John F. Hyland

John Hyland practices exclusively in the area of employment law. Prior to forming Rukin Hyland & Riggin LLP, John held an Of Counsel position with Paul Hastings, LLP in the firm’s San Francisco office where he advised and represented companies in state and federal court actions covering all areas of employment law, including wrongful dismissal, discrimination, sexual harassment, disability law, employee privacy, employee leaves, and wage and hour issues. John has represented clients in jury trials and arbitrations and has argued cases before the California Court of Appeal. He continues to advise and represent clients in all areas of employment law.

John serves as an editor and contributing author for the CEB Publication, Employee Leave Laws: Compliance and Litigation (2015). John also serves as a contributing author to the Thompson Reuters Inside the Minds publications. John regularly conducts training seminars and presents on a wide array of employment law issues. He serves as an instructor for the Sonoma State University Human Resources Certification Program.

John obtained certification as an employment law mediator from Cornell University’s School of Industrial Relations.

Law & Politics Magazine selected John as one of its Northern California Super Lawyers each year from 2006 through 2012, and again in 2014-16. San Francisco’s Best Lawyers named John in its 2012 edition, and The Best Lawyers in America selected John for inclusion in each edition since 2012. In addition to his litigation and counseling practice, John devotes a significant part of his practice to serving as a mediator. John obtained certification as an employment law mediator from Cornell University’s School of Industrial Relations. He served as a mediator for the Sonoma County Superior Court ADR Program in which he mediated a wide array of civil cases, and he continues to serve as a panelist for the Court’s settlement conference program. John is also a member of the Early Neutral Evaluation Program for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California for which he serves as an evaluator.

John received his B.S. degree from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He earned his J.D. degree from Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco, where he graduated in 1995 with highest honors and first in his class. While at Golden Gate, John served as a contributing author and associate editor of the Golden Gate Law Review.

Past Employment Positions

• Cook & Roos, Associate, 1995 – 1997
• Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, LLP, Associate, 1997 – 2004
• Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, LLP, Of Counsel, 2004