Mr. Coble practices principally in the area of labor and employment law, including:
- Advising and representing public entities in labor negotiations, impasse procedures, and PERB proceedings.
- Providing advice on and drafting personnel policies and procedures.
- Investigating alleged employee misconduct.
- Providing advice on the deposition and adjudication of internal affairs investigations.
- Representation in administrative hearings and judicial proceedings concerning employee discipline.
- Providing advice and litigation defense against claims of employment discrimination under FEHA and Title VII.
Mr. Coble was admitted to practice law in 1987. He possesses a bachelor of arts in law enforcement from San Jose State University, a master of science in public administration from CSULA, and a juris doctor from Loyola Law School. During Mr. Coble’s career with the Los Angeles Police Department, he served for several years as the employee relations administrator and was the management representative vis-à-vis the 17 collective bargaining units comprising the department’s workforce of over 10,000 employees. Mr. Coble coauthored a study of management rights in public sector collective bargaining in the United States and Canada. He has negotiated a number of collective bargaining agreements, as well as impasse mediation and fact finding.
Mr. Coble has extensive experience in civil litigation in state and federal courts on behalf of public entities in California. He has long advised clients on responses to subpoenas duces tecum, document production demands, and requests pursuant to the California Public Records Act (CPRA).
Mr. Coble has handled over 100 arbitrations and civil service hearings, together with related litigation seeking judicial review of administrative hearings. He has negotiated many labor agreements and side letters for California cities, counties, and districts, including impasse proceedings through mediation and fact finding.
He has written numerous articles for publications such as The Journal of California Law Enforcement and California Peace Officer Magazine, including “To Ride or Not to Ride” and “Performance Reviews – Avoiding the Halo Effect.” He is a frequent and sought-after lecturer and trainer on issues of police standard of conduct, civil rights liability, discipline, and performance review. He has drafted and published several police policy and procedure manuals.
Mr. Coble is active in the Knights of Columbus and other community charities. Until his relocation to our Roseville office, he served for several years as a member of the Sexual Misconduct Oversight Review Board for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange.