SAN FRANCISCO, CA (June 17, 2011) – Littler Mendelson, P.C. (Littler), the nation's largest employment and labor law firm representing management, today announced that five of its shareholders have made Human Resource Executive® magazine's list of 100 Most Powerful Corporate Employment Lawyers for 2011. The Littler attorneys included are Barry Hartstein, Gerald Hathaway, Garry Mathiason, Marko Mrkonich and Robert Wolff.
For the fourth consecutive year, Lawdragon, a Los Angeles-based networking website for lawyers and clients, and Human Resource Executive have collaborated on the guide to the nation's leading employment defense lawyers. Selections for the list were made after a rigorous nomination and research process in which more than 5,000 employment and labor lawyers were considered for inclusion based on curriculum-vitae analyses, evaluations by clients and peers and reporting by the Lawdragon staff.
Hartstein is a shareholder based in Littler's Chicago office and has earned a national reputation for his work, a career that includes more than 30 years of counseling and representing employers in a broad range of employment law matters. He also has extensive experience as a litigator and has defended employers around the country in individual and class action claims, as well as wage and hour collective actions. Hartstein is a frequent writer, commentator and lecturer on workplace issues.
Hathaway is a shareholder in Littler's New York City office and has practiced labor and employment law on behalf of management exclusively since 1979. He developed expertise in advising corporate clients, private equity funds, investment banks and financial institutions with respect to labor and employment issues in the contexts of local, national and international corporate transactions and financial restructuring. A frequent speaker on labor and employment topics, Hathaway has also authored several articles and contributed to treatises on labor and employment issues, including obligations to unions in the context of mergers and acquisitions, and WARN.
Mathiason is Littler's chairman of the board and oversees the firm's Corporate Compliance Practice Group. Based in Littler's San Francisco office, he defends employers in complex wage & hour discrimination class action cases and is recognized as one of the nation's leading authorities on employment law trends. He has originated several of Littler's preventive employment law programs, developed the firm's alternative dispute resolution program, structured in-house employment law training programs, and drafted model legislation on workplace violence. Mathiason has written extensively on workplace issues, and has been interviewed and quoted by numerous top-tier media outlets.
Mrkonich is president and managing director of Littler and is based in the firm's Minneapolis office. His practice focuses on employment litigation, client counseling, and traditional labor law issues. He has represented clients in federal and state trial and appellate courts, federal and state administrative agencies, and labor arbitration. In addition, he has experience in mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. Mrkonich speaks regularly on a wide variety of employment topics to legal, human resource and other business audiences.
Wolff is co-chair of Littler's Healthcare practice group and is located in the firm's Cleveland office. A seasoned civil trial attorney with nearly 30 years of experience, he has represented large and small companies throughout the United States in employment and trade secret litigation. His clients include employers in the healthcare, energy, transportation and retail industries.
In addition to the 100 Most Powerful list, Littler attorney Steve McCown made the publication's Top 20 in Traditional Labor and Employment list.
McCown is a shareholder based in Littler's Dallas office and is a nationally-recognized expert on the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). With over 25 years of experience, McCown has represented and counseled employers and industry associations on various OSHA matters. Additionally, McCown has experience in traditional labor law and has represented employers in numerous employment law jury trials in state and federal court. He is a regular speaker before business and professional associations throughout the country, and is a contributing author to several treatises and publications on Occupational Safety and Health Law.
About Human Resource Executive® Magazine
Human Resource Executive® was established in 1987 and continues today as the premier publication focused on strategic issues in HR. Written primarily for vice presidents and directors of human resources, the magazine provides these key decision-makers with news, profiles of HR visionaries and success stories of human resource innovators. Stories cover all areas of human resource management, including personnel, benefits, training and development, HR information systems, relocation, retirement planning, workplace security, and health care.
About Littler Mendelson
With over 800 attorneys and 51 offices, Littler Mendelson is the largest U.S.-based law firm exclusively devoted to representing management in employment and labor law matters. As the only U.S. member of the Ius Laboris global alliance, Littler has extensive resources to address the needs of multi-national clients, from navigating international employment laws and labor relations issues to applying corporate policies worldwide. Established in 1942, the firm has litigated, mediated and negotiated some of the most influential employment law cases and labor contracts on record.
