Overview

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.

Professional & Community Affiliations

Member

Illinois State Bar Association

Member

Missouri Bar Association

Member

Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis

Trustee

Wayland Academy

Member

Harvard Club of St. Louis

Recognition

Ranked, Labor & Employment

Chambers USA

2019-2024

Named, The Best Lawyers in America®

2018-2025

Named, Top 10 Most Influential Labor & Employment Lawyers in St. Louis

Business Today

2023

Named, Client Service All-Star

BTI Consulting

2020

Named, Rising Star

Super Lawyers

2013 - 2017

Barrister

Theodore McMillian Inns of Court

News, Analysis & Press

Guiding Companies Toward Pay Equity Compliance

Directors & Boards

March 1, 2024

Pandemic Worsens Pay Inequity For Women, Experts Say

Law360 Employment Authority

March 11, 2022

St. Louis Law Firms Score Big in U.S. News Rankings

St. Louis Business Journal

November 13, 2018

Books & Book Chapters

  • Littler Mendelson on Employment Law Class Actions, LexisNexis, Settling Class Actions, Chapter 13, Contributing Chapter Author, 2nd Ed., 2013
  • Whistleblowing & Retaliation: A Guide for Human Resources Professionals & Counsel, Littler Mendelson and LexisNexis, The Sarbanes-Oxley Act & Federal Whistleblower Statutes, Chapter 4, Chapter Author, 5th Ed., 2013

Speaking Engagements

Boards, HR, and Legal: Developing and Organizational Apporach to Equal Pay

Littler Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ

May 9, 2024

Pay Equity Compliance: How to Advise Your C-Suite and Safeguard Your Company

SHRM-Atlanta Legal Summit, Atlanta, GA

May 16, 2019

Pay Equity Clinic

Littler Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ

May 10, 2019

The Pay Equity Wave Rolls On: What You Need to Know to Stay Afloat

Littler Employment and Labor Law Conference, St. Louis, MO

October 3, 2018

Prevent Retaliation with a Speak-up Culture CLE

Association of Corporate Counsel, St. Louis Chapter, St. Louis, MO

April 30, 2013

Education

  • J.D., Harvard Law School, 2005cum laude
  • B.A., University of Chicago, 2000With Honors, Phi Beta Kappa

Bar Admission

Missouri
Illinois

Courts

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Missouri
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois