Labor And Employment Attorney

You've spent three to five years becoming the associate every partner wants on their California employment cases. You're the one they hand the class cert opposition to because they know it'll be right. You're the one managing discovery across thousands of putative class members without dropping a deadline. You're the one who actually knows the difference between a compliant meal period policy and one that's about to generate a seven-figure PAGA claim.

And you're still waiting for someone to let you argue the motion you drafted.

You can take a deposition. You've done it. But you're not getting enough reps because the senior associate or partner takes the important ones and hands you the 30(b)(6) prep outline instead. You can advise a GC on restrictive covenant strategy under California law — but your firm routes that call to someone with a bigger title and gives you the memo to write afterward.

You're building someone else's practice. Not yours.

A top-ranked AmLaw firm — consistently recognized across major industry publications for its labor and employment work in both the US and EMEA — is adding a mid-level associate to its California employment litigation team. This isn't a group that only does defense-side class actions. They handle the full spectrum: high-stakes single-plaintiff matters, complex wage and hour class actions, restrictive covenant disputes, and proactive compliance counseling. The practice is built around keeping associates in the room, not outside it.

The work includes:

• Defending complex wage and hour class actions and PAGA representative claims in California state and federal court
• High-stakes single-plaintiff discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and whistleblower litigation
• Advising employers on California wage and hour compliance — policy drafts, audits, and risk mitigation
• Counseling on restrictive covenants and trade secret protection under California law
• Taking and defending depositions, drafting dispositive motions, and appearing on contested hearings

What you bring:

• 3-5 years of employment litigation experience, ideally with meaningful California law exposure
• Substantive class action and/or PAGA experience — not just doc review on someone else's case
• Deposition and courtroom experience — or the readiness to hit the ground running on both
• California bar admission

What you get:

• A nationally ranked employment practice where mid-levels litigate, not just administrate
• Both litigation and counseling work — you're building a full employment practice, not a narrow defense resume
• Cravath scale ($260K+ depending on class year)

This seat doesn't come open often in a group this well-regarded. If you're a California employment litigator who's ready for more autonomy and better work, reach out directly or send your resume confidentially to srushing@laterallink.com