Samantha C. Grant

Samantha C. Grant is a partner in the Labor and Employment Practice Group in the firm's Century City office.

Areas of Practice

Samantha represents employers in administrative, arbitration and trial proceedings in labor and employment matters, including single-plaintiff, class and collective actions. She has extensive experience litigating discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, breach of contract, fraud, defamation, trade secret, covenants not to compete, and unfair competition cases, among others. She also advises clients on litigation avoidance strategies and local, state and federal compliance matters, as well as conducts management and workforce training. The insight and experience she gained while on a two-year secondment, as in-house employment counsel for a Fortune 50 company, was invaluable in her becoming a particularly pragmatic outside counsel.

Experience

Seconded as in-house employment counsel for international food company (2003-2005).

Obtained non-suit on claims for discrimination, retaliation, interference with prospective economic advantage, and unfair business practices.

Obtained defense award for video service company in a four-day arbitration involving discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination claims.

Obtained defense award for aerospace company in a week-long arbitration involving discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims.

Obtained defense award for video service company in arbitration involving disability discrimination, failure to accommodate, failure to engage in the interactive process, and wrongful termination claims.

Obtained dismissal of breach of collective bargaining agreement claim for international beverage company.

Successfully represented major motion picture company in jurisdictional dispute before the NLRB.

After defeating class certification, successfully resolved wage and hour class action for global consumer goods company. 

After successfully demurring, negotiated favorable resolution of wage and hour representative action on behalf of a major television network.

Obtained summary judgment for employers in wrongful termination, discrimination, and harassment cases.

Obtained dismissals on behalf of employers of unfair labor practices charges before the National Labor Relations Board.

Honors

Employment Law Trailblazer, National Law Journal, 2021

Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers, Lawdragon, 2020

Top 100 Lawyers in California, Daily Journal, 2020

Top Women Attorneys in LA, Los Angeles Business Journal, 2020

Labor and Employment Star – California, Benchmark Litigation, 2020-2021

Pro Bono Award, UCLA School of Law, 2019

Thought Leader, Labour & Employment, Who’s Who Legal, 2018-2019

Who’s Who Legal: Labour & Employment, Who’s Who Legal, 2013-2018

Labor and Employment, Legal 500, 2018

Most Influential Minority Lawyers, Los Angeles Business Journal, 2016

Diversity Leader Award, Profiles in Diversity Journal, 2016

Most Powerful and Influential Women of California, California Diversity Council, 2012

Presidential Award, National Bar Association, 2012

"Attorney Spotlight" Profile, California Minority Counsel Program E-Newsletter, January/February 2011

Top Labor & Employment Lawyers in California, Daily Journal, 2011

Southern California Rising Stars, Super Lawyers, 2005-2010

California's Top Women Litigators, Daily Journal, 2007

"10 Up and Coming African American Lawyers to Watch," Diversity & the Bar by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, 2007

Rising Legal Star, LA Focus, 2007

Black Law Students Association Alumni Achievement Award, UCLA School of Law, 2007

"One to Watch" in the labor and employment field, Daily Journal, 2006

Media Mentions

Speaking Engagements

• GPSolo Round Table: 2020 Hindsight and New Beginnings, ABA GPSolo Winter Summit, 2020
• Inclusive Leaders Take The Wheel: Driving Systemic Change, Minority Corporate Counsel Association Creating Pathways to Diversity Virtual Conference, 2020
• Retail Roundtable: Strategies for Mitigating Bias and Enhancing Diversity in Legal, Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) Retail Law Conference, 2020
• The Power of People Analytics, 13th Annual ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law Conference, 2019
• Hello, I am the Attorney, Who are You? - Challenges Specific to Black Women and Ways to Overcome Racial and Gender Biases, Minority Corporate Counsel Association Creating Pathways to Diversity Conference, 2019
• Global Workplace Investigations – a View from the Front Line, Employment Lawyers Association (UK) Sixth Transatlantic Conference, 2019
• 1000 Cut Journey and Immersive Virtual Reality: Walk A Mile in a Black Man’s Digital Shoes, Minority Corporate Counsel Association Global TEC Forum, 2019
• You Can’t Change What You Can’t See: Key Lessons from the 2018 Report on Racial and Gender Bias in the Legal Profession, ABA Employment Rights & Responsibilities Committee Midwinter Meeting, 2019
• Before the Courts, Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) Employment Law & Legislative Conference, 2019
• Bias Interrupters: You Can’t Change What You Can’t See, Minority Corporate Counsel Association Seattle Inclusion Summit, 2018
• #METOO One Year Later: Lessons Learned and Best Practices, Minority Corporate Counsel Association Creating Pathways to Diversity Conference, 2018
• Equal Pay: Update on Gender Pay Legislation and Active Litigation Around the Globe: What's Next?, ABA International Labor and Employment Law Committee Midyear Meeting, 2018
• Will the Glass Ceiling Ever Break? Emerging Trends in Pay Equity, Pacific Coast Labor & Employment Law Conference, 2018
• The Ethics of Bias and Looking Beyond Our Own Images: The Lawyer’s Magical Looking Glass, ABA Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee Midwinter Meeting, 2018
• Meet the EEOC Commissioners and General Counsel: An Insider’s Perspective, 11th Annual ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law Conference, 2017
• Women & Power: Getting Ambitious for Ambition, Minority Corporate Counsel Association Creating Pathways to Diversity Conference, 2017
• Strengthening Diversity & Inclusion in the Sections, ABA Section Officers Conference, 2017
• Pay Equity in Practice: What Works? 10th Annual ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law Conference, 2016
• Discrimination Update: Current Trends Affecting the Workplace, Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, Inc. Meeting, 2016
• Obtaining Information in Arbitration, 9th Annual ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law Conference, 2015
• Objection as to Form—Obstructionist Conduct or an Exercise in Restraint?, ABA, Ethics & Professional Responsibility Committee Midwinter Meeting, 2015
• The Future of Employment Law and Employment Law Lawyers, Italian Employment Lawyers Association Annual Conference, 2015
• Best Practices for Diversity in the Sections, Divisions, and Forums, ABA Section Officers Conference, 2014
• Hot Topics in Employment Law: Issues Pertinent to the Entertainment Attorney, Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association Annual Conference, 2014
• Implicit Bias, Take II, ABA, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee Midwinter Meeting, 2014
• Hello, Is This Thing On? Perfecting Public Speaking Skills, ABA, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee Midwinter Meeting, 2012
• From Cradle to Grave: Drafting and Communicating Employment Agreements, ABA, Section of Labor and Employment Law Annual Conference, 2011
• The Effectiveness of Corporate ADR Programs, ABA Annual Meeting, 2010
• Competing for and Winning Work from Corporate Counsel, ABA, Section of Labor and Employment Law Annual Conference, 2010
• Sexual Harassment Arbitration in the Union vs. Non-Union Worlds, ABA, Employment and Rights Responsibilities Committee Midwinter Meeting, 2009
• Grabbing a Jury and Keeping ‘Em, ABA, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee Midwinter Meeting, 2008
• Managing the Contingent Workforce, National Employment Law Council Annual Conference, 2008
• Maternal Wall Bias and Family Responsibilities Discrimination, ABA Annual Meeting, 2008
• Mentors: Who Needs Them and Why? ABA, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee Midwinter Meeting, 2008
• Choices, Choices: Your Place or Mine? Drafting and Litigating Choice of Law and Forum Selection Clauses in Non-Compete Agreements, ABA, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee Midwinter Meeting, 2007
• The Nuts and Bolts of Harassment Cases: How to Prevent, Identify, and Litigate Harassment Cases, Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles Annual Meeting, 2007
• Are Law Firms and Corporations Committed to Diversity in the Legal Profession? ABA, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee Midwinter Meeting, 2007
• Workplace Investigations: The Witness Interviews and Evaluation of the Evidence, ABA, Section of Labor and Employment Law Annual Conference, 2007
• True Believers in the Workplace: A Primer on Religious Discrimination, Accommodations, and Undue Hardship, State Bar of California Annual Meeting, 2007
• It's a Status Thing: The Ground War at FedEx. Independent Contractor or Employee? ABA, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee Midwinter Meeting, 2007
• Employment Law Legal Update, Southern California Employment Round Table Fall Conference , 2007
• Public Policy and Contractual Exceptions to the Employment At-Will Doctrine, ABA Annual Meeting, 2006
• Dealing with Difficult Adversaries, ABA, Labor & Employment Section, Litigation Skills Workshop, 2005
• An Exploration of Diversity Issues, College of Labor and Employment Lawyers of Southern Ninth Circuit Regional College Meeting, 2004
• We Didn't Hire You. You Don't Work Here and Where's That Memo You Owe Me? Who is an Employee? ABA, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee Midwinter Meeting, 2004

Events

Memberships

Chair, Section of Labor and Employment Law, American Bar Association

Vice Chair, Advisory Board, Minority Corporate Counsel Association

Fellow, College of Labor and Employment Lawyers

Member, United States District Court Central District of California’s Merit Selection Panel

Board Member, Constitutional Rights Foundation

Executive Committee, Litigation Section, Los Angeles County Bar Association

Sustaining Life Fellow, American Bar Foundation

Member, American Employment Law Council

Elections Committee, National Bar Association, 2017-2019

Commissioner, Commission on Women in the Profession, American Bar Association, 2015-2018

Board Member, Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association, 2015-2018

Co-Chair, Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee, American Bar Association, 2016-2018

Council Member, Council for Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Educational Pipeline, American Bar Association, 2014-2015

Nominations Committee, National Bar Association, 2012-2014

Board of Governors, National Bar Association, 2012-2013

President, Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, Inc., 2011-2012

Attorney Admission Fund Board, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 2009-2012

Executive Committee, Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, 2010-2012

Co-Chair, Central District Delegation of Lawyer Representatives to the Ninth Circuit, 2008-2009

Lawyer Representative, Central District Delegation of Lawyer Representatives to the Ninth Circuit, 2006-2009