groups on such topics as preventing workplace discrimination, harassment, and retaliation; understanding and responding to federal civil rights investigations; complying with ethics laws for state and local officials; and advancing equity in student discipline.

Representative presentations include:

Presenter, Sanctuary State Laws and How They Affect Your Agency, 2018 Annual Training Conference of the California Public Employers Labor Relations Association, Monterey, CA (December 7, 2018)
Presenter, Transgender Inclusion in the Workplace: Legal Guidelines for Employers, AALRR Breakfast Briefing, Cerritos, CA (October 23, 2018)
Presenter, Equity for All: Understanding and Protecting the Rights of Undocumented Students, the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents’ Annual Education Summit, San Diego, CA (October 12, 2018) and Civil Rights in the 21st Century: Legal Tools and Practical Guidance to Achieve Excellence, AALRR’s Inaugural Civil Rights Conference, Long Beach, CA (September 20, 2018)
Presenter, Don’t Let a Poor Witness Derail Your Investigation: Difficult Witnesses and How to Interview Them, AALRR Breakfast Briefing, Los Angeles, CA (April 3, 2018)
Presenter, Workplace Investigations—He Said/She Said/They Said: But Who to Believe?, 2018 AALRR Employment Law Conference, Cerritos, CA (March 29, 2018)
Presenter, Update on Sexual Harassment Prevention: What Public Employers Need to Know in the Wake of the #MeToo Movement, AALRR Breakfast Briefing in Partnership with the Los Angeles County Office of Education, Downey, CA (February 5, 2018)
Presenter, Title IX and the Changing Landscape of Public Education Risk, 2018 Southern California ReLiEF Conference, Rancho, Mirage, CA (January 18, 2018)
Presenter, California Legal Update: It’s the Law Now and Hot Topics in Higher Education, AALRR’s 2017 Education Law Conference – Building Stronger Schools Through Effective Leadership, Cerritos, CA (November 8, 2017)
Presenter, Equal Access to Education: Promoting Access to Quality Education for Students Impacted by Immigration Status, California Latino School Boards Association’s Unity Conference – Building Bridges for All Students: Education as a Civil Right, Del Mar, CA (October 6, 2017)
Presenter, Supporting the Lone Star State Post SB 4: How Latino Leaders Can Unite to Combat Anti-Immigrant Laws and Practices, 34th Annual Conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), Dallas, TX (June 24, 2017)
Presenter, A Plan of Action: Policy and Legal Tools Latino Leaders Can Use to Help Immigrants in their Communities, 34th Annual Conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), Dallas, TX (June 24, 2017)
Presenter, Investigating Workplace Misconduct: He Said/She Said/They Said—But Who to Believe?, AALRR Breakfast Briefing Cerritos, CA (May 23, 2017), Costa Mesa, CA (June 1, 2017), Los Angeles, CA (June 6, 2017)
Presenter, Key Immigration Issues in the Educational Setting: Supporting All Students, Alameda County Office of Education, Hayward, CA (May 11, 2017)
Presenter, AB 540 Dream Catcher Immigration Workshop, Los Angeles Valley College, Valley Glen, CA (May 2, 2017)
Presenter, Key Immigration Issues in the Educational Setting: Supporting All Students, Los Angeles County School Trustees Association, Montebello, CA (April 24, 2017)
Presenter, Key Immigration Issues in the Educational Setting: Supporting All Students, Yolo County Office of Education, Woodland, CA (April 14, 2017)
Presenter, It’s Beyond Sexual Harassment Training: What You Need to Know about Addressing Title IX Claims of Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation in California’s Diverse Campuses in a Culturally Competent Manner, Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education Conference, Oakland, CA (April 7, 2017)
Presenter, Creating a Safe and Supportive Environment for All Students Irrespective of Immigration Status, Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education Conference, Oakland, CA (April 7, 2017)
Presenter, Key Immigration Issues in the Educational Setting: Supporting All Students, Los Angeles County Office of Education, Downey, CA (March 24, 2017)
Presenter, The Federal Government’s Impact on California Education and Students: Changes in Immigration Enforcement, California School Boards Association Webcast, Sacramento, CA (March 22, 2017)
Presenter, Immigration Law Briefing for Schools, San Diego County Office of Education, San Diego, CA (March 21, 2017)
Presenter, Supporting Immigrant Students and Creating a Safe Campus Environment Under the New Presidential Administration, Community College League of California Annual Legislative Conference, Sacramento, CA (January 29, 2017)
Moderator, Workable Solutions to Affirmative Action?, Conference on the Economic and Social Imperative for Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Higher Education—Getting Beyond Affirmative Action in California and the Nation, UCLA Civil Rights Project and The Campaign for College Opportunity, Los Angeles, CA (December 15, 2016)
Presenter, Hot Legislation and Compliance Issues, AALRR’s 2016 Education Law Conference—Igniting the Passion to Lead, Cerritos, CA (November 3, 2016)
Presenter, Maintaining the Public Trust: Education Policy Makers and the Role of Ethics, the NALEO 11th Biennial National Institute for Newly Elected Officials, Oxon Hill, MD (November 18, 2016)
Presenter, Protecting the Rights of Transgender Students: The Current State of the Law and Related Compliance Issues, AALRR Breakfast Briefing, Cerritos, CA (September 23, 2016)
Presenter, Title IX and Equal Access for Transgender Students, AALRR Webinar, Cerritos, CA (June 14, 2016)
Presenter, Educational Equity: Ensuring Compliance with Our Nation’s Civil Rights Laws, AALRR’s 2015 Education Law Conference - Bridging the Gap: Promoting Equity and Achieving Excellence, Cerritos, CA (November 17, 2015) and Stockton, CA (November 16, 2015)
Presenter, Retaliation in the Workplace: Proactively Responding to Federal Civil Rights Investigations, 2015 Personnel Institute, Association of California School Administrators, Costa Mesa, CA (October 8, 2015)
Presenter, Title IX and K-12: It’s Not Just About Athletics, AALRR Breakfast Briefing, Cerritos, CA (March 6, 2015)
Presenter, Understanding and Responding to Civil Rights Investigations of the U.S. Department of Education, 2014 Education Summit, Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents, Atlanta, GA (October 16, 2014)
Presenter, Retaliation in the Workplace: Proactively Responding to Federal Civil Rights Investigations, 2014 Personnel Institute, Association of California School Administrators, Irvine, CA (October 9, 2014)
Presenter, Ethical Leadership for Local Government Officials, 31st Annual Conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), San Diego, CA (June 26, 2014)
Presenter, Be Proactive: How to Respond to Federal Civil Rights Investigations, AALRR’s 2013 Education Law Conference-Rethinking the Future, Stockton, CA (November 14, 2013), Cerritos, CA (November 19, 2013)
Presenter, Understanding and Responding to Civil Rights Investigations of the U.S. Department of Education, 2013 Education Summit, Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents, Denver, CO (October 18, 2013)
Presenter, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (One Year Later), Unity Conference 2013, California Latino School Boards Association, San Diego, CA (October 4, 2013)
Presenter, Retaliation in the Workplace: Being Proactive in Responding to Federal Civil Rights Investigations, 2013 Personnel Institute, Association of California School Administrators, Costa Mesa, CA (October 3, 2013)
Lecturer, The Impact of Immigration on Cities, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY (November 20, 2012)
Keynote Speaker, Reaching the Dream Together: Helping AB 540 and Undocumented Students, AB 540 Task Force Inaugural Conference, California State University, Fullerton, CA (September 28, 2012)
Speaker/Facilitator, Enriching America through the 21st Century: Increasing Latino Postsecondary Completion, Symposium of the Higher Education Committee of the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (August 16-17, 2012)
Presenter/Facilitator/Organizer, White House Hispanic Community Action Summits, Livermore, CA (July 26, 2012); Silver Spring, MD (June 16, 2012); Arlington, VA (June 9, 2012); Philadelphia, PA (June 2, 2012); Los Angeles, CA (June 5, 2012); Milwaukee, WI (March 24, 2012); Durham, NC (March 17, 2012); San Antonio, TX (March 9, 2012); Cleveland, OH (February 18, 2012); Tampa, FL (February 3, 2012); Tucson, AZ (January 30, 2012), Phoenix, AZ (January 28, 2012), San Jose, CA (January 21, 2012) Miami, FL (December 2, 2011), Albuquerque, NM (November 12, 2011), Riverside, CA ( November 5, 2011), Denver, CO (October 29, 2011), Las Cruces, NM (October 27, 2011), Las Vegas, NV (October 1, 2011), Orlando, FL (September 9-10, 2011)
Panelist, Mis Derechos, Tus Derechos: Protecting the Civil Rights of the Latino Community, National Council of La Raza Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV (July 8, 2012)
Respondent, Federal Agency Roundtable: Knowing Your Constituents’ Rights, Annual Conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, Orlando, FL (June 23, 2012)
Speaker, Forum on Transforming Education Outcomes for Hispanics, the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics with the Offices of Governor Lincoln D. Chafee and Mayor Angel Taveras, Providence, RI (January 25, 2012)
Panelist, While Congress Sleeps, the DREAM Lives On: Improving Access to Education for Immigrants, 8th National Low-Income Immigrants’ Rights Conference, National Immigration Law Center, Crystal City, VA (December 8, 2011)
Presenter/Facilitator, Immigrant Integration Roundtable, New Americans-Citizenship & Integration Initiative of the White House Domestic Policy Council, The California Community Foundation, Los Angeles, CA (August 5, 2011)
Presenter/Facilitator, White House Hispanic Policy Conference, Washington, D.C. (July 11-12, 2011)
Panelist, Building the Future: Ensuring Latino Students’ Success, League of United Latin American Citizens’ National Convention and Exposition, Cincinnati, OH (June 30, 2011)
Facilitator, National Conversations on English Learner Education, Office of English Language Acquisition, U.S. Department of Education, Charlotte, NC (May 9-10, 2011), Seattle, WA (March 7-8, 2011), Chicago, IL (February 10-11, 2011)
Speaker, Developing a Future Research Agenda for English Language Learners, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C. (April 4, 2011)
Panelist, From Capitol to Campus: Obama Officials’ Call to Action, California State University, San Bernardino’s Second Annual Latino and Education Advocacy Days Summit, Washington, D.C. (March 28, 2011)
Keynote Speaker, Deconstructing the School-to-Prison Pipeline, The Journal of Law in Society Symposium, Wayne Law School, Detroit, MI (March 25, 2011)
Speaker, Closing Session Special Remarks, 2010 Office of Migrant Education Conference, U.S. Department of Education, Philadelphia, PA (November 17, 2010)
Speaker, Opportunities for Improving Urban Schools, 23rd Annual NAACP State Convention Luncheon, Oakland, CA (October 23, 2010)
Facilitator, National Education Summit and Call to Action, White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, Washington, D.C. (October 18, 2010)
Presenter, A Reinvigorated OCR, Federal Technical Assistance Workshop in partnership with the National Indian Education Association Convention and Trade Show, U.S. Department of Education, San Diego, CA (October 6, 2010)
Panelist, Where the Rubber Meets the Road – Challenges and Opportunities in the K-12 and Workforce Services Fields, Symposium on Charting New Directions: Addressing Language Access Policy, Program Management, and Funding Challenges in the Coming Decade, Migration Policy Institute, Boston, MA (September 29, 2010)
Speaker/Panelist, Alternative Approaches to Conflict Resolution, National Convention and Exposition of the League of United Latin American Citizens, Albuquerque, NM (July 15, 2010)