Ms. Contreras is an Attorney with Emerzian Shankar Legal Inc.  For the firm’s education sector clients, Ms. Contreras is skilled at advising on a wide variety of areas of education law compliance, including colleges, universities, and K-12 school districts.  She assists such clients with student conduct and special education/accommodations to students with disabilities, HR law compliance, and provides investigation and hearing officer services in Title IX matters.  She also serves as an appointed advisor at the request of colleges and universities.  In the K-12 arena, 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 on HR law compliance, business entity formations, non-profit governance, contract drafting, trademarks, and pre-litigation disputes.  She particularly enjoys representing family-owned businesses and non-profit corporations. 

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 has volunteered for the Buchanan Wrestling Boosters and Family Fun and Fitness Expo.