Littler Mendelson P.C.

For more than 80 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 43 abroad, the firm’s massive footprint is a recent development—the firm expanded modestly through the 20th century, and now boasts more than 1,900 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 expanded beyond traditional legal counseling to develop a range of client-facing programs and platforms, including the Littler Learning Group, Littler CaseSmart, Littler OnDemand, and ComplianceHR, and tools such as LaborSmart and PolicySmart. These offerings support a technology-enabled, process-driven approach to certain high-volume and compliance-related matters.

As part of this model, the firm offers alternative attorney roles connected to its Littler OnDemand and Littler CaseSmart platforms. Attorneys in these positions often work within structured workflows, using centralized resources and technology to deliver legal services, and outside the traditional billable-hour structure. 

These roles reflect a more systematized approach to certain types of legal work compared to those in traditional law firm models.

• No. 1 Best Law Firm for Talent, 2025—Seramount
• Global Elite Law Firm, 2025-2026—International Employment Lawyer