LOS ANGELES, February 4, 2019: Morgan Lewis has added a three-partner labor and employment team from Sidley Austin headed by Douglas Hart, one the leading class action litigators in the United States who serves as national counsel for several Fortune 100 companies. Joining Doug from the same global law firm are Jennifer Zargarof, who co-led her prior firm’s global labor and employment practice, and Max Fischer. All three are resident in Los Angeles.
Doug, who has defended some of the largest class actions filed against employers in California and across the United States, handles wage and hour, disparate impact, discrimination, and pension plan cases, among other matters. He also is an experienced collective bargaining agreement negotiator and advises employers on labor relations issues. Jennifer defends employers in class actions and other multi-plaintiff litigation, with trial experience before state and federal courts. Max defends companies in employment class actions, claims of discrimination and wrongful termination, and traditional labor disputes.
“This team significantly enhances our robust labor and employment practice on the West Coast,” said Firm Chair Jami McKeon. “Doug, Jennifer, and Max have a long track record of successfully representing employers on complex and significant matters in California and across the United States, and now they will put their formidable skills and knowledge to work for our clients.”
The three partners, who will be joined by two of counsel and three associates, have represented clients in the full array of industries, with particular emphasis on the retail, financial services, insurance, healthcare, construction, transportation, media, and technology sectors.
“Our clients will benefit tremendously with Doug, Jennifer, and Max on our team in California,” said Grace Speights, who leads Morgan Lewis’s global labor and employment practice. “Clients will particularly gain from their deep familiarity of California’s unique requirements on employers, including their wide-ranging experience in the critical area of wage and hour class-based litigation.”
More about the new Morgan Lewis partners:
In addition to his prominence in the area of class action litigation, Doug Hart is in the vanguard of advising employers on management/union relations strategies. He has negotiated several groundbreaking collective bargaining agreements that serve as models for their respective industries. He also regularly advises employers on labor relations issues, personnel policies and procedures, employee discipline matters, corporate restructuring and reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions, executive compensation, and employment contracts. Doug frequently speaks on management-union relations and the Employee Free Choice Act.
Jennifer Zargarof focuses on class actions and other multi-plaintiff litigation. She defends companies in wage and hour, discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, background checks/Fair Credit Reporting Act, and other employment-related matters at the trial and appellate levels in state and federal courts, as well as in arbitration. Jennifer also counsels employers on the full array of personnel policies and procedures, employee discipline matters, employment contracts, and wage and hour issues.
Max Fischer represents companies throughout the United States on a variety of class actions and business disputes. He advises employers on internal investigations and related crisis management strategies, wage and hour compliance, disciplinary matters, reductions in force, voluntary separation programs, and the separation of individual employees. He routinely defends companies facing claims related to discrimination, ERISA, wrongful termination, and defamation, as well as traditional labor disputes such as unfair labor practices and labor arbitration. Max also has extensive experience with alternative dispute resolution systems, including mediation, and other private dispute resolution processes, particularly in the context of creative class action settlements.