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Laura Reathaford

Laura Reathaford is widely respected by her peers in the legal field and has a reputation marked by her successes in "bet-the-company" cases, litigating hundreds of wage and hour and PAGA actions. Clients continually call on Laura and refer her to their colleagues because she takes the road less traveled to California litigation. According to her clients, they "return to her for legal counsel and refer her to other companies because of her staunch advocacy for employers and her no-nonsense approach to handling employment issues." She works tirelessly to effect change in the courtroom concerning matters that have far-reaching implications for California employers, including appearing as amicus curiae counsel in many cutting-edge wage and hour and PAGA cases.

Laura Reathaford is an accomplished employment litigator who has led Lathrop GPM's California-based labor and employment group from its Los Angeles office since 2019. She was appointed Partner in Charge of the L.A. office in January 2023.

Laura assists corporate clients with the defense of wage and hour class and collective actions with a particular emphasis on class actions and representative actions under California's Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). She represents clients in the banking, grocery, fashion, retail, manufacturing, healthcare and telecommunications industries. Laura also defends employers against claims of unpaid wages including overtime, split-shift premiums, reporting time pay, vacation and sick pay, premium pay for missed meal and rest breaks, unreimbursed business expenses, failure to provide accurate itemized wage statements, failure to provide suitable seating, pay equity and discrimination.

When employers face "bet-the-company" class and representative actions involving thousands of employees and tens of millions of dollars, they turn to Laura whose impressive record litigating hundreds of wage and hour and PAGA actions—along with her practical, strategic approach—has earned the respect of opposing counsel, courts and clients around the country. She understands her clients' needs and knows they often want a pragmatic solution to a matter. Laura often helps clients through successful settlements – the kind that rarely draws headlines and keeps clients coming back to her for legal counsel.

A recognized thought leader, Laura is regularly called upon as an authority for the media on stories related to PAGA cases or issues involving PAGA claims. She is a prolific author on employment and labor industry matters and her articles are frequently published in leading legal publications and websites, including the Los Angeles Daily Journal and Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

WHEN ASKED …

Why did you become a lawyer?
I always believed that the legal profession is one that would suit my personality well – and I have found that to be true. I enjoy employment law because it combines business prowess with human experiences. In this area of the law, we often deal with management, which means dealing with people running a business. We get to be a part of the team helping them to navigate the legal complexities of employment relationships. I enjoy learning about businesses, their work, and how they fit into the larger economy.

What do you enjoy about being the Partner-in-Charge of the L.A. Office?
I believe it is important for law firm leadership to leave a legacy for the next generation. To me, that means building the Los Angeles office so that all of our current and future attorneys have the opportunity to build their practices representing interesting clients in complex legal work across multiple areas of law.

Presentations

  • Presenter, "998 Offers and FEHA Actions: How They Work, When to Use Them, and Their Impact on Settlement," Los Angeles County Bar Association, September 29, 2022
  • Presenter, "Private Attorneys’ General Act (PAGA) Update: The Future of PAGA After Viking River Cruises," Alameda County Bar Association, July 27, 2022
  • Co-presenter, "FLSA Freshen Up and Brush Up: Recent and Problematic Wage and Hour Issues," Lathrop GPM 2022 Employment & Labor Law Seminar, April 12, 2022 (Kansas City); May 4, 2022 (Minneapolis)
  • Presenter, "California Osmosis: Lessons Learned," Lathrop GPM 2022 Employment & Labor Law Seminar, April 12, 2022 (Kansas City); May 4, 2022 (Minneapolis)
  • Featured, "Attorney of the Month Profile," Attorney at Law Magazine, April 13, 2021 
  • Presenter, "Dealing with Unconscious Bias & Discrimination," Women, Diversity & Change Summit, November 7, 2018
  • Presenter, "PAGA Trials," Bridgeport PAGA Workshop, Los Angeles, March 24, 2017
  • "’Rest’ Means Rest," Daily Journal Podcast, January 13, 2017
  • "The Spread of ‘Ban-the-Box’ Laws," Bloomberg Radio, August 11, 2014
  • "Employee Expense Reimbursements: A Potential Wage and Hour Hotbed?," BLR, November 2013
  • "Donning and Doffing & Walking Time Allegations, and the Latest Claims Arising from Meal and Rest Breaks," American Conference International, May 29-30, 2014

Publications

  • Author, "The status of plaintiffs’ post-offer costs when a 998 offer is rejected," Los Angeles Daily Journal, October 27, 2022
  • Author, "Why can't employees agree to arbitrate individual PAGA claims?," Westlaw Today, June 27, 2022
  • Author, "Killing employee jobs, one break premium at a time," Los Angeles Daily Journal, July 26, 2021
  • Author, "The Ninth Circuit Delivers Commonsense Win to Employers Under PAGA," Attorney At Law Magazine, July 26, 2021
  • Co-Author, "Punitive damages: hypothetical or hyper-technical?" Los Angeles Daily Journal, April 26, 2021
  • Co-Author, "Insurance Tips for Employers," Attorney At Law Magazine, April 13, 2021
  • Co-Author, "How Strong Corporate Guidance Can Prevent Seven-Figure Liability in Employment Cases," Attorney At Law Magazine, July 1, 2020
  • Author, "SB 806 and the Proposed New Test for Independent Contractor Misclassification, Attorney At Law Magazine, April 29, 2020
  • Author, "Employer's Perspective: PAGA 15 Years Later, California Lawyers Association, July 2019
  • Author, "Ignoring Compelling Legislative History Opens PAGA Floodgates, Daily Journal, June 4, 2018
  • Author, "Avoiding Labor Entanglements for Commission-Earning Employees in a Changing Legal Landscape, The State Bar of California Business Law News, 2017
  • Author, "PAGA Performance," Los Angeles Lawyer, June 2016
  • Author, "He said, she said: Employment litigators debate California’s Private Attorney General Act," Westlaw Journal Employment, June 7, 2016
  • Author, "Advising Clients On The Best Way to Navigate Whistleblower Issues," Verdict Magazine, Summer 2015
  • Author, "Has PAGA Really Made a Difference," Los Angeles Daily Journal, June 2, 2015
  • Author, "San Francisco Handcuffs Employers to Give Ex-Cons a Break," Wall Street Journal, August 11, 2014
  • Author, "Responding the Right Way to PAGA Employment Litigation," The Recorder, July 23, 2014
  • Author, "California Courts May No Longer Be Able to Certify a Ham Sandwich," Corporate Counsel, June 26, 2014
  • Author, "Guidance on Statistics in Class Actions," Los Angeles Daily Journal, June 4, 2014
  • Author, "Appellate Courts Shift Course on Certification," Los Angeles Daily Journal, January 9, 2014
  • Author, "Calif.: New Law Expands Protections for Whistleblowers," Society for Human Resource Management, December 16, 2013
  • Author, "How to Defend Regional Class Actions," Los Angeles Daily Journal, August 23, 2013
  • Author, "Plaintiffs look to PAGA as Class Certifications Get Tougher," Los Angeles Daily Journal, May 1, 2013

Quoted

  • Quoted, "Uber Case Lawyers Face Tall Order to Produce More Info, Los Angeles Daily Journal, July 5, 2016
  • Quoted, "Case of allegedly negligent plaintiffs' lawyer shows murkiness of PAGA, Los Angeles Daily Journal, May 6, 2016
  • Quoted, "Lawyers Balking at Governor's PAGA Reforms, Los Angeles Daily Journal, February 24, 2016
  • Quoted, "In 2015, Arbitration, Misclassification Disputes Dominated Employment Law," Los Angeles Daily Journal, December 30, 2015
  • Quoted, "Cases, Manageability Issues Persist," Los Angeles Daily Journal, May 2015

In the News

Professional Affiliations

  • American Bar Association
  • Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, Amicus Committee
  • Law Society of Upper Canada
  • Los Angeles County Bar Association
  • The State Bar of California

Community Involvement

  • Century City Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors

Honors

  • Women's Leadership Award, Los Angeles Business Journal, July 2023
  • Benchmark Litigation, the Guide to America's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys, "Labor & Employment Star," 2019-2024
  • Top Women Attorneys, Los Angeles Business Journal, 2020
  • Top 100 Women Lawyers in California, Daily Journal, 2018
  • Finalist, Leaders in Law, Los Angeles Business Journal, 2018
  • Woman of Promise, Comerica Bank and Los Angeles Lakers' Women's Business Awards, 2018
  • Southern California Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2013-2018
Photo of Laura  Reathaford
  • Los Angeles

    2049 Century Park East
    Suite 3500S
    Los Angeles, CA 90067-1623
F: 310.789.4601

Assistant

Kris Trecartin
310.789.4674

Court Memberships

  • California
  • Supreme Court of California
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court - Central District of California
  • U.S. District Court - Eastern District of California
  • U.S. District Court - Northern District of California
  • U.S. District Court - Southern District of California

Education

  • Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University, J.D.
  • University of Alberta, BCom.