About Eric C. Sohlgren

The St. James case has raised important issues of church property law, leading to an appeal through the California Supreme Court that was decided in January 2009. The case has now returned to the Orange County Superior Court while St. James pursues an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Eric C. Sohlgren, Partner
Payne & Fears LLP

Eric C. Sohlgren represents non-profit organizations and churches in property, employment and business matters, with particular expertise in religious corporation structure and law. His representation of religious corporations in property and corporate disputes in the trial and appellate courts has received national recognition in the print, radio and television media.

Mr. Sohlgren also has broad experience and expertise in employment law, representing companies, managers and employee benefit plans in litigation matters in state and federal courts, and in administrative proceedings. With an executive background in human resources, Mr. Sohlgren frequently advises employers on legal compliance and preventative measures to minimize the risk of litigation.

Mr. Sohlgren was selected to Southern California Super Lawyers in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. He is a member of the Orange County Bar Association and the State Bar of California, Labor and Employment Law Sections. Mr. Sohlgren Chaired the Orange County Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Section in 2000, and he Chaired the Payne & Fears LLP Employment Law Group until 2009.

Mr. Sohlgren is Editor-in-Chief of an annual publication for the California Continuing Education of the Bar, which is used to educate attorneys throughout California about recent developments in law. During law school, Mr. Sohlgren served as Editor-in-Chief of the Loyola Law Review, and he authored the article, “Group Health Benefits Discrimination Against AIDS Victims: Falling Through the Gaps of Federal Law – ERISA, the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act,” Loy. L.A. L. Rev. 1247 (1991). Mr. Sohlgren has given hundreds of lectures and seminars on employment law and church property issues to attorneys, business executives, church leaders, and human resources professionals, and he has published numerous articles on these topics in journals and other publications.

Professional Awards and Recognition

• Orange County Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section, Award for Continued Support, Dedication and Contribution (2004)
• Orange County Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section, Award for Service as Chair (2001)
• Southern California Super Lawyers (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)

Publications

• Numerous articles published in professional journals and magazines
• Numerous print, radio and television interviews
• California Employment Law Digest (Eric C. Sohlgren, ed., 2000)
• Group Health Benefits Discrimination Against AIDS Victims: Falling Through the Gaps of Federal Law – ERISA, the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act,” Loy. L.A. L. Rev. 1247 (1991)

Reported Court Decisions

• Episcopal Church Cases, 45 Cal. 4th 467, 87 Cal. Rptr. 3d 275 (Cal. Sup. Ct. 2009) (church property)
• Romano v. Rockwell Int’l, Inc., 14 Cal. 4th 479, 59 Cal. Rptr. 2d 20 (Cal. Sup. Ct. 1996) (employment)
• Iglesia Evangelica Latina, Inc. v. Southern Pac. Latin Am. Dist. of the Assemblies of God, 2009 Cal. App. LEXIS 617 (Cal. Ct. App. Apr. 27, 2009) (religious corporation governance and church property)
• New v. Kroeger, 167 Cal. App. 4th 800, 84 Cal. Rptr. 3d 464 (Cal. Ct. App. 2008) (religious corporation governance)
• Hansen v. Insco Ins. Servs., Inc., 2002 Cal. App. Unpub. LEXIS 2630 (Cal. Ct. App. 2002) (employment)
• Contract Servs. Employee Trust v. Davis, 55 F.3d 533 (10th Cir. 1995) (employee benefits)
• Contract Servs. Network v. Aubry, 62 F.3d 294 (9th Cir. 1995) (employee benefits)

Professional Membership and Activities

• State Bar of California
• Orange County Bar Association
• Chair, Orange County Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section (2000)

Bar Admissions

• State of California
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the Northern, Eastern, Southern and Central Districts of California

Education

• J.D., cum laude, Loyola Marymount University School of Law, 1992 (top 10%, Order of the Coif, Alpha Sigma Nu National Jesuit Honor Society, St. Thomas More Law Honor Society, Mead Data Central Legal Research Award)
• M.B.A., with honors, Pepperdine University, 1985
• B.A., Psychology, Whitman College, 1978