Ms. Contreras is a senior attorney with Emerzian Shankar Legal Inc.  Ms. Contreras represents education sector, private sector, and non-profit clients. 

For the firm’s education sector clients, Ms. Contreras is has expertise in student law and special education law matters, as well as Title IX and harassment/discrimination student and employee investigations.  Her background in child development makes her uniquely qualified to handle sensitive investigations involving children and those with developmental or other disabilities. She is

skilled at advising on a wide variety of areas of education law compliance, including colleges, universities, and K-12 school districts.  She has extensive experience appearing at Individualized Education Program and Section 504 meetings, advising on offers of FAPE, and responding to due process complaints before the office of administrative hearings.

For the firm’s private and non-profit sector clients, Ms. Contreras provides transactional and advisory services in various areas of business and employment law, non-profit governance, contract drafting, and pre-litigation dispute resolutions.  She particularly enjoys representing small and mid-size firms, as well as family-owned businesses and non-profit entities with social justice missions.

For the firm’s municipal clients, Ms. Contreras also provides workplace investigation services, labor and employment law advice, and also serves city-sponsored eviction defense programs with direct representation of tenants in court.

Ms. Contreras is a skilled, experienced investigator, routinely conducting trauma-informed workplace and school investigations for complaints of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, Title VII and Title IX, bullying, fraud, and misappropriation of funds.  

Ms. Contreras is certified as an HR professional by the Society of Human Resources Management.

Ms. Contreras earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development from Fresno State, earning Dean’s List recognition twice.  She also completed a Victim Services Certificate program while in college.  Ms. Contreras subsequently earned her law degree from San Joaquin College of Law where she was honored with the Witkin Award for academic excellence in the area of Contracts.

During law school, Ms. Contreras clerked for two Fresno-area law firms, including an education law firm where she prepared training materials for educational institutions and worked in the area of special education.  She also served as a judicial extern for the US District Court, Eastern District of California.

Once admitted to practice, Ms. Contreras began working for another education law firm where she represented California education institutions in the areas of student law and conduct, special education compliance, and labor and employment law.

Ms. Contreras grew up in the central valley. Ms. Contreras volunteers for the Buchanan Wrestling Boosters and Family Fun and Fitness Expo.