Littler Mendelson, P.C. (Littler), the world’s largest employment and labor law firm representing management, has added JoAnna Brooks as a shareholder in the San Francisco office. Brooks, previously a partner and head of the Class Action Practice in Jackson Lewis LLP’s San Francisco office, brings extensive class action litigation experience to the firm. Her arrival reflects Littler’s continued attraction of high-profile lateral shareholders. In the past year, the firm has added a number of prominent attorneys to its shareholder ranks, across multiple practice areas and geographic regions to further expand the firm’s national and global platform.
“High-profile lateral recruitment is one of the keys to our continued success and we are excited that a top tier labor and employment practitioner of JoAnna’s caliber joins several others Littler has recruited over the last year,” said Thomas Bender and Jeremy Roth, co-presidents and co-managing directors of Littler, in a joint statement. “Littler’s global platform, innovative resources and depth of our subject matter expertise continue to make the firm a sought after destination for prominent lateral candidates.”
While head of Jackson Lewis’s Class Action Practice in San Francisco, Brooks was involved in more than 50 class action litigation cases in California over the last 10 years. She advises clients both proactively and reactively on employment best practices, and also serves as defense counsel in cases involving harassment, discrimination, breach of contract, wage and hour, and unfair business practices. Her experience includes several complex multi-plaintiff and class action litigation cases, and she has represented clients before the California Labor Commissioner, California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and California Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board.
“We are pleased to have JoAnna join as the newest member of the firm and we look forward to her further enhancing the firm’s already strong presence in Northern California,” said Jennifer Walt, office managing shareholder of the firm’s San Francisco office. “Her background, including significant experience in the retail sector, will further strengthen our service offering to that industry.”
Brooks’ arrival closely follows a high-profile group of laterals in various markets who joined Littler, including Don Prophete and Nikki Howell, top notch employment litigators based in Kansas City, Tamika Nordstrom in Atlanta, and Damon Hart in Boston. Nationally renowned labor attorneys Maury Baskin and Jeff Mintz also joined Littler’s Washington, D.C. and Atlanta offices, respectively, earlier this year. And last year, the firm successfully recruited former Jackson Lewis heavyweight Michael Lotito, currently co-chair of Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute.
“Littler has consistently been recognized as a leader in the handling of complex labor and employment law matters,” Brooks said. “With its expansive attorney roster and deep resources from a knowledge management and innovative technology standpoint, joining a dynamic firm like Littler is a tremendous opportunity for me to serve clients in the most effective, efficient manner possible.”
Brooks earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1995 and her B.A. from Purdue University in 1992. She is a member of the Bar Association of San Francisco and received an American Jurisprudence Award, Moot Court honors and Dean’s List honors while at Georgetown.
