Clark Hill PLC issued the following announcement on Aug. 07.
Clark Hill PLC announced the addition of a four-lawyer group that has joined the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice in the Los Angeles office. Rafael Nendel-Flores and Guillermo Tello have joined as Members, and Jose Cabada and Yesi Lagunas have joined as Associates, all formerly members of LeClairRyan law firm in Los Angeles.
“We are delighted to welcome this group of talented lawyers as part of our continued expansion of Clark Hill’s Los Angeles office,” noted Los Angeles office Member-in-Charge Donald Ridge. “We have a significant client base doing business in California and having additional Labor & Employment resources available to our offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego will further strengthen our team.”
“Growing our Labor & Employment team in California is a very important element of our strategic plan,” said Clark Hill Labor & Employment Business Unit Director Paul Boehms. “California employment law issues are among the most complex in the country, and the addition of this four-lawyer team will be a great asset to our clients.”
Nendel-Flores represents employers in complex employment matters, including wage and hour class actions, employment tax litigation/audits, and appellate litigation, and defends employers in discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment and retaliation claims. He has particular experience with California wage-hour compliance, independent contractor issues, drafting and enforcing arbitration agreements, and Federal-WARN Act and California-WARN Act compliance. Nendel-Flores also counsels employers on day-to-day workplace compliance issues, workplace investigations, employee discipline, reasonable accommodation/leave issues, and wage and hour compliance issues.
“The issues that our clients face with increasing regulation and legislation in California are ever-changing, and some of our clients also have interests both across the country and around the globe. Clark Hill’s expanding footprint fits well with our clients’ needs and geographic reach,” said Nendel-Flores.
Nendel-Flores is a member and former President of the Orange County Hispanic Bar Association. He earned a B.A. in Political Science from Stanford University in three years and a J.D. from George Washington University Law School with honors, where he served as Articles Editor for the George Washington Law Review.
Tello represents clients in litigation matters and provides advice and counsel on day to day California employment law issues. His litigation experience ranges from single plaintiff to multi-party complex actions, as well as class and representative actions, including claims of wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, wage and hour and prevailing wage disputes, and business and commercial litigation. Tello’s transactional experience includes negotiating, drafting, and modifying a wide range of employment related agreements and contracts, including non-compete and non-disclosure agreements, shareholder agreements, and independent contractor service agreements.
“As a full service law firm, Clark Hill will give our clients access to a team of lawyers who can advise them across the board on related issues, including immigration and employee benefits,” said Tello. “That’s a tremendous advantage to our clients.”
Tello has served as the C.F.O. and Vice President of the Orange County Hispanic Bar Association and continues to serve on the Judicial Evaluations and Scholarships committees. He earned a B.A. in Legal and Political Studies from the University of La Verne and a J.D., magna cum laude, from Western State College of Law.
Cabada represents employers in a wide range of employment-related matters, including claims of discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation, and wage and hour violations. During law school Cabada clerked at the Orange County District Attorney's Office. He earned a B.A. in Political Science at California State University, Long Beach and a J.D. from Whittier Law School.
Lagunas focuses her practice on labor and employment litigation. She earned a B.A. from the University of California at Los Angeles and a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. While at Hastings, Lagunas served as a law clerk for the Orange County Public Defender’s office, San Francisco City Attorney’s office, and the San Francisco Legal Aid Center. She was awarded the prestigious Peggy Browning Fund Fellowship and clerked at a union-side labor firm in New York City. Additionally, Lagunas was awarded the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund and Orange County Hispanic Bar Association scholarships. Upon graduation, she was inducted into the UC Hastings Pro Bono Society.
Original source can be found here.