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Ursula Clemons-Heslip
Esq.


Ursula L. Clemons-Heslip, Esq., has over 27 years’ experience as an attorney and Judge with the State of California. She brings extensive legal experience as an enforcement litigator for various agencies such as SCIF, Department of Health Services, Department of Social Services, County Counsel and Department of Corporations.

Ursula retired in December 2020 as the Presiding Administrative Law Judge (PALJ) for the Cal/OSHA Appeals Board (OSHAB) performing case evaluation/consultation, training new ALJs and scheduling hearings. She conducted Pre-Hearing Conferences, Settlement Conferences and Hearings ruling on motions, objections and admission of evidence and issued Orders and Decisions. As Presiding Judge of the Appeals Board’s Southern California office, she adjudicated matters, managed judges and support staff, and interacted with Board Members on a regular basis. While working for OSHAB, Ursula was a key contributor to the Cal/OSHA Stakeholder Training sessions held throughout the state, having created the agenda and materials presented as well as being a moderator and presenter herself. She played a major role in building the OSHAB virtual hearings process and in implementing the OSHAB eFiling (OASIS) software system.

In 2021, she was named the lead instructor for the Laws and Regulations course at UC San Diego Extended Studies Occupational Safety and Health Department. Previously, she was a highly regarded presenter in the Laws and Regulations class for five years. She also teaches Workers’ Compensation for Safety Professionals and Recordkeeping Requirements.
 
Since retiring, Ursula has participated as a panel member for the Daily Journal Judges’ COVID and Courts webinar. Further, for the past two years she worked as an on-call consultant/instructor for Safety Center, Inc. and as Special Counsel for Ogletree Deakins Law Firm’s Workplace Safety Practice Group, providing client advice and participating in symposiums, webinars and stakeholder round table panels. 
 
In addition to teaching classes for UCSD, Ursula currently works as the Case Decisions Editor for the Cal/OSHA Reporter, a weekly publication. She provides an insider analysis of the ALJ's and Appeals Boards’ decisions summarizing how they arrived at their conclusions.