Pleasanton Attorney Named California Lawyer of the Year

Todd A. Goluba of the firm Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruund & Romo practices education law and serves as general counsel to more than 25 school districts

California Lawyer magazine has selected Todd A. Goluba as one of the recipients of the 16th annual California Lawyer "Attorneys of the Year" (CLAY) Awards.

Goluba is a Partner in the Pleasanton office of Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo (AALRR) who practices education law and serves as general counsel to more than 25 school districts, community college districts, and county offices of education, according to a statement issued by the magazine.

His CLAY award designation for outstanding achievement in education law was determined as a result of Goluba's innovative negotiations on the issue of including student test outcomes as part of teacher evaluations and linking that to performance-based bonuses.

The Obama administration is committing significant federal funding to school districts that implement this model of educational reform.

In serving as chief labor negotiator to the Lucia Mar Unified School District in San Luis Obispo County, Goluba led the school district's bargaining team to an historic labor agreement with its teachers' association which has statewide significance in the education profession.

In the first agreement of its kind in California, the district and the teachers' association agreed to implement a comprehensive new evaluation system in which student achievement based on test scores is one element used to determine year-end compensation bonuses for high performing teachers.

Goluba also recently achieved a professional milestone when his firm named him an equity partner.

"As leader of the firm's personnel and education law practice team for Northern California, Todd's contributions have been exceptional," says AALRR Managing Partner James C. Romo.

The CLAY Awards are given to attorneys whose achievements had a significant impact in 2011 and whose work is expected to have an effect in the coming years.

The awards recognize accomplishments in a wide variety of legal practice areas.

The honored attorneys include government lawyers, law professors, attorneys from international law firms, and public interest lawyers.

By Pleasanton Patch

Source: Pleasanton Patch