ROBIN OAKS
ROBIN OAKS, ATTORNEY, WELL-BEING PRACTITIONER
OAKS INSTITUTE FOUNDER
Background and Legal Experience
Eight years as public school teacher (K-12 and Gifted Program) with degrees in child development and special education.
Attended George Washington University Law School, interned at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington D.C. and graduated (1985) with a J.D. from Western New England University School of Law in Massachusetts.
Selected as Judicial Law Clerk for the Honorable John Garrett Penn, District Court, District of Columbia. Among other landmark cases before Judge Penn, he handled all D.C. special education cases, and adjudicated Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson. Meritor was the case in which the Supreme Court first determined that “sexual harassment hostile environment” was a recognized claim under Title VII.
Worked at a large Connecticut law firm (over two hundred attorneys) and practiced six years employment and environmental law.
Moved to Santa Barbara, California, and co-founded Ehrlich & Oaks, representing public entities and clients throughout California in education and employment law matters, including human resources investigations and personnel matters.
Following her passion for resolving conflicts, for the past three decades Ms. Oaks has focused her legal services exclusively on conducting independent investigations of harassment and misconduct complaints, and mediating disputes throughout California.
Well-Being Coaching and Teaching Expertise
Ms. Oaks was the Sexual Harassment Prevention Coordinator for the University of California at Santa Barbara, which included training and creating materials for employees, professors, and students.
She has lectured throughout California, written articles and chapters in national books, created the RESPECT Manual about conducting workplace investigations, and trained in cultural literacy and preventing workplace discrimination (AB 1825 and SB 1343).
Over the past two decades, Ms. Oaks studied, trained with and/or received certifications from professionals around the world in healing and well-being strategies from Ayurveda Medicine, Chinese Medicine, Medical Qigong, Native American Indigenous Medicine, contemplative practices, breathwork, bodywork, osteopathy, psychology, nutrition, organizational psychology, conflict resolution coaching, and positive psychology.
Ms. Oaks has been a law professor at Santa Barbara and Ventura Colleges of Law teaching Torts, Constitutional Law, and Employment Law. She currently created and now teaches a popular accredited course, Lawyer Well-being and Professional Identity. She has provided law students and lawyers mentoring, individualized coaching, and well-being training.
Through her training programs and workshops for bar associations and attorneys in MCLE Wellness Competence, Ms. Oaks offers a wide-range of well-being in law skillsets and strategies for success, sustainability, and optimally navigating the stressors and challenges of legal practice – and life.