Reed Smith today announced the addition of two partners to its Labor & Employment practice in the firm’s Los Angeles office. Jennifer Terry and Mark Phillips join the firm from Arent Fox where they were both partners.
“Jennifer and Mark are highly accomplished employment lawyers who bring significant experience to our practice,” said Mark D. Temple, global practice leader for the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice. “Both have represented employers of all sizes, across numerous industry sectors and will add great depth to our expanding labor and employment practice in California and nationwide.”
Terry has been honored by the Daily Journal as a “Top Labor and Employment Attorney” and as a “Top Woman Lawyer.” She has first chair trial experience who represents clients in both class actions and single plaintiff litigation. Her clients are in a variety of industry sectors including retail, food and beverage, transportation, life sciences, pharmaceutical, entertainment, consumer products, and Internet-based corporations. Her litigation experience includes defending wage hour class and representative claims, as well as sexual harassment, disability, retaliation and wrongful termination disputes. She also provides counsel on wage-hour compliance, fair pay, leave laws, and regulations under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“We are looking forward to collaborating on a global scale with a deep bench of experienced employment lawyers and expanding our work for multinational corporations being served by Reed Smith’s global platform,” said Terry. “The energy and enthusiasm for practicing law at the firm was evident in everyone we met and we are excited to be part of the team.”
A 1998 graduate of the University of California Hastings College of the Law, Terry also has experience in higher education law, having worked in the Office of the General Counsel at the University of Utah. She joined Arent Fox when her former firm O’Brien Abeles merged with them in 2007. Prior to entering private practice, Terry served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable J. Thomas Greene in the U.S. District Court of Utah.
Phillips’ principal area of practice is the defense of employers in class actions, including wage and hour disputes and discrimination claims, as well as single plaintiff employment matters and general commercial disputes. He represents clients in industries including transportation and trucking, automotive, higher education, digital media, advertising, and retail. In addition to litigation, his practice also includes advising employers on everyday workplace matters, training management on human resource issues, and counseling employers on new laws and regulations affecting their workplaces.
“California is a particularly challenging environment for employers and when you add in the disruptive forces at play like the gig economy and artificial intelligence, the need for top notch employment counsel has never been greater,” said Phillips. “Our focus is on helping businesses achieve their goals by finding creative and practical solutions to their employment issues.”
Prior to Arent Fox, Phillips was a partner at Hansen & Phillips LLP, a Southern California business litigation firm. Before that he practiced at a San Diego employment law firm and served as a law clerk for Judge Lawrence J. Block of the United States Court of Federal Claims. He is a 2001 graduate of Indiana University Maurer School of Law.
“We are excited to add this high caliber duo to our busy Labor & Employment practice in Southern California,” said Lorenzo E. Gasparetti, Managing Partner of Reed Smith’s Los Angeles office. “Several of our attorneys have previously worked with Jenny and Mark and we have shared clients with them as well. It’s great to have them join our team.”
Reed Smith’s Labor & Employment practice was ranked a “Powerhouse” in employment litigation by BTI Litigation Outlook 2019, placing it among the top five firms in this important practice sector. The practice is known for providing seamless, tailored advice on the evolving landscape of laws and regulations affecting the workplace while helping its clients retain and attract the most talented, skilled employees.
Source: www.reedsmith.com
