Inna Shankar is a founding Shareholder of Emerzian Shankar Legal Inc., providing advisory and transactional legal services to the firm’s education sector, private business and non-profit clients. Ms. Shankar also provides commercial and residential landlord-tenant services.

For the firm’s private business and non-profit clients, Ms. Shankar brings significant experience in contract review and preparation, business formation, governance and dissolution matters, and both commercial and residential landlord-tenant law. She also has substantial experience advising on California and federal employment laws, including employee classifications, independent contractor analysis, discrimination, harassment, and wage and hour.

For the firm’s education sector clients, Ms. Shankar advises on business office matters, student matters, Title IX and anti-harassment, anti-discrimination and bullying matters for K-12 schools and higher education institutions. She is skilled at drafting policies and procedures for schools and Universities, including collective bargaining agreements, and has significant experience advising on CalSTRS/CalPERS retirement law.

Ms. Shankar’s landlord-tenant practice includes service to both landlords and tenants on commercial and residential leases. Ms. Shankar also directly investigates and advises on internal investigations for claims of employee fraud, discrimination and harassment, and Title IX violations. Ms. Shankar takes a holistic approach to the investigations process, from initial communications, advising on interim measures to mitigate risk during the process, preparing final investigation reports and advising on the subsequent impact on the employment relationship.

Ms. Shankar attended the University of California, Berkeley and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She earned her law degree from the University of California, Hastings School of Law. During college, Ms. Shankar volunteered as a research assistant at the psychology laboratory working on studies related to race and gender bias. She took this experience with her to law school where she was a member of the Women’s Law Journal and published an article therein regarding the reproductive rights of minors. After law school, Ms. Shankar began her career at a boutique litigation firm prosecuting elder abuse cases in San Francisco, and then returned home to Fresno to continue her litigation practice including at a local non-profit law agency. Thereafter, Ms. Shankar transitioned to an advisory and transactional practice with a state-wide education law firm. Ms. Shankar subsequently served as in-house counsel with a family of companies in Fresno, expanding her practice in the areas of private sector employment, business, and higher education law.

Ms. Shankar was selected as one of Fresno’s Top 40 Under 40 for 2018.

Ms. Shankar is fluent in Russian.

Ms. Shankar grew up in Fresno and is a Clovis West High School graduate. After college and law school, Ms. Shankar returned home to the Central Valley where she felt she could make the most impact. Ms. Shankar is married to her husband Hareesh, also from Fresno. Ms. Shankar is driven to give back to her community and regularly volunteers her time to local causes. Ms. Shankar previously served as a board member for Fresno Barrios Unidos (“FBU”) (2013-2017), a local non-profit focusing on providing programs to assist disadvantaged youth in overcoming barriers to success in health, education and civic engagement. Ms. Shankar recently served on the Board of Valley Animal Center (“VAC”), a no-kill cat and dog rescue in Fresno. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for a local private preschool.