About Paula Brantner
I’m Paula Brantner. Originally I was an employment lawyer.
I’ve wanted to be a lawyer since I was a little kid. So I became one, graduating in 1992 from UC Law – San Francisco (formerly UC-Hastings College of the Law). After some of my first legal internships, I quickly gravitated towards employment law. Early in my legal career, I represented workers through a nonprofit litigating on behalf of low-income workers, a national LGBTQ civil rights organization, and small employment litigation firms. I then worked for the bar association for worker-side employment lawyers and the leading union federation’s program for non-union members. I still maintain an active bar license in California and keep my legal expertise current (particularly through the organizations listed below), so that my legal background informs all of my work.
Then I was a nonprofit executive at Workplace Fairness.
From 2001 to 2019, I was associated with the nonprofit organization Workplace Fairness. I first was the program director and then became the executive director in 2008. Workplace Fairness was founded in 1994 to educate workers about their legal rights and promote pro-worker public policy. With very limited resources and staff, Workplace Fairness began building the Internet’s best resource on employment law and workplace developments specifically designed for workers. I used my legal background to translate difficult employment law concepts for a lay audience who needed to understand what to do when something bad happened at work, like discrimination, harassment, wage and hour problems, workplace injuries or getting fired.
I’m proud of what Workplace Fairness was able to accomplish with a small staff and limited budget. Today, the Workplace Fairness website at www.workplacefairness.org has over 400 pages of FAQs on employment law topics, one of the very first nonprofit blogs (Today’s Workplace), and a free e-newsletter with the latest workplace developments (Workplace Week). There’s also a listing of employment attorneys who can help site visitors with their workplace problem. The Workplace Fairness website now gets several million visitors each year and was twice nominated for a Webby (2006, 2008, plus an official honoree designation in 2017). Until 2019, I continued my affiliation with the organization as a Senior Advisor, developing content for the WF website and assisting lawyers and workers rights organizations with their websites, website content and digital marketing strategy.
Now I solve harassment prevention problems through Accountability Ignited (formerly PB Work Solutions).
I’ve worked with those who have been sexually harassed and assaulted throughout my career. Early in my career, I was involved in some of the important legal battles under Title VII (workplace harassment) and Title IX (harassment in schools and colleges). Through Accountability Ignited, I use my perspective from 30+ years of focusing on those who have been targeted, NOT those employers worrying about getting sued. By the time #MeToo came along, I was already working to figure out solutions to harassment, with reporting systems that incorporate the EEOC’s best practices and move beyond the policies on the page to equip everyone to know how to respond to harassment and be part of the solution. Since 2018, I’ve been running an innovative and comprehensive prevention program for a nationwide political organization of over 80,000 members who wants to incorporate its harassment policy in over 175 chapters nationwide. Between drafting model policies, providing independent reporting and investigation services, and presenting trainings that put all the pieces together, I make sure that organizations adopt a comprehensive approach to harassment prevention that actually encourages reporting and ensures consequences for misconduct. In these historic times, having these policies and systems can transform your organization’s culture.
Some other random stuff Paula knows and/or cares about
- Pandas: Since 2006, I have volunteered for the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC as an Asia Trail Interpreter. I talk to visitors from around the world about the National Zoo’s pandas, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Tai Shan, Bao Bao, Bei Bei, and now Xiao Qi Ji. I’ve visited pandas worldwide, including those who are part of the two major breeding programs in China and the other U.S. zoos (Atlanta, GA; (formerly) San Diego, CA; and (formerly) Memphis, TN). Three of the pandas born at the National Zoo have returned to China, and I’ve visited two of them (Tai Shan and Bao Bao) in their new home. Knowing so much useful and useless information about pandas has also led to some interesting speaking opportunities: Story League DC; Nerd Nite DC; PechaKucha Silver Spring.
- Camping at Assateague: As a little girl, I read the Misty of Chincoteague books. I couldn’t have imagined then that one day I would hang out on the beach with Misty’s descendants, the wild ponies of Assateague. On multiple occasions, I’ve camped on Assateague (on the Maryland side) and been to the Chincoteague Pony Penning (on the Virginia side), and it’s one of my favorite places in the world to be. Between camping stays, I follow the Maryland herd of wild horses, celebrating each year’s new foals and watching the bands (families) frequently change in a dramatic, soap opera-like fashion.
- the Kansas City Chiefs: In my family, sports was matrilineal, and my mom and I watched a lot of NFL, MLB, and NCAA football and basketball games. Now the team that I have rooted for all my life has won two Super Bowls, and star players like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce attract a lot of attention (to say the least.) I now join a regular group of Chiefs fans locally so I can see the Chiefs every week. experiencing the highs and lows of being an NFL fan. I also regularly watch baseball (Nats and Royals) and college basketball (March Madness), and participate in online fan groups, often as one of the few women who regularly participate.
- Karaoke: I used to be really scared of karaoke. First, I overcame my fear of singing publicly to be ready for a Workplace Fairness karaoke fundraiser. Then I stepped up, singing every year at Netroots Nation, and at home in the DC metro area at Slash Run and Kostume Karaoke. I even took part in competitive karaoke for two seasons, through District Karaoke, a local karaoke league, on team “I Knew You Were Treble.”
- Roller Derby: For a year, I was a member of the DC Rollergirls women’s flat-track roller derby league. I was Rock Clobster, #B-52 (Claw for short). It’s a really tough sport and I wasn’t very good at it, but I met some great people and learned a lot from the experience, which prepared me for dealing with some bad workplace situations.
