Equipped with ‘excellent knowledge of the industry’, Seyfarth Shaw LLP is highly regarded for its ability handle labor and employment disputes, notably class actions, government investigations and bet-the-company trials. The group is also adept at representing employers in BIPA litigation across the hotel, healthcare and airline industries. Laura Maechtlen leads the practice from the San Francisco office and is called upon by clients in crisis or with matters involving significant business impact. New York-based Gary Friedman assists employers in litigation concerning restrictive covenants and employment-related class actions. In the Chicago office, reputed litigator Camille Olson defends clients in high stakes discrimination, harassment and wage and hour matters, while Noah Finkel specializes in actual and putative collective or class action matters under the FLSA. The Massachusetts office benefits from Barry Miller’s expertise in the trial of claims under the FLSA and other wage laws. Annette Idalski is a notable figure in the Atlanta office for her significant experience as a trial lawyer in matters involving the energy and telecoms industries.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
- Profile
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Cutting edge legal updates; wonderful client relationships. Lean team.’
‘The team seems to have in-depth knowledge of all the intricacies of the laws. I also like that I typically work with a seasoned partner whose answers are quick and direct.’
‘Experience. The team has tremendous depth and experience in labor and employment matters - all aspects. There's nothing they haven't seen or dealt with.’
‘Seyfarth provides us with excellent customer service and practical, business-oriented advice. They respond quickly and are able to produce the right expert based on the subject matter and geography within a very short turnaround. They are not hesitant about providing a practical risk evaluation and consider the company's level of risk tolerance when providing their advice.’
‘Customer service and technical expertise on a very broad range of employment, benefits, and employment litigation issues.’
‘Highly knowledgeable, high quality work product; excellent knowledge of the industry.’
‘The Seyfarth Shaw team that I work with is very experienced in labor and employment law matters.’
‘Annette Idalski was the partner in charge and is a real pro in the employment law arena. Her litigation skills are top notch and she always looks out for her client's best interest.’
Key clients
- Allstate Insurance Company
- Hyatt
- Delta Airlines
- Nike, Inc.
- Prudential Insurance Company of America
- Tesla
- UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
- US Foods, Inc.
- The Walgreen Company
- Wells Fargo Bank
Work highlights
- Represented an aerospace and defense company in a class action vaccine case.
- Defending a health care company in a putative FLSA collective action pending in S.D. Ohio that challenges the exempt status classification of the company’s clinical appeals nurses.
- Represented a multinational oil service company in an arbitration alleging unpaid overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Lawyers
Hall of fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Practice head
Laura Maechtlen
Other key lawyers
Gary Friedman; Camille Olson; Barry Miller; Alison Silveira; Ray Baldwin; Annette Idalski; Noah Finkel