Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Ogletree Deakins), one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, continues to deepen its ranks and strengthen its presence in California with the addition of Guillermo Escobedo and Jennifer Santa Maria, two new shareholders in the firm’s San Diego office. Escobedo and Santa Maria join Ogletree Deakins from Jackson Lewis, where they helped establish and grow that firm’s San Diego office. Escobedo transitioned his practice to Ogletree Deakins this week. Santa Maria will officially start work for the firm in October. Since opening its doors in January 2013, Ogletree Deakins’ San Diego office has grown quickly to 12 attorneys who serve clients throughout Southern California and the United States. In July, Ogletree Deakins welcomed Christopher Olmsted who joined the San Diego office as a shareholder, boosting the firm’s employment law, litigation, and wage and hour practice groups and increasing the firm’s depth in California.

“We have experienced tremendous growth since opening last year due to client demand and have attracted talented lawyers who fit the firm’s model of providing value and excellent client service,” said Spencer Skeen, managing shareholder of Ogletree Deakins’ San Diego office. “We’ve found these attributes abound in Guillermo and Jennifer and enthusiastically welcome them to our firm.”

Escobedo is a litigator with extensive experience handling wage and hour class actions. He represents employers and individual defendants in all types of employment litigation, including matters involving wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, breaches of contract, defamation, and other issues. He also advises and trains employers on compliance with state and federal employment laws, including medical leaves, disciplinary action, and implementation of policies and practices. In addition, Escobedo conducts sexual harassment prevention training.

Escobedo is active in the legal community, including participation in the San Diego County Bar Association, La Raza Lawyers Association, ACC-San Diego, and the San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Throughout his career, he has received recognition with Super Lawyers and Top Attorney designations, and awards for his pro bono service. Escobedo earned his J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law and a B.A. from the University of California, San Diego.

Santa Maria has extensive trial, arbitration, and mediation experience, and her practice combines litigation and counseling. Her litigation practice includes defending Fortune 100 companies and high-ranking executives, among others, in matters involving wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, whistleblowing, retaliation, breaches of contract, and non-compete issues. Santa Maria also defends employers in complex class actions involving wage and hour claims, meal-and-rest period issues, overtime matters, minimum wage and paycheck violations, and the misclassification of employees. Her counseling practice encompasses advising employers on a broad spectrum of employer-employee relations, such as hiring, promotion, discipline, medical leaves and disability accommodation, workplace investigations, and terminations. She regularly provides advice on anti-harassment and equal employment opportunity workplace policies, leaves of absence, and vacation policies to ensure compliance with labor and employment laws and regulations.

Santa Maria gives back to her community by providing pro bono legal services to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Wounded Warriors, and the Girl Scouts of America. She earned her J.D. from California Western School of Law and a B.A., with Honors, from Michigan State University. She was an All-American in track at Michigan State and competed in the marathon at the 2012 Olympic trials.

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