The Center for Employment & Labor Policy (CELP) was founded in 2022 at the University of San Diego School of Law. Warren Distinguished Professor Orly Lobel serves as CELP's founding director. The center is a hub for employment law activity, with a goal of bringing together experts in the field, locally and nationally.
CELP strives to support San Diego’s economic growth in the biotech, pharma, tech, military, health, arts, entertainment, hospitality, sports, education, and other sectors and industries, all of which present dynamic frontiers of employment issues. The center sponsors speakers, workshops, roundtables, visitors and fellows, and provides opportunities for collaborative research by USD faculty, USD students, policymakers and practitioners locally and nationally.
#1
LLM Program in Employment in Labor Law
(LLM Guide, 2025)
Leadership
Director
Student Opportunities in Employment and Labor Law
CELP-Sponsored Events
Annual Colloquium on Scholarship in Employment and Labor Law
In conjunction with Cal Western Law School, the Center for Employment and Labor Policy co-hosted the 19th Annual Colloquium on Scholarship in Employment and Labor Law in September of 2024. The Colloquium gave both emerging and establishing labor and employment scholars an opportunity to gather with colleagues to present their work to an expert audience.
10th Annual Employment Scholars Collaborative
The Center for Employment and Labor Policy hosted the 10th Annual Employment Scholars Collaborative in May of 2024. Participants included Rachel Arnow-Richman (University of Florida), Camille Rich (USC), Michelle Travis (USF), Tristin Green (Loyola-LA), Leticia Saucedo (UC Davis), Deborah Widdis (Indiana) and Orly Lobel (USD).
Focus Areas
Research
Faculty members of the CELP regularly produce impactful research in employment and labor law. In their research, faculty explored topics like anti-discrimination, the labor market, noncompetes and more. Center Director Orly Lobel's most recent book, The Equality Machine: Harnessing Digital Technology for a Brighter, More Inclusive Future was named as one of The Economist's books of the year.
Policy
Research from the CELP has directly influenced laws in California and around the world. California Senate Bill 699, which strengthens laws against non-compete clauses in California, was primarily drafted by Center Director Orly Lobel. She is also serving on Japan’s Taskforce on Governance for a Digitalized Society that will propose a set of principles for the governance of digitalized society at the G7 Digital and Technology Ministerial Meeting.
Education
The CELP faculty are dedicated to educating the next generation of employment and labor law lawyers. Faculty members include Warren Distinguished Professor of Law Orly Lobel, Professor of Law Miranda McGowan, and Professor of Practice Richard Paul. These professors, and others, are considered some of the top experts in the employment and labor law field.
Media
CELP Speaker Series
On November 14, 2024, the USD School of Law and CELP welcomed Michele Faioli, an Associate Professor at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, to present his work to students and faculty members. His lecture was titled "Assessing Risks and Liabilities of the AI-Powered Robots in the Workplace: An EU-US Comparison".
Support the CELP
By supporting the Center for Employment and Labor Policy, you are helping us host more conferences, work with more students, and continue to positively impact employment and labor law in California and around the world.
