Kevin Chicas is Senior Counsel in Pettit Kohn Ingrassia Lutz & Dolin’s San Diego office, where he focuses his practice exclusively on labor and employment defense. Kevin has extensive experience
representing both private and public California employers in a wide array of complex employment
disputes. He routinely defends organizations against claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation,
and wrongful termination under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and federal
statutes including Title VII and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Additionally, he is
experienced in defending high-exposure wage-and-hour class actions and representative matters
brought under the California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA).
In addition to his litigation practice, Kevin serves as a strategic and trusted legal partner to his clients,
providing proactive advice, counsel, and training to human resources executives, management
leadership, and in-house counsel. He frequently advises on wage-and-hour compliance, workplace
investigations, employee religious and medical accommodations, leaves of absence, the interactive
process, personnel management, and policy development. Through this partnership, he helps
organizations navigate California’s complex regulatory landscape and effectively mitigate litigation
risks before a claim is ever filed.
Prior to joining Pettit Kohn, Kevin honed his labor and employment expertise at prominent California
defense firms, where he successfully represented corporate and public entities, as well as higher
education institutions. He is highly experienced in representing employers in court and before
administrative agencies such as the Civil Rights Department (CRD), the National Labor Relations
Board (NLRB), the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), CalPERS and the Division of Labor
Standards Enforcement (DLSE). Kevin has also argued before the Fifth District Court of Appeal.
Furthermore, Kevin possesses extensive traditional labor law experience. He has served as Chief
Negotiator on behalf of management to successfully negotiate collective bargaining agreements, and
has routinely represented employers in disciplinary appeals, retirement determinations, and complex
labor disputes involving organizing petitions, grievances, and arbitrations.
Kevin earned his J.D. with honors from the University of Minnesota Law School, where he served as
a Westlaw Research Representative and Class President. Prior to law school, he earned his
Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine in 2008.
Outside of the office, Kevin enjoys playing tennis, pickleball, board games, hiking, and spending time
with his family.
