Fred Walter is Of Counsel in Conn Maciel Carey’s San Francisco, CA office, where he provides the full range of workplace safety and health law services, with a special focus on employers’ interactions with Cal/OSHA.

 

Mr. Walter has spent more than 35 years working with employers, general counsel, safety directors, risk managers, human resources administrators and safety professionals defending OSHA and Cal/OSHA citations, as well as developing and auditing safety programs to answer regulatory mandates.  He also represents employers in defense of “serious and willful misconduct” claims and provides crisis management services.

​

Fred has represented employers across all major industries in OSHA compliance matters since 1985.  For the past twelve years he was the Managing Partner of the premier California OSHA defense firm Walter & Prince LLP.  His diverse clientele includes employers in all of the construction trades, manufacturing, warehousing, freight handling, logging, farm labor contracting, food processing, and wineries.  In his over three decades of practice, Fred has acquired a wealth of knowledge of Cal/OSHA regulations and enforcement and developed unique relationships and established credibility with the players within Cal/OSHA and among its Counsel.

​

As valuable as his workplace safety regulatory knowledge and experience is to his clients, it is Fred's demeanor and approach that add unique value for them.  Clients have said that when Fred comes in after all hell has broken loose, he brings a calming influence to the situation.  Although never afraid to advocate firmly for his clients, Fred acknowledges that while many attorneys have a combative style, his approach is to first seek consensus instead of confrontation. He always does so in a way that is creative and calculated to achieve his clients’ goals and protect their resources.

​

Mr. Walter is co-author of the "Workplace Safety" chapter of the California State Bar publication Advising California Employers and Employees.  He has been a member of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) for over 25 years and is often invited to speak on topics related to workplace safety for his clients and professional organizations. A short list of these includes the ASSP, the National Safety Management Society and Associated California Loggers.

​

Fred is an active member of the Rotary Club of Healdsburg Sunrise.