Littler Adds New Shareholder

LOS ANGELES (July 31, 2013) – Curtis A. Graham has joined Littler Mendelson, P.C. (Littler), the world’s largest employment and labor law firm representing management, as a shareholder in the firm’s expanding downtown Los Angeles office. Graham, previously a partner with FordHarrison, brings extensive class action and single-plaintiff litigation expertise to Littler.  His arrival marks the latest in a string of high profile lateral attorney hires throughout the firm’s 57 global offices.  Accompanying Graham to Littler is senior associate Michelle Rapoport.  The additions of Graham and Rapoport raise the total number of attorneys practicing in the firm’s downtown Los Angeles and Century City offices to nearly 70 attorneys.

“An instrumental part of the firm’s growth strategy is to recruit high-level lateral shareholders and quality associates,” said Jeremy Roth, co-managing director of Littler. “We have added a number of prominent attorneys in recent months to further deepen our expertise and service offerings to clients and we are fortunate to have someone of Curt’s caliber join our shareholder ranks.  His capabilities, and the capabilities of Michelle, particularly in the area of class action litigation, will be an excellent complement to our first-rate class action practice.”

“Curt has successfully led a number of significant statewide class action and single plaintiff defense cases,” added Robert Blumberg, office managing shareholder of Littler’s Downtown Los Angeles and Century City offices. “His impressive practice combined with his connections to some of California’s leading employers will be integral as we further expand our client base throughout the region.”

Graham has obtained successful results in multiple U.S. District Court and California state court wage and hour class actions. He recently defeated class certification in three separate cases on behalf of a Fortune 500 company involving thousands of employees statewide, and prevailed this year as lead counsel in obtaining a full defense verdict in federal court.

In addition to his successful litigation practice, Graham represents clients on a broad spectrum of labor and employment matters. From Fortune 500 companies to start-up ventures, he has counseled companies on wage and hour issues, discrimination and harassment, discipline and termination, employee health and safety, company investigations and dispute resolution, the protection of trade secrets, and the preparation and application of effective personnel policies. Graham is also an experienced mediator and trained negotiator.

“I am excited to join the world’s leading labor and employment powerhouse,” noted Graham. “Littler’s exceptional reputation, deep subject matter expertise in virtually every aspect of labor and employment law and its innovative knowledge management platform, are just a few of the qualities that attracted me to the firm. I look forward to tapping into the expertise of the industry’s most distinguished labor and employment attorneys as I continue to grow my practice throughout California and nationally.”

Graham has also published extensively on a wide range of labor and employment topics.  He has been named a Southern California “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers.  Graham attended Pepperdine University School of Law and completed his undergraduate degree at California State Polytechnic University.

Michelle Rapoport concentrates her practice on employment litigation, including discrimination and harassment claims, wrongful termination and wage and hour matters.  She represents companies in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, hospitality, health care, and not-for-profit organizations.  Rapoport earned her J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and earned her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

About Littler Mendelson

Littler Mendelson is the world’s largest labor and employment law firm exclusively devoted to representing management.  With over 980 attorneys and 57 offices throughout the U.S. and globally, Littler has extensive resources to address the needs of U.S.-based and multinational clients, from navigating domestic and international employment laws and labor relations issues to applying corporate policies worldwide. Established in 1942, the firm has litigated, mediated and negotiated some of the most influential employment law cases and labor contracts on record.