Formed in 2017, the Berkeley Center’s Gender-based Harassment and Violence (formerly Sexual Harassment and Violence) Working Group has held annual international conferences and virtual webinars) on sexual and gender discrimination and harassment law, written a book on The Global #MeToo Movement, and is now developing toolkits on workplace harassment investigations and other practical materials. The Working Group’s Co-Directors are Ann Noel, former General Counsel for California’s Fair Employment and Housing Commission, and Denise Oldham, former Title IX Officer and Director of the Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination, UC Berkeley.
Upcoming CLE Programs
CLE Conference on Gender Discrimination and Harassment Law
January 23-24, 2025
At Berkeley Law and online via Zoom
Past Events
Intimate Partner Violence and Gender Discrimination in the Family Courts
November 8, 2024
Online via Zoom
Join us on Zoom for a one-day online conference about gender discrimination in cases involving intimate partner violence and child abuse in family law courts in California, New York, Massachusetts, Canada, the UK, and Australia. Topics include children’s disclosures of abuse, the constructs of “parental alienation” and “reunification,” and the relationship between intimate partner violence and child safety.
2024 New Developments in Gender Discrimination, Harassment, and Violence in Employment and Education
January 4-5, 2024
The Bancroft Hotel and online via Zoom
Attorneys and academics from around the globe examined what’s new and what’s working, here in California and globally, in addressing gender discrimination, harassment and violence. Topics included prevention, litigation, non-litigation remedies, affirmative consent, defamation and backlash, investigations, Title IX and education, and the war on DEI.
2023 Rethinking Sexual and Gender Harassment Practice
January 23-26, 2023
Online via Zoom
Over three days, this conference went over topics including conflict resolution and restorative justice, workplace investigations, recent developments in Title IX law and policy, and effective settlements.
Caste Discrimination in the United States
September, 2022
Online via Zoom
South Asia’s caste system is a socio-political basis for discrimination, with Dalits, persecuted as the “untouchables” of society, facing prejudice in the workplace and academia. As South Asians have migrated to jobs and academic positions in the United States, caste discrimination has followed. This webinar opens with a presentation about the origins of caste and how it drives discrimination in society. We will then explore protections against caste discrimination in the U.S., both in the academy and the workplace. We will discuss the recent inclusion of caste as a protected status in California State University’s anti-discrimination policies and a landmark lawsuit filed by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing against Cisco Systems alleging discrimination against a Dalit engineer based on his caste status.
Weaponizing Defamation Law to Silence #MeToo Claims
April 28, 2022
Online via Zoom
We hosted a virtual webinar on Weaponizing Defamation Law to Silence #MeToo Claims. This dynamic and groundbreaking webinar included renowned practitioners who discussed how California, national, and international defamation law has been used to intimidate and silence #MeToo claims, as well as presented strategies to defend against defamation claims.
April 22, 2022
Online via Zoom
This program will cover the new California Rule of Professional Conduct 8.4.1, which takes a stricter approach to disciplining attorneys for discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in both law practice operations and matters of legal representation. In a significant departure from the past, the new Rule grants the State Bar the power to investigate and to prosecute discrimination and harassment claims and further makes clear that failure to advocate corrective action also violates the Rule. This program is especially important for those who manage law firms and law departments.
2022 Workplace Sexual Harassment Program
January 27-28, 2022
Online via Zoom
A US and global comparative examination of sexual harassment in the workplace, focusing on skills for litigators, advisors, investigators, and human resource professionals.
October 2021 Sexual Harassment in Education Conference
October 28-29, 2021
Online via Zoom
A US and global comparative examination of harassment of students, staff, and faculty at schools, college, and universities in the US and globally. The conference included 1.5 days of keynotes, panels, workshops, and role-playing simulations with leading experts for litigators, investigators, and Title IX professionals.
January 2021 Sexual Harassment in Education Conference
January 29-30, 2021
Online via Zoom
Lawyers, scholars, and activists gathered at this virtual conference to examine the law and policy issues governing harassment of students, staff, and faculty at schools, colleges and universities in the U.S. and globally, through a series of plenary sessions, workshops, and keynote addresses, with opportunities to meet and network with others in the field. Plenary topics included new developments in Title IX law and policy, harassment prevention education, and the development of toolkits to address the problem of sexual harassment in education. Speakers on Title IX included lawyers, policy makers, Title IX officers, and student organizers from institutions across the United States. Speakers on global responses to harassment included lawyers, policy makers, and activists from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, India, Kenya, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
2020 London Conference: Global Resistance to Sexual Harassment and Violence
June 8-9, 2020
Online via Zoom
The 2020 London conference transitioned from meeting in London to a virtual conference, bringing together over 100 experts, including scholars, legal practitioners, NGO leaders, discrimination law enforcement officials, and industry leaders from around the world. Simultaneous with the conference, the Center will be issuing our new book, The Global #MeToo Movement. The conference consisted of shared insights about sexual harassment/violence, pre-recorded panels, commentary via plenary sessions, workshops, and small group discussions. It included a keynote address by Professor Jamillah Bowman Williams, who spoke about how the #MeToo movement has not done enough to protect women of color and low wage workers. The Berkeley Center is working on posting the conference workshops online.
2020 Berkeley #MeToo Conference
February 7, 2020
Berkeley Law
On Friday February 7, 2020, BCCE hosted a full-day CLE program on Developments in Sexual Harassment Law. Topics included developments in California sexual harassment law, developments in Title IX law, developments in workplace investigation practice, and developments in the worldwide #MeToo movement.
2019 Berkeley #MeToo Conference
May 14, 2019
Berkeley Law
On May 14, 2019, legal scholars and practitioner-experts from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America, gathered at Berkeley Law to explore approaches and solutions with California lawyers and other specialists. It has been over a year since revelations of widespread sexual harassment by powerful men in journalism, entertainment, politics, and law — and the #MeToo hashtag — rocked the world, as women shared their common experiences of sexual harassment. This conference examined the systemic issues that permit harassment, and explored proposed creative solutions that were developed across the globe. The keynote speakers on the public day were Professor Catharine MacKinnon, U.N. Women Director of Policy Purna Sen, and labor activist Saru Jayaraman.
2018 Berkeley #MeToo Conference
May 15, 2018
Berkeley Law
On May 15, 2018, legal scholars and legal practitioner experts gathered at Berkeley Law to explore this important topic with California lawyers, managers and HR professionals. The conference included 24 speaker/participants, from Australia, China, France, India, Ireland, Italy, the U.K., the U.N., and the U.S. These speakers met for two days to exchange ideas with each other, including a public conference where they spoke as panelists to a diverse group of lawyers and human relations specialists. The public conference’s keynote speaker was Catharine MacKinnon, the law professor/activist who coined the term “sexual harassment” and situated it as a breach of discrimination law
Who We Are
Co-Directors
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Ann Noel
Co-editor, The Global #MeToo Movement. Founder, Noel Workplace Consulting. Former General Counsel, California Fair Employment and Housing Commission.
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Denise Oldham
Former Director and Title IX Officer, Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination at the University of California, Berkeley.