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 class actions 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 Partner in Charge of Lathrop GPM’s Los Angeles office. She is an accomplished employment litigator and recognized in the Los Angeles market as a leader in this area.

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).

Areas of Focus

Credentials

Education

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

Admissions

Bar Admissions

  • California

Court Admissions

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

Recognitions

  • Benchmark Litigation, the Guide to America's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys, "Labor & Employment Star," 2019-2025
  • Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, California Labor & Employment, 2024
  • Los Angeles Business Journal, "Leaders of Influence: Litigators & Trial Attorneys," 2024
    • "Women of Influence: Attorneys," 2024
    • "Women's Leadership Award," July 2023
  • 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

Accolades

Badge for

Presentations

  • Co-presenter, "Welcome to the Wild West: California Employment," Lathrop GPM 2024 Employment & Labor Law Seminar, October 23, 2024 (Minneapolis)
  • Co-presenter, "All About Employment Audits," Lathrop GPM 2023 Employment & Labor Law Seminar, October 5, 2023 (Kansas City)
  • 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)
  • 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

  • Co-Author, "Punitive damages: hypothetical or hyper-technical?" Los Angeles Daily Journal, April 26, 2021
  • Featured, "Attorney of the Month Profile," Attorney at Law Magazine, April 13, 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

Professional Activities

  • 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