Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm serving clients across the Americas, continued its rapid growth of the Los Angeles office with the hiring of partner Marissa Alguire in the Labor and Employment Practice Group. Alguire is the sixth management-side employment lawyer to join Akerman’s Los Angeles team since January, expanding the office’s bench strengths in all aspects of California employment law. Nationwide, headcount for Akerman’s Labor and Employment Practice Group has more than doubled in size from 21 to 50 lawyers since 2016.

“We continue to experience high client demand for talented employment counsel in California, a market that requires creative solutions to navigate its complex regulatory framework,” said Eric Gordon, chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group. “Marissa’s arrival represents a wonderful addition to our capabilities in this space, thanks to her significant litigation and counseling experience involving employers in various sectors, including technology, entertainment, retail, hospitality and healthcare.”

Alguire represents employers in all aspects of employment litigation, with an emphasis on defending clients against claims of harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination, retaliation, wage and hour and PAGA issues, and class actions, before federal and state courts and in arbitration. She also defends clients in proceedings before the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Employment Development Department.

Alguire also provides day-to-day advice and counseling to employers on a wide variety of employment issues, including employment policies and procedures, internal investigations, accommodation requirements, leaves of absence, wage-and-hour compliance, employment agreements, discharge and discipline, reductions in force, disability access laws and manager and employee training. She speaks regularly on best management practices. Alguire also provides AB1825 Sexual Harassment Prevention Training and is fluent in Spanish.

Alguire joins Akerman’s Los Angeles office at a time when it has nearly tripled since 2015, reaching 37 lawyers and business professionals now located at the CalEdison DTLA to accommodate continuing growth. In addition to her, the team welcomed the following employment lawyers since January, including partners Michelle Lee Flores and Jeffrey Horton Thomas. Along with them, associates Zoe Bekas, Steven Gallagher and Jade Brewster also joined the Los Angeles office.

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