Ogletree Deakins, one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, is pleased to announce that Leslie Helmer will join the firm’s Los Angeles office as a shareholder. Helmer joins Ogletree Deakins from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, where she practiced in the firm’s Labor and Employment Department for 27 years.

“I worked with Leslie for ten years and know how much her clients love her and how widely connected she is in the Los Angeles legal market,” David Raizman, Managing Shareholder of the firm’s Los Angeles office said. “When a good client tells you that it won’t send you its California work because it uses Leslie, you are not surprised, just motivated to hire her. I’m delighted that we have finally persuaded her to make the switch.”

Helmer has practiced employment law in California since 1990. She has extensive experience in virtually all aspects of employment law including litigation, personnel management, and counseling, having served two long-term secondments with two major employers in Southern California. She has advised and counseled clients on a full range of labor and employment issues, including harassment, discrimination, wrongful discharge, and other federal and state legislative issues. Helmer also regularly counsels employers on terminations and layoffs, wage and hour policies, employee handbooks, family and medical leaves of absence, and disability accommodation issues. She has conducted numerous investigations and trainings and often represents employers in government agency investigations pertaining to employment. Helmer represents clients in a broad spectrum of industries, including entertainment, technology, retail, and hospitality.

She earned her J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles Law School and her B.A. from Stanford University.

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