(January 30, 2019) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has elected Neil Alexander (Phoenix), Daniel Boatright (Kansas City), Paul Kennedy (Washington, D.C.), Gene Ryu (Los Angeles) and Jean Schmidt (New York) as new members of its Board of Directors.
“We are excited to have Neil, Dan, Paul, Gene and Jean join the firm’s 2019 Board of Directors,” said Tom Bender and Jeremy Roth, Littler co-managing directors, in a joint statement. “All five have maintained successful practices and exhibit the leadership qualities to serve in a board member capacity, and we look forward to their collective contributions.”
Neil M. Alexander regularly appears in state and federal courts in Arizona and Nevada and before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Labor, the Arizona Civil Rights Division and the Nevada Equal Rights Commission. His practice includes counseling clients on employment risk management for employee workforce or individual employee decisions, workforce design and maximizing contingent worker options while ensuring compliance, contingent workforce co-employment exposures, compliance with the ADA and the FMLA, and other legal issues. Alexander is also co-chair of the firm’s Staffing, Independent Contractors and Contingent Workers Practice Group. He’s been named by The Best Lawyers in America© since 2014.
Alexander earned his J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Washington.
For a full bio, visit https://www.littler.com/people/neil-m-alexander.
Daniel B. Boatright is office managing shareholder of Littler’s Kansas City office. He has represented employers in hundreds of matters in state and federal courts, primarily in Missouri and Kansas, and before administrative agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Labor. Working with restaurants, retailers, and public sector employers, he has experience with claims across the full spectrum of employment law, including defense of numerous multiple plaintiff and collective/class action lawsuits. Boatright also regularly counsels employers in a wide range of industries on compliance with employment laws and provides management training on anti-harassment and other matters. He has been named by The Best Lawyers in America© since 2013 and was named a 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers©. He’s also been recognized by Chambers USA since 2012.
Boatright earned his J.D., with distinction, from the University of Missouri – Kansas City and his B.A., cum laude, from Kansas State University.
For a full bio, visit https://www.littler.com/people/daniel-b-boatright.
Paul J. Kennedy is a trial attorney with more than 30 years of experience on a wide range of employment issues, including terminations, reductions in force, leave issues, wage disputes, investigations, employee theft, union issues, and intellectual property protection, among others. Paul is a member of the Shareholder Compensation Committee and is also former co-chair of Littler’s Unfair Competition and Trade Secrets Practice Group. He was named a 2018 “Washingtonian Top Lawyer” by Washingtonian Media. He also has been awarded the AV® Peer Review Rating by Martindale-Hubbell.
Kennedy earned his J.D. from Washington and Lee University and his B.A., with honors, from Colgate University.
For a full bio, visit https://www.littler.com/people/paul-j-kennedy.
Gene Ryu represents major employers throughout the country and works with clients on a wide variety of matters in all areas of labor and employment law. With tech start-ups as a major segment of his client base, Ryu was instrumental in developing an innovative technology solution – Littler’s X-celerator toolkit – to support emerging companies in building and maintaining their workforce. He is co-chair of Littler’s ‘Ohana Affinity Group and serves on the board of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Council. Ryu received the 2017 Alumnus of the Year award from the Korean American Bar Association of Northern California and has been named a 2019 “Most Influential Minority Attorney” by the Los Angeles Business Journal.
Ryu earned his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and his B.A. from the University of California – Berkeley.
For a full bio, visit https://www.littler.com/people/eugene-ryu.
Jean L. Schmidt has successfully represented and counseled employers in all aspects of employment law for more than 20 years. She’s also represented technology companies, catalog companies, and IT service providers in disputes involving the enforcement of non-competition agreements, confidentiality agreements and non-solicitation agreements, including obtaining and defending against preliminary injunctions. Schmidt has lectured on a variety of employment law topics, including coordinating the Family and Medical Leave Act with the federal and state disability and workers compensation laws. Schmidt also conducts training seminars for supervisory and managerial employees on equal employment laws and sexual harassment and frequently serves as a program speaker for professional associations. Schmidt is a member of the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion Council. She has been named by The Best Lawyers in America© the past two years.
Schmidt earned her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and her B.A. from Miami University.
For a full bio, visit https://www.littler.com/people/jean-l-schmidt.
About Littler
With more than 1,500 labor and employment attorneys in offices around the world, Littler provides workplace solutions that are local, everywhere. Our diverse team and proprietary technology foster a culture that celebrates original thinking, delivering groundbreaking innovation that prepares employers for what’s happening today, and what’s likely to happen tomorrow.
