For 75 years, Littler has been a leader in the area of labor and
employment law on a national, and recently, international
scale.
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
expanded abroad. The firm opened its first international office in
Caracas, Venezuela, in 2010 and opened two Mexico offices in 2012.
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. In 2015 Littler continued its global expansion
with the addition of an office in Toronto, Canada, four offices in
Germany, and an office in Managua, Nicaragua, thus rounding out its
Central American regionalization process with a presence now in
virtually every Central American country. In October 2016, Littler
Global combined with Fromont Briens, adding 170 attorneys in Lyon
and Paris, France. In May 2017, London-based GQ Employment Law
joined the global platform expanding Littler's European
presence.
The firm's ranks have likewise grown significantly. For its
first 30 years, Littler had fewer than 10 attorneys. The firm
experienced moderate growth in the 1970s, totaling 50 lawyers by
the end of that decade. Since that time, the firm has taken growth
to another level: it now boasts more than 1,300 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.
Littler truly shines with its labor and employment practice, and
is constantly recognized for it. In 2016, U.S.
News-BestLawyers ranked Littler's employment, labor, and
litigation practices as tier 1, named Littler "Law Firm of the
Year" in litigation, following a year of winning the same title for
its labor law practice. Chambers Global recognized Littler
as a Leading Firm in 2016, a new title that followed eleven
consecutive years of rankings by Chambers USA as
"America's Leading Lawyers for Business."
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. Additionally,
the firm has developed technology driven platforms to change the
delivery of legal services, including the Littler CaseSmart
platform, Littler X-celerator ComplianceHR, LaborSmart, and
PolicySmart. In 2015, Littler launched its Big Data Initiative,
hired the firm's first National Director of Data Analytics and
garnered a number of accolades by Financial Times "North America
Innovative Lawyers" report, winning the overall compliance and
technology category for its joint venture ComplianceHR. The firm
also earned a "Client Service Innovator of the Year" in 2016 from
LegalTech News and The Recorder. In 2017, the
firm was recognized alongside its client, Cabela's Inc., as a 2017
ACC Value Champion by the Association of Corporate Counsel for
driving value, while controlling legal spending and producing
better results through the Littler CaseSmart platform.
Ongoing
Inclusion Appreciation
Littler has earned several awards for
its diversity initiatives and inclusive culture. The firm was
awarded the Starbucks Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion
award, received a perfect rating of 100 in the 2017 Corporate
Equality Index, and received the 2016 Legal Excellence Award from
Nationwide. Furthermore, the California Minority Counsel Program
awarded Littler the Majority-Owned Law Firm Award and the firm
earned the inaugural national Sager Award from the Minority
Corporate Counsel Association. Littler was also certified as a
"Gold Standard Firm" by the Women in Law Empowerment Forum, and
ranked a top law firm by Working Mother magazine.
Service
Solutions
Over the past year, Littler has
expanded its Service Solutions offerings for clients: 1) Launched
the Construction Industry Toolkit, a web-based service helps
construction industry employers comply with state and federal labor
and employment laws. It is currently available to employers in New
York and New Jersey, and more states will be added to the toolkit
throughout the year. 2) Expanded its award-winning Littler
CaseSmart platform to wage and hour class and collective action
litigation. 3) Launched the Franchise Compliance Toolkit, a
web-based toolkit designed to help ensure compliance with state and
federal laws in the franchisor/franchisee context.
May 2017
No, Not That GQ
Littler added GQ Employment Law, a
leading labour and employment law boutique in London, to its global
platform. The GQ Employment Law team represents companies based in
the U.K., the U.S. and throughout Europe in a variety of
industries, including financial services, technology,
pharmaceuticals and medical devices, luxury goods, energy, retail
and manufacturing. Following Littler's expansion into France,
Germany and Canada over the past two years and the continued
development of its Latin America practice, the GQ agreement is part
of a global growth strategy that includes combining with labor and
employment focused firms in key markets through Littler Global.
January
2017
75 Years Young
Littler celebrated the 75th
anniversary of its founding. As part of Littler's strategy to serve
as a single source provider of employment law counsel for clients,
the firm has grown its footprint and attorney ranks both
domestically and globally. Through the addition of several lateral
groups and high-profile attorneys, as well as opening new offices
in key U.S. markets, Littler now operates in 34 states and the
District of Columbia. Since establishing its first international
location in Caracas, Venezuela, in October 2010, Littler has also
expanded rapidly across the globe.
December 2016
How Innovative!
Littler was recognized among the top
25 innovative law firms in the Financial Times North
America Innovative Lawyers report for 2016. Littler's Big Data
Initiative received the top ranking in the "Data, Analytics &
Intelligence" category based on efforts to create data analytics
services for clients. Dr. Zev J. Eigen, Littler's Global Director
of Data Analytics, was named among the 10 most innovative lawyers
in the North American legal sector. The Littler Xmpt Toolkit was
listed as "Commended" in the "Use of Technology" category.
Additionally, Littler's Workplace Policy Institute earned the same
recognition in the "Changing and Influencing Regulation"
category.
October 2016
Eurotrip
Littler combined with Fromont Briens, one of the largest labor
and employment law firms in Europe. With offices in Paris and Lyon,
France, the Fromont Briens team consists of 170 lawyers that focus
on all areas of labor and employment law. The combination follows
Littler's expansion into Germany and Canada last year, and its
development of a labor and employment practice of unparalleled
scope across Latin America. Fromont Briens represents multinational
companies based in the United States, France and throughout Europe
in a wide variety of industries, including energy, technology,
retail, manufacturing, financial services, pharmaceuticals and
medical devices.