Ursula Clemons serves as Special Counsel with the firm’s Workplace Health and Safety Group advising clients on OSHA matters, offering client consultation services including preventative advice, preparing for compliance investigations, conferences, settlements and hearings. She also conducts document review, training sessions, and stakeholder round table panels. Ursula will work collaboratively with the client’s General Counsel analyzing issues and discussing strategies.
Prior to joining Ogletree Deakins, Ursula worked for the State of California as an enforcement attorney at various State agencies. In 2006, she became an administrative law judge (ALJ) for the California Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board (OSHAB). In 2009, she was appointed to the position of Presiding ALJ of the Southern California OSHAB office. Ursula retired after 27 years of State service in December 2020. In addition to adjudicating matters on behalf of OSHAB, Ursula managed administrative law judges and support staff. During her tenure at OSHAB, Ursula played a major role in the implementation of the OASIS eFiling case system and building the virtual hearings program. She was also a key contributor to the stakeholder training sessions held throughout the state every few years. In her capacity of Presiding Judge, Ursula on-boarded many new ALJs and conducted annual ALJ training. She interfaced frequently with the Appeals Board Members and upper management offering sound advice in various matters.
Ursula received her Bachelors of Science degree from the University of Southern California. She received her law degree from Whittier College School of Law. In 2017, the law school alumni association honored Ursula with the Judicial Officer of the Year award.
Ursula served as a panel member for the Daily Journal’s COVID and the Courts Webinar in February 2021. The webinar presented a frank discussion between five judges as to how the courts are adapting to COVID-19 with an eye for how courts will function in a post-pandemic world. The judges also discussed how they would approach massive case backlogs and other pandemic-related issues.
Ursula is currently the lead instructor for the Laws and Regulations course at the UC San Diego Extension OSHA Training Institute Education Center. Prior to being appointed lead instructor, she appeared as guest lecturer for five years. Ursula is also an on-call instructor for a private safety organization.
