Raymond H. Hixson
After being a partner in two of California’s most prestigious law firms, Ray Hixson co-founded Hixson Nagatani LLP with his long-time colleague Brian Nagatani in 2008.
Mr. Hixson is a seasoned employment law advisor, who has advised hundreds of Silicon Valley technology companies. He is also an experienced litigator who regularly represents employers before state and federal courts, arbitrators, and governmental agencies.
Mr. Hixson provides strategic advice to employers on a wide range of employment-related matters including terminations, hiring, investigations, compensation, employment agreements, and personnel policies. His counseling and litigation experience cover a wide variety of employment law matters, including laws dealing with employment discrimination, wage and hour requirements, employee raiding, unfair competition, trade secrets, disability accommodation, leaves of absence, and workforce reductions.
Mr. Hixson is retained frequently to present legal compliance training programs, including programs regarding prevention of sexual harassment and “employment law 101” courses for managers. Numerous publications have quoted Mr. Hixson on employment law issues, including The San Jose Mercury News, The San Francisco Chronicle, The New York Times, Computer World Magazine, and Infoworld. He frequently presents legal seminars sponsored by the Northern California Human Resources Association and various bar associations.
Prior Experience
After practicing employment law in Tennessee for four years, Mr. Hixson moved to Silicon Valley in 1998. His vision was to put his engineering background to use by becoming a “go to” employment lawyer for technology companies. Mr. Hixson quickly developed a strong following of technology company clients, and was promoted to partner at Fenwick & West in 2002 after less than four years with the firm. In 2005, Mr. Hixson joined Heller Ehrman as a partner, where he continued to expand his client base and supported clients of the firm’s Venture Law Group.
Educational Background
Mr. Hixson graduated 2nd in his class in law school in 1994 from the University of Tennessee, and earned a B.S. degree with Highest Honors in Industrial Engineering in 1991. He was a member of the Law Review of the University of Tennessee, and the Constitutional Law Moot Court Team. He received numerous academic awards, including Order of the Coif, two Chancellor’s Citations for Extraordinary Academic Achievement, Order of the Barristers, and numerous highest-grade awards for law school classes.
Bar Admission
California
Memberships
State Bar of California; Santa Clara County Bar Association. Mr. Hixson served as the Chair of the Executive Committee for the Labor and Employment Law Section of the Santa Clara County Bar Association in 2002. Mr. Hixson also previously served as a member of the Judiciary Committee of the Santa Clara County Bar Association.
