Patricia J. Martin has successfully represented clients in state and federal courts, as well as before administrative agencies, such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Missouri Commission on Human Rights, and the Illinois Department of Human Rights. She litigates wage and hour and biometric privacy collective and class actions, unfair competition cases, and discrimination cases. Trish has served as national coordinating counsel on wage and hour class, collective and mass actions pending in courts and before arbitral tribunals across the country. Trish serves on the firm’s Class Action Strategic Review Committee, providing class action guidance and resources to Littler lawyers across the country.
Among her notable litigation successes, Trish obtained a defense verdict in a defamation claim before FINRA. She has obtained denials of class certification and has had conditionally certified collectives decertified. She obtained the dismissal of hundreds of opt-in plaintiffs in a wage and hour collective action for failure to respond to discovery. She has obtained awards of summary judgment in favor of employers in numerous cases, including:
- A class action under the Illinois Minimum Wage Law
- A collective action under the Fair Labor Standards Act
- A Title VII race discrimination claim
- Claims brought under the Missouri commission statute
- Claims brought under the Missouri Human Rights Act
Trish has had numerous appellate court victories, including claims brought under Sarbanes Oxley, Title VII, and the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Trish conducts pay equity audits for all types of employers nationwide. She provides advice and counseling on a wide range of workplace issues, including pay equity compliance and remediation and wage and hour issues. Prior to attending law school, Trish was an investment banking analyst. Trish combines her financial and legal experience into her pay equity compliance practice. In addition, she serves on the firm’s Shareholder Compensation Committee, providing her with unique insight into the role of the employer and practical experience with compensation decisions and practices.
Trish is the office managing shareholder of Littler's St. Louis office and is a member of Littler’s Board of Directors.