Littler Mendelson
Encyclopedia
Littler Mendelson P.C. is a San Francisco
-based law firm
. The firm has 52 offices and over 800 lawyers practicing exclusively in the representation of employers in labor and employment law, and has the largest practice in this area in the United States
and Venezuela
.
and a director of the War Labor Board, initially to represent businesses before the War Labor Board and Salary Stabilization Commission that were threatened with government take-over. The firm grew steadily but remained local to the Bay Area
until the 1990s, when it began expanding aggressively throughout the U.S. via mergers and acquisitions
of other firms.
In 2010, the firm announced the opening of the its first international labor and employment law office in Caracas
, Venezuela
.
As of 2011 Littler has more than 800 lawyers on staff in more than 50 offices. Littler specializes exclusively in employment law, and is affiliated with Littler Mendelson Bacon & Dear (also known as Littler Mendelson Global), an international law firm that also handles immigration
matters.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
-based law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
. The firm has 52 offices and over 800 lawyers practicing exclusively in the representation of employers in labor and employment law, and has the largest practice in this area in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.
History and practice
The firm was founded in 1942 by a deputy California Attorney GeneralCalifornia Attorney General
The California Attorney General is the State Attorney General of California. The officer's duty is to ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" The Attorney General carries out the responsibilities of the office through the California Department of Justice.The...
and a director of the War Labor Board, initially to represent businesses before the War Labor Board and Salary Stabilization Commission that were threatened with government take-over. The firm grew steadily but remained local to the Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
until the 1990s, when it began expanding aggressively throughout the U.S. via mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin, or a new field or...
of other firms.
In 2010, the firm announced the opening of the its first international labor and employment law office in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.
As of 2011 Littler has more than 800 lawyers on staff in more than 50 offices. Littler specializes exclusively in employment law, and is affiliated with Littler Mendelson Bacon & Dear (also known as Littler Mendelson Global), an international law firm that also handles immigration
Immigration law
Immigration law refers to national government policies which control the phenomenon of immigration to their country.Immigraton law, regarding foreign citizens, is related to nationality law, which governs the legal status of people, in matters such as citizenship...
matters.
Practice areas
- AppellateAppealAn appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
- Business restructuringRestructuringRestructuring is the corporate management term for the act of reorganizing the legal, ownership, operational, or other structures of a company for the purpose of making it more profitable, or better organized for its present needs...
- Class actionClass actionIn law, a class action, a class suit, or a representative action is a form of lawsuit in which a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court and/or in which a class of defendants is being sued...
avoidance and defense - Corporate complianceRegulatory complianceIn general, compliance means conforming to a rule, such as a specification, policy, standard or law. Regulatory compliance describes the goal that corporations or public agencies aspire to in their efforts to ensure that personnel are aware of and take steps to comply with relevant laws and...
- Employee benefits
- Employment litigation
- Employment taxes
- ImmigrationImmigration lawImmigration law refers to national government policies which control the phenomenon of immigration to their country.Immigraton law, regarding foreign citizens, is related to nationality law, which governs the legal status of people, in matters such as citizenship...
/global migrationInternational migrationInternational migration occurs when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum length of time. Migration occurs for many reasons. Many people leave their home countries in order to look for economic opportunities in another country. Others migrate to be with family... - International employment and labor lawUnited States labor lawUnited States labor law is a heterogeneous collection of state and federal laws. Federal law not only sets the standards that govern workers' rights to organize in the private sector, but also overrides most state and local laws that attempt to regulate this area. Federal law also provides more...
- Labor-management relations
- Office of Federal Contract Compliance ProgramsOffice of Federal Contract Compliance ProgramsThe Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs is part of the U.S. Department of Labor. OFCCP is responsible for ensuring that employers doing business with the Federal government comply with the laws and regulations requiring nondiscrimination...
(OFCCP) - PrivacyWorkplace privacyEmployees typically must relinquish some of their privacy while at the workplace, but how much they must do so can be a contentious issue. The debate rages on as to whether it is moral, ethical and legal for employers to monitor the actions of their employees. Employers believe that monitoring is...
and data protection - Unfair competitionUnfair competitionUnfair competition in a sense means that the competitors compete on unequal terms, because favourable or disadvantageous conditions are applied to some competitors but not to others; or that the actions of some competitors actively harm the position of others with respect to their ability to...
and trade secrets - Wage and hourMinimum wage in the United States, the federal minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 per hour. Some states and municipalities have set minimum wages higher than the federal level , with the highest state minimum wage being $8.67 in Washington. Some U.S. territories are exempt...
- Workers' compensationWorkers' compensationWorkers' compensation is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her employer for the tort of negligence...
- Workplace safetyOccupational safety and healthOccupational safety and health is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goal of all occupational safety and health programs is to foster a safe work environment...
Notable alumni
- Melissa LafskyMelissa LafskyMelissa Lafsky is an American writer who is known as the author of the blog, which formerly focused on the dehumanizing aspects of law firms. - Education and legal career :...
, authorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and blogBlogA blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
ger - Sonja HenningSonja HenningSonja L. Henning is an attorney and former collegiate and professional basketball player. She grew up in Racine, Wisconsin, where she attended Horlick High School.-Stanford University:...
, WNBAWomen's National Basketball AssociationThe Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...
player