Crowell & Moring’s Irvine Office Adds Labor and Employment Partner Kendra D. Miller and Counsel Ursula Kubal Guzman

    IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 19 /EMWNews/ -- Crowell & Moring LLP

has gained two seasoned Labor & Employment Group litigators in its Irvine,

CA. office. Partner Kendra D. Miller and counsel Ursula Kubal Guzman add

significant depth to the firm's employment litigation bench, representing

publicly-traded and privately-held companies with operations in Southern

California and across the nation in wage and hour class action disputes.

The moves come on the heels of significant growth in the firm's Labor &

Employment Group, which has grown to more than 35 lawyers across five

international offices in recent years.



    Experienced business advisors and litigators, Miller and Guzman have

extensive experience litigating wage and hour class action matters for

California employers involving alleged misclassification of exempt

employees and independent contractors, meal and rest period violations,

improper deductions from wages, itemized wage statement violations, and

penalties. They have represented clients in a variety of industries,

including the restaurant, entertainment, construction, automotive, and

financial sectors. In addition, Miller and Guzman have represented numerous

employers in employment litigation involving claims of wrongful

termination, sexual harassment and sex discrimination, race and national

origin discrimination, disability discrimination, age discrimination,

unfair competition, and breach of contract.



    "We are delighted to have Kendra and Ursula join the office," said

Steven P. Rice, head of Crowell & Moring's California office. "They add

important breadth and depth to the Labor & Employment Group in California,

particularly in the high stakes arena of class action defense where clients

need sophisticated counsel who understand that legal strategies must work

hand in hand with business needs."



    "For many years, people thought the class action wave would dissipate,"

Miller said. "But every year plaintiffs' attorneys have found new avenues

for bringing employment related claims on a class-wide basis. We advise

clients on how to minimize their exposure both before litigation ensues and

during the defense of litigation. We work hard to be business counselors as

well as litigators, and we're pleased to be joining a multi-faceted,

broadly-based team that helps us accomplish that mission."



    Miller and Guzman join Crowell & Moring from the Orange County office

of Carlton DiSante & Freudenberger LLP, a California Labor & Employment

boutique, where Miller was a partner and Guzman was an associate. Miller

began her career as an associate at Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker LLP. A

graduate of Dartmouth College with an A.B. in Government, Miller earned her

J.D. at the University of Michigan Law School. Guzman began her career as

an associate at Cooley Godward LLP. She earned her B.A. with honors in

Literature and Politics at the University of California, Santa Cruz and her

law degree with honors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Both Miller and Guzman are members of the California bar.



    "We were attracted to Crowell & Moring because it is a major

international law firm that offers big firm clients and resources balanced

with small firm culture and collegiality," Miller said. "The breadth of

practice groups at Crowell and Moring allows us to meet the full range of

our clients' needs."



    Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with more than 400

lawyers practicing in litigation, antitrust, government contracts,

corporate, intellectual property and more than 40 other practice areas.

More than two-thirds of the firm's lawyers regularly litigate disputes on

behalf of domestic and international corporations, start-up businesses, and

individuals. Crowell & Moring's extensive client work ranges from advising

on one of the world's largest telecommunications mergers to representing

governments and corporations on international arbitration matters. Based in

Washington, D.C., the firm also has offices in California, New York,

London, and Brussels. Visit Crowell & Moring online at

http://www.crowell.com.