Hike in Wage-and-Hour Litigation Spurs Demand for Calif. Employment Law Associates

Law firms in California are hiring more employment law associates to help defend companies seeing a spike in wage-and-hour and disability litigation.

Hiring partners interviewed by the Recorder expect to have plenty of employment work, despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision scuttling a huge class action by Wal-Mart workers. A big “kitchen sink” class action like the one in Wal-Mart Stores Inc. v. Dukes is unusual, according to partner Nancy Abell of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker. Smaller, more manageable classes of plaintiffs are the norm, she said.

The Recorder says these firms are seeing an uptick in work:

• Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, which added 10 employment laterals in California since last October and may hire five more.

• Seyfarth Shaw, which added 10 employment associates in San Francisco in the past 10 months, and may be hiring more in three of its California offices.

• Paul Hastings, which asked some first-year associates to start early because its labor and employment lawyers were so busy.