Ms. Leader is an experienced Employment Law and Litigation attorney with broad and in-depth experience. She is well-versed in responding to the demands and needs of private and public employers and in defending employers against a wide spectrum of employment disputes. She gained her experience in the field of Employment Law and Litigation as outside counsel working for well-known national and regional law firms, as in-house counsel for a Silicon Valley technology corporation, and as an attorney/investigator for the U.S. Department of Labor.
As outside counsel, Ms. Leader has represented private and public employers in single Plaintiff cases alleging discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful and/or constructive discharge claims as well as wage and hour disputes. She also has represented employers in class and representative PAGA actions seeking recovery of damages and penalties arising out of alleged violations of the California Labor Code. Ms. Leader has litigated matters in state and federal courts and before governmental agencies. She advises and counsels Human Resources professionals and in-house counsel for employers on a variety of employment issues, conducts and/or oversees investigations of potential employee misconduct, provides risk assessment and recommendations for avoiding potential liability, as well as offering proactive and practical solutions for resolution.
Ms. Leader regularly takes lead responsibility for handling cases, makes strategy decisions and conducts all aspects of litigation, from responding to initial pleadings, conducting written discovery, taking and defending party and witness depositions, preparing and opposing dispositive motions, obtaining and working with defense experts, attending mediation and skillfully resolving matters, preparing cases for trial and attending trial, as well as drafting appellate briefs.
Ms. Leader received her Juris Doctorate from Willamette University College of Law in Oregon, where she was a member of the Willamette Law Review and published an extensive article analyzing employment disability discrimination claims. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from University of California at Davis.