Douglas R. Hart

Douglas R. Hart is a partner in the Labor and Employment Practice Group in the firm's Los Angeles office.

Areas of Practice

Mr. Hart is one of the leading class action litigators in the country.  He handles nationwide class action litigation venued across the country and is national class action counsel for several of the Fortune 100.  Mr. Hart has been highly successful in defending some of the largest class action lawsuits filed against employers both in California and across the nation, with several of the cases being dismissed outright.  He handles all types of employment related class action lawsuits on behalf of employers, including pay practice and wage hour cases, disparate impact and intentional discrimination cases and pension plan cases.

Mr. Hart is in the vanguard of assisting employers with strategies concerning management/union relations, and speaks regularly on this subject including the Employee Free Choice Act.  He is expert at negotiating complex collective bargaining agreements and has negotiated several groundbreaking contracts which serve as models for their respective industries.  Mr. Hart has significant experience with the financial services, insurance, healthcare and construction industries.

Mr. Hart also regularly counsels employers on personnel policies and procedures, employee discipline matters, corporate restructuring and reorganizations, labor relations issues pertaining to mergers and acquisitions, executive compensation and employment contracts.

Education

• J.D., University of Nebraska, Managing Editor, Nebraska Law Review, author of Res Judicata, Collateral Estoppel and Title VII: Tool or Trap for the Unwary, 62 Neb. L. Rev. 384 (1983), authored "Model or Aberration? The Law of Wrongful Termination in California," Institute, University of Nebraska Law School, 1991, and "Wrongful Discharge: The Expanding Concept of Individual Rights In Action," Institute, University of Nebraska Law School, 1987, co-authored "Time Bomb In the Work-Place: AIDS Discrimination," U.S.C. Institute for Corporate Counsel, 1984, highest honors
• M.S., Montana State University, 1981, highest honors
• B.S., Montana State University, 1980, highest honors

Admissions

• California
• Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
• Federal District Courts in California

Class Actions

Mr. Hart recently argued the Parth v. Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center case before the Ninth Circuit which will be a significant decision affecting all employers and employers in the health care industry in particular.

Mr. Hart is also lead counsel in a case which is pending before the California Supreme Court.  The case may be one of the most significant employment cases addressed by the California Supreme Court and will likely decide the extent and applicability of the administrative exemption for California employers.  It could impact the classification of thousands of employees in California.

In both of the above cases, Mr. Hart is defending victories he achieved in the trial courts.

Mr. Hart also represents the County of Los Angeles in several employment class actions.  He was named Attorney of the Year by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for his successful efforts in defending the Department in the largest employment class action in the County's history.

Collective Bargaining

Mr. Hart negotiated the collective bargaining agreement between Memorial Health Services and the California Nurses Association for the largest single facility bargaining unit in the Western United States.  He also recently completed negotiations on a number of collective bargaining agreements between the Providence Health Care System and the Service and Employees International Union.

Honors

• Top Labor & Employment Lawyers, Chambers & Partners, 2009

Memberships

• Member, State Bar of California
• Member, Labor Law Section, Los Angeles County Bar Association

Articles

• Mr. Hart was co-author of the California Labor and Employment Alert newsletter.

Labor & Employment Law Blog Articles

• "The Employee Free Choice Act: No Choice At All", November 26, 2008

Speeches

• The Employee Free Choice Act: No Choice At All - Los Angeles Area, January 6, 2009
• The Employee Free Choice Act: No Choice At All - Orange County, January 5, 2009