For over 70 years, San Francisco-based Littler has been a leader
in the area of labor and employment law.
Bay Area Beginnings
Littler was founded in 1942 in San Francisco by two lawyers with
public service backgrounds. Robert Littler had been the Pacific
Coast Director of the War Labor Board, and Thomas Coakley was a
deputy attorney general for the State of California.
During the 1940s, a substantial part of the firm's practice
involved war-related matters on behalf of employers before the War
Labor Board and the Salary Stabilization Commission. Over the next
two decades, with the growth of Northern California businesses,
increasing unionization and the passage of civil rights
legislation, the firm developed a reputation for aggressive
representation of management interests in a broad range of matters,
from traditional labor work to the expanding field of employment
law.
With a client base extending across the state of California, the
firm added outposts throughout the Golden State-including Fresno,
San Jose, Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento. In the 1980s, the
firm began its move east, with the opening of an office in
Baltimore. The firm now has an astounding 53 offices nationwide,
with a presence in all but a handful of states. Littler also has
begun looking abroad. The firm opened its first international
office in Caracas, Venezuela in 2010, and in 2011, it entered into
a strategic alliance with TransAsia Lawyers to begin providing
employment law services within China. In 2012, Littler continued
its international expansion with the opening of two Mexico offices
located in Mexico City and Monterrey. In October 2013, Littler
combined with Colombian law firm Godoy Córdoba Abogados and Costa
Rican law firm BDS Asesores under the name "Littler
Global." In December 2013, Littler joined with the leading
Puerto Rican law firm Schuster Aguiló. In March 2014, BDS Asesores
opened a new office in the Dominican Republic, and in May 2014,
expanded into Honduras by combining with ISO-certified Ulloa &
Associates.
The firm's ranks have likewise grown significantly. For some 30
years, Littler numbered fewer than 10 lawyers. The firm experienced
moderate growth by the end of the 1970s, with a total of 50
attorneys. Since that time, the firm has taken growth to another
level: it now boasts nearly 1,000 attorneys.
Management Only
Littler exclusively represents management, but its clients come
in all sizes and industries, from Fortune 500 corporations to
mid-sized companies to small, single-office businesses. Airlines,
wineries, nonprofit organizations, newspapers, government agencies,
healthcare entities, construction companies and retail chains are
just some of the industries that have called on the firm's
services.
With an eye on emerging technology, Littler has also branched
out from traditional legal counseling and created the Littler
Learning Group to provide compliance training materials. The firm
offers numerous manuals, videos and workbooks covering a range of
employment law issues, such as whistleblowers, arbitration,
litigation landmines, diversity and harassment, workplace violence,
and general management issues.