Adam R. Rosenthal

Adam R. Rosenthal is a partner in the Labor and Employment Practice Group in the firm’s San Diego (Del Mar) and Los Angeles offices. 

Adam is an AV Preeminent® rated attorney from Martindale-Hubbell. Adam has also been recognized for his exemplary client services by BTI Consulting Group as a BTI Client Service All-Star®. 

Areas of Practice

Adam represents a broad spectrum of employers in all areas of employment law before federal and state courts across the US and arbitration forums. Over his career as a litigator, Adam has represented employers of all sizes, from large multinationals in class action lawsuits with tens of millions of dollars at issue, to smaller employers faced with “bet the company” lawsuits brought by former employees. Because of his trial experience, Adam is regularly asked by clients to take over existing cases from other law firms, where he offers a fresh perspective on how to achieve the client’s litigation objectives.

Adam has considerable experience representing clients in complicated wage and hour class actions and California Private Attorney General Act (“PAGA”) lawsuits, as well as single plaintiff cases with claims for wrongful termination, retaliation, discrimination, and harassment. Adam also represents clients prosecuting and defending trade secrets disputes. Adam regularly provides advice to C-Suite executives and General Counsel on complex employment law matters.

Among his recent notable successes, Adam obtained a complete defense verdict in a jury trial on allegations of disability discrimination and retaliation. Adam also prevailed in AAA single plaintiff arbitration involving race discrimination and retaliation. He obtained a similar result following a multi-day JAMS arbitration in a high-profile retaliation and RICO case brought against a large multinational client. Adam has successfully represented clients in more than 250 wage and hour class and PAGA actions, involving claims under the California Labor Code and the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Lecturing and Writing

Adam frequently lectures on employment law issues to in-house legal departments, frontline managers, trade associations and business and HR groups. Adam is one of only a handful of practicing employment attorneys invited to join the prestigious SHRM® Speakers Bureau. 

In April 2020, along with Sheppard Mullin partners Richard Simmons and Brian Murphy, Adam co-authored the Employer’s Guide to COVID-19 and Emerging Workplace Issues book (Castle Publications, LLC; ISBN: 978-1-940747-61-3).  Adam’s second book was released in May of 2021, Managing Employees Without Fear: How to Follow the Law, Build a Positive Work Culture, and Avoid Getting Sued (Society for Human Resource Management; ISBN: 1586446649). Adam is also a Co-Editor of the California Labor and Employment ALERT, a bimonthly newsletter that provides HR professionals and attorneys in-depth analysis of recent case law, statutes, and regulations impacting employers in California and across the United States.

Education and Other Activities

While in law school at UC Davis, Adam served as the sole student member of the University of California Board of Regents, where he championed student rights, affordability, and environmental issues on behalf of more than 250,000 University of California students. Prior to law school, Adam taught middle school History and English in Oakland, California as part of the prestigious Teach For America program. Adam is currently the Board Chair for the San Diego Region of the ADL—a leading civil rights organization.

Honors

Client Service All-Star, BTI Consulting, 2020

San Diego Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2017-2019

Legal 500, Labor and Employment, 2017

AV Preeminent® Rated, Martindale-Hubbell

Articles

Labor and Employment Law Blog Posts

• "Overview of Recent Updates for Employers in the Commercial Trucking Industry," May 28, 2020
• "The Cost and Burden of Discovery for California Employers Will Likely Increase in 2020," January 27, 2020

Books

Media Mentions

Events

Memberships

Member Emeritus, Board of Regents, University of California

Member, Board of Directors, Anti-Defamation League (ADL), San Diego Region

Former Member, Executive Committee, Board of Directors, Hillel of San Diego

Digital Media