Littler Mendelson P.C.

For more than 75 years, Littler has been a leader in the area of labor and employment law on a national and—recently—international scale. With 58 offices nationwide and 36 abroad, the firm’s massive footprint is a recent development—the firm expanded modestly through the 20th century, and now boasts more than 1,500 attorneys.

Bay Area Beginnings

Littler was founded in 1942 in San Francisco by two lawyers with public service backgrounds. Robert Littler had been the Pacific Coast Director of the War Labor Board, and Thomas Coakley was a deputy attorney general for the State of California. During the 1940s, a substantial part of the firm’s practice involved war-related matters on behalf of employers before the War Labor Board and the Salary Stabilization Commission. Over the next two decades, with the growth of Northern California businesses, increasing unionization, and the passage of civil rights legislation, the firm developed a reputation for aggressive representation of management interests in a broad range of matters, from traditional labor work to the expanding field of employment law. 

Management Only

Littler truly shines with its labor and employment practice and is constantly recognized for it by many legal publications. It’s no surprise the firm is No. 1 in Vault’s Labor & Employment ranking. 

Littler exclusively represents management, but its clients come in all sizes and industries, from Fortune 500 corporations to small, single-office businesses. Airlines, wineries, nonprofit organizations, newspapers, government agencies, health care entities, construction companies, and retail chains are just some of the industries that have called on the firm’s services. Some prominent clients include Volkswagen, Wells Fargo, Cesar Entertainment, In-N-Out Burger, and Uber. The firm also frequently conducts independent investigations into tough employment situations.

Lawyers On Demand

With an eye on emerging technology, Littler has also branched out from traditional legal counseling to develop various client-facing programs. These include Littler Learning Group (which provides compliance training materials), the Littler CaseSmart platform, Littler X-celerator ComplianceHR, LaborSmart, and PolicySmart. In May 2019, the firm released an app called Littler OnDemand. It combines attorney responses to specific, previously asked questions and live attorneys ready to address more sophisticated issues. The “on demand” position is meant to provide attorneys with an alternative career path to the traditional associate ladder, by working a set shift, rather than focusing on billable hours. In response to the pandemic this year, Littler created the COVID-19 Task Force, which utilizes the firm’s Littler OnDemand platform to help the firm field the high volume of inquiries from clients regarding the myriad of issues associated with the virus.