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® (highest honor) rated attorney from Martindale-Hubbell.  Adam has also been recognized 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, the American Arbitration Association and JAMS. He has significant trial and arbitration experience in single plaintiff and class action cases involving:

• Wage and hour disputes such as allegations of missed meal and rest breaks, unpaid overtime, off-the-clock work and time shaving;
• Wrongful termination;
• Sexual harassment and disability discrimination;
• Defamation;
• Misclassification of manager “exempt” employees; and
• Non-compete agreements and trade secrets.

Adam represents national and international clients in retail, transportation, high-tech, manufacturing, healthcare, biotech, financial services, hospitality, food services and non-profit organizations.

Among his notable successes, Adam co-chaired a two-week jury trial in which he obtained a complete defense verdict on allegations of disability discrimination, retaliation and violation of the California Family Rights Act.  In a week-long AAA single plaintiff arbitration involving race discrimination and retaliation, not only did he obtain a complete defense verdict, but his client was also awarded a portion of its attorney’s fees.  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 defeated multiple motions for class certification that claimed violations of the California Labor Code and the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

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).

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

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