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.

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, food services and non-profit organizations. 

Among his notable successes, Adam co-chaired a two-week 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 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. 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, trade associations and business and HR groups. 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).   

Honors

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