Jason S. Mills

Associate

Jason S. Mills is an associate in Morgan Lewis's Labor and Employment Practice. Mr. Mills represents clients in a broad spectrum of employment matters, including wage and hour class action litigation, single-plaintiff litigation, and hearings before the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health's (Cal/OSHA) Appeals Board.

Mr. Mills has defended against numerous class action wage and hour claims, and has represented clients in the retail, pharmaceutical, cable, and energy industries. He has managed teams of attorneys that have successfully defeated class certification and, in some instances, have achieved summary judgment prior to reaching the class certification stage. In addition to wage and hour matters, Mr. Mills has represented clients in nationwide discrimination claims.

Mr. Mills has represented clients in a multitude of single-plaintiff actions, including wrongful termination, discrimination, and harassment claims. He has defended clients against claims brought under California's antidiscrimination and harassment laws, as well as Sarbanes-Oxley's whistleblower provision. His recent experience includes serving as lead trial counsel in a high profile three-week jury trial and successfully arguing a SOX whistleblower case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In addition to practicing before both state and federal courts, Mr. Mills has represented clients in numerous arbitrations before the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

On the traditional labor side, Mr. Mills frequently represents employers in labor arbitrations, where he has successfully defended against a variety of contractual claims arising from disputes over collective bargaining agreement terms, including a published decision at 129 L.A. 932 (Arb. 2011).

Mr. Mills also represents employers in all matters pertaining to Cal/OSHA, frequently defending employers against citations issued by Cal/OSHA's Enforcement Division. Mr. Mills represents employers throughout the entire appeal process, from negotiations with the division to hearings before the Appeals Board, and has handled numerous appeals involving matters with industrywide implications.

Prior to joining Morgan Lewis, Mr. Mills was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. He served as a judge advocate at Camp Pendleton, where he prosecuted and defended more than 250 accused in Marine Corps courts-martial and litigated to verdict numerous jury trials. During a seven-month tour in Iraq, he served as a prosecutor for the 1st Marine Division operating in the Al Anbar province and prosecuted courts-martial in a hostile combat environment. Mr. Mills completed his five-year Marine Corps service at the rank of captain in November 2004.

Mr. Mills received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1999, where he served as a member of the Minnesota Law Review. He received his B.A., with distinction, in psychology from the University of California, San Diego in 1996.

Mr. Mills is admitted to practice in California and Arkansas.