Trailblazers is a special supplement spotlighting professionals who are agents of change in their respective practice areas. Get to know the honorees by subject area and read their intriguing stories
featuring
Cannabis
Criminal
Elite Boutique
Employment
Healthcare
Immigration
Intellectual Property
Plaintiffs
Sports & Entertainment
Cannabis
Criminal
Elite Boutique
Employment
Healthcare
Immigration
Intellectual Property
Plaintiffs
Sports & Entertainment
Crisis Leadership
Crisis Leadership
Employment law attorneys have been busy this past year with the emergence of the #MeToo era. Some Employment Law Trailblazers have been squarely in the middle of these sexual harassment cases, while others have been fighting for fairness through gender/race discrimination suits, wrongful termination, and more.
Employment
Melissa Azallion
Helping clients comply with immigration law
Thomas J. Barton
Leading wrongful termination cases at the state federal level
Michele Haydel Gehrke
Specializing in labor relations for airline & transportation employees
click to view all honorees
Melissa Azallion
Put Title Here
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Thomas J. Barton
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Michele Haydel Gehrke
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
click to view all honorees
Employment law attorneys have been busy this past year with the emergence of the #MeToo era. Some Employment Law Trailblazers have been squarely in the middle of these sexual harassment cases, while others have been fighting for fairness through gender/race discrimination suits, wrongful termination, and more.
Employment
Melissa Azallion
Helping clients comply with immigration law
Thomas J. Barton
Leading wrongful termination cases at the state federal level
Michele Haydel Gehrke
Specializing in labor relations for airline & transportation employees
click to view all honorees
Melissa Azallion
Put Title Here
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Thomas J. Barton
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Michele Haydel Gehrke
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
The National Law Journal is recognizing its inaugural list of Criminal Law Trailblazers. We cover both white collar/ government investigations and public defenders in this section. We hope you enjoy reading through our list of honorees.
Criminal
Melissa Azallion
Helping clients comply with immigration law
Thomas J. Barton
Leading wrongful termination cases at the state federal level
Michele Haydel Gehrke
Specializing in labor relations for airline & transportation employees
click to view all honorees
Melissa Azallion
Put Title Here
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Thomas J. Barton
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Michele Haydel Gehrke
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
click to view all honorees
The National Law Journal is recognizing its inaugural list of Criminal Law Trailblazers. We cover both white collar/ government investigations and public defenders in this section. We hope you enjoy reading through our list of honorees.
Criminal
Melissa Azallion
Helping clients comply with immigration law
Thomas J. Barton
Leading wrongful termination cases at the state federal level
Michele Haydel Gehrke
Specializing in labor relations for airline & transportation employees
click to view all honorees
Melissa Azallion
Put Title Here
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Thomas J. Barton
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Michele Haydel Gehrke
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
The National Law Journal is excited to present our second annual list of Healthcare Law Trailblazers. Our list includes some high profile honorees who are truly changing the landscape of healthcare law. We are pleased with our final list of honorees and are proud to share each of their stories with you.
healthcare
Melissa Azallion
Helping clients comply with immigration law
Thomas J. Barton
Leading wrongful termination cases at the state federal level
Michele Haydel Gehrke
Specializing in labor relations for airline & transportation employees
click to view all honorees
Melissa Azallion
Put Title Here
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Thomas J. Barton
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Michele Haydel Gehrke
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
click to view all honorees
The National Law Journal is excited to present our second annual list of Healthcare Law Trailblazers. Our list includes some high profile honorees who are truly changing the landscape of healthcare law. We are pleased with our final list of honorees and are proud to share each of their stories with you.
healthcare
Melissa Azallion
Helping clients comply with immigration law
Thomas J. Barton
Leading wrongful termination cases at the state federal level
Michele Haydel Gehrke
Specializing in labor relations for airline & transportation employees
click to view all honorees
Melissa Azallion
Put Title Here
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Thomas J. Barton
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Michele Haydel Gehrke
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
The National Law Journal is recognizing its fourth annual list of Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Trailblazers. Our list includes a wide array of plaintiffs’ lawyers, varying from those who have blazed trails in consumer rights, wrongful death and even complex securities matters. We are pleased with our final list of honorees and are proud to share each of their stories with you.
Plaintiffs
Murielle Steven Walsh
Read Profile
Emma Gilmore
read profile
Michael J. Wernke
read profile
click to view all honorees
Murielle Steven Walsh
Partner
PIONEER SPIRIT After graduating cum laude from the New York Law School, Murielle Steven Walsh originally planned on doing criminal prosecution work and interned with the Kings County District Attorney’s Office. “But while interning, I found that this type of work was not the right fit for me.” She later worked in the mergers and acquisition group of Sullivan & Cromwell. “So when I first interviewed with Pomerantz I hadn’t considered plaintiff-side securities work. But it all fell into place. I like that I am still able to prosecute wrongdoing, but in the white-collar context.” TRAILS BLAZED In EBC I v. Goldman Sachs, Walsh represented clients involving claims against a lead underwriter of an IPO. “We alleged that the underwriter had underpriced the offering, because it had conflicts of interest which made it lucrative for the underwriter to underprice.” She brought what was then a novel claim, questioning whether a lead underwriter has a fiduciary duty. “We convinced the courts all the way up to the New York Court of Appeals, which confirmed that they do. It has since helped shape the law for all market participants.” In the securities class action In re Livent Noteholders Securities Litigation, Walsh was one of the lead attorneys helping to obtain a $36 million judgment against the company’s executives in a ruling later upheld by the Second Circuit on appeal. She also led the firm’s litigation involving the popular Pokemon Go, an augmented reality game played on smartphones where players have to virtually capture Pokemon characters in real-world locations in order to advance in the game. Using GPS-enabled technology, the company placed virtual game items onto private properties without the owners’ permission, which resulted in trespass and nuisance by Pokemon Go players. Walsh obtained a highly favorable injunctive relief-style settlement for the homeowner class that required Niantic to modify its policies to better protect against trespass. As a passionate advocate for human rights, Walsh leads cases involving
#MeToo issues, and serves on boards advocating for the rights of children, women and those seeking political asylum. She is currently leading a class-action case against Wynn Resorts involving allegations of concealing a pattern of sexual misconduct by company founder Stephen Wynn. “The case alleges that the company misled investors into believing that it was committed to a Code of Conduct that required employees to act legally and ethically, when in fact, Wynn’s senior management was aware of and failed to investigate numerous claims of sexual misconduct by Steven Wynn against the company’s female employees. We are making the relatively untested argument that codes of conduct like these should be actionable under the securities laws. Given the #MeToo movement and the negative stock price impact of revelations of misconduct by senior management, statements about a company’s code of conduct have taken on heightened importance for investors Walsh currently serves as a member on the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA), a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that supports and promotes court-appointed advocates for neglected and abused children. She has served on the Honorary Steering Committee for Equal Rights Advocates (ERA), another U.S.-based nonprofit that helps advance legal rights and opportunities for girls, women and those of all gender identities. FUTURE EXPLORATIONS Walsh believes allegations of personal misconduct by senior executives will continue to be taken more seriously by investors. “Years ago, corporate America could just sweep this kind of thing under the rug, but not now. I see the #MeToo movement getting stronger, and companies will have to take stronger steps to prevent the types of misconduct we have seen in the Wynn case.”
Partner
Emma Gilmore
PIONEER SPIRIT Emma Gilmore was born in Romania and moved to Arizona at the age of 17 shortly before the Romanian Revolution began in 1989. She learned English as a high school student and graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University. Inspired by her grandfather, a judge in Romania, to attend law school, Gilmore graduated cum laude from Brooklyn Law School and served as a law clerk for former U.S. chief judge for the Eastern District of New York Thomas C. Platt. She started her career at a big firm as a defense attorney, working on the multi-billion dollar WorldCom litigation before deciding to change to the other side. “When it was recommended that I pursue plaintiffs’ work, it felt like the right side for me. And it has been a lot more rewarding.” TRAILS BLAZED Gilmore represented plaintiffs in a class-action case in the Southern District of New York against Brazil’s largest oil company, Petrobras, involving a multibillion-dollar kickback and bribery scheme. She helped secure a $3 billion settlement for the investors—the largest global securities fraud class-action settlement against a foreign issuer. “At the time, Petrobras was the fifth-largest oil company in the world. I traveled to Brazil to gather evidence and uncover more about the fraud, and I met with members of the Brazilian Federal Police and the press before returning to the U.S. to draft the complaint.” The case was one of the most extensive instances of corruption in the history of Brazil and involved former Petrobras executives, the former president of Brazil and members of the Brazilian legislature. “The case involved a lot of corrupt politicians, with 51% of the company owned by the Brazilian government and one-third of the Brazilian legislature involved in the corruption.” During the investigations, Gilmore deposed and defended expert witnesses, including the former CEO of Petrobras, the whistleblower and the chief accountant. “There was a cartel to inflate prices and then kickback money to lawmakers. Everyone was winning except the investors. It was difficult because in Brazil Petrobras was portrayed as the victim—an argument that was actually successful with Brazilian prosecutors and the Brazilian courts.” Despite these public perceptions, Gilmore was able to successfully argue fraud in the U.S.
Brazilian prosecutors and the Brazilian courts.” Despite these public perceptions, Gilmore was able to successfully argue fraud in the U.S. “When I deposed the whistleblower, she told the story of how she was accosted on the street and threatened at gunpoint to keep quiet.” The victory allowed many institutional investors who had opted out of the class to come back in to take part in the settlement. “And as part of this case, we made good law in the Second Circuit, making it easier to get a class certified.” Gilmore also represented plaintiffs in class-action litigation against Yahoo! Inc., resulting in an $80 million settlement. Involving one of the largest data breaches in U.S. history, more than three billion Yahoo accounts were compromised. “I actually had a Yahoo account that had been hacked. Because the CEO had failed to disclose a large attack, it was able to be approached as a securities fraud issue. Yahoo represented that they had the right protections when they knew they had been hacked. Ours was the first successful case that was approached in this way.” Gilmore is also prosecuting securities fraud claims against multinational oil and gas company BP in a case involving charges resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. She is helping to develop unique strategies to protect investments by investors by those who purchased foreign-traded shares of a foreign company to pursue securities fraud claims in a U.S. court. She was also recently selected to serve on the New York City Bar Association’s Securities Litigation Committee, where she will have the opportunity to help shape future law and public policy. FUTURE EXPLORATIONS As the number of data breaches continues to rise, Gilmore sees an increase in the number of fraud cases involving cybersecurity issues. “The law has been evolving for years, but fraudsters have found new ways to defraud investors. I don’t see cybersecurity issues going away. They are here to stay as fraudsters come up with different ways to hack into accounts.”
Partner
Michael J. Wernke
PIONEER SPIRIT After graduating from Harvard Law School in 2004, Michael Wernke started his career in a big defense firm. “I stumbled onto securities class actions. I started working high-profile First Amendment cases, which I liked, but there was not that much work.” He decided to take on a variety of complex commercial litigations, including a securities fraud class action. When the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in the landmark securities case Dura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Broudo, holding that inflated stock prices alone do not demonstrate “loss causation” and that the plaintiff needs to show that the inflation was due to the fraud, Wernke’s interest in taking on more securities class actions took off. “But as I became a more seasoned attorney, I found myself agreeing more with the formulation of the law from the investor side, so I came to Pomerantz where I could champion the rights of the small investor.” TRAILS BLAZED Wernke obtained a $110 million settlement as the co-lead counsel in Pirnik v. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. et al., a high-profile securities class action relating to Fiat Chrysler vehicles’ noncompliance with diesel emissions regulations. “We alleged that the company was not in compliance, with some diesel vehicles having defeat-device software installed.” The emissions-compliant software operated when the vehicle was in an Environmental Protection Agency testing scenario. But the software was turned off during normal driving conditions, allowing for increased power and miles per gallon for the vehicle. “At first, the court granted the defense’s motion to dismiss, stating that we had not shown that the statements were false and misleading and the company knew.” In response, Wernke amended the complaint, adding emails from the EPA to Fiat Chrysler’s head of regulatory affairs that Wernke had received pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request to the EPA. He argued that the emails, which showed the EPA’s concerns about the possibility of violations were enough to plead that the defendants’ statements of compliance were actionable. “We added the EPA’s concerns shown in the emails, and the court sustained based on that determination.” In previous cases, formal documentation from a regulator was
necessary, but Wernke successfully argued for allowing the case to proceed based on an exploratory email. “This allows investors to bring claims they wouldn’t have been able to bring otherwise.” In December 2018, Wernke helped obtain a $31 million partial settlement in In re Libor-Based Financial Instruments Antitrust Litigation involving the Libor rigging scandal. And in October 2018, he obtained a $15 million settlement in a securities class action involving data capture and delivery equipment manufacturer Symbol Technologies misleading investors on its ability to forecast revenues. Since moving from the defense side to the plaintiffs’ bar, more than 85% of complaints drafted by Wernke have survived motions to dismiss. He currently leads a securities fraud class action against Quorum Health Corporation, alleging the operator of general acute care hospitals and outpatient services misled investors on the financial health of hospitals that the parent company had spun off into a stand-alone business. He successfully defeated the defendants’ motions to dismiss the complaint by arguing that the company from which Quorum Health was spun off made false statements. With this victory for the plaintiffs, Wernke continues to manage the complex fact-finding and discovery in the matter. FUTURE EXPLORATIONS Wernke believes there will be an increase in the number of cases resulting from the coronavirus declining the markets. “Anytime something this drastic happens, it’s fertile ground for fraudsters. Opportunistic fraudsters will be looking to mislead, but a lot of fraud also happens when people are not necessarily setting out to commit fraud, but because they crossed the line out of fear or are attempting to cover up mismanagement. I see a broad scope of cases related to these areas.” He also believes there will be an increase in cases hinging on reputational damage. “For example, there will be more #MeToo-related cases rather than just financial ones. Consumers and shareholders are more concerned than ever about who is running the company and that person’s standing in the community.”
plaintiffs
Melissa Azallion
Helping clients comply with immigration law
Thomas J. Barton
Leading wrongful termination cases at the state federal level
Michele Haydel Gehrke
Specializing in labor relations for airline & transportation employees
click to view all honorees
Melissa Azallion
Put Title Here
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Thomas J. Barton
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Michele Haydel Gehrke
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
The National Law Journal is recognizing its fourth annual list of Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Trailblazers. Our list includes a wide array of plaintiffs’ lawyers, varying from those who have blazed trails in consumer rights, wrongful death and even complex securities matters. We are pleased with our final list of honorees and are proud to share each of their stories with you.
Year after year, our Intellectual Property Trailblazers section remains to be one of our most competitive. From pharmaceutical patent litigation and entertainment patents to patents for leading technology companies - our diverse list covers it all. We are pleased with our final list of honorees and are proud to share each of their stories with you.
intellectual property
Melissa Azallion
Helping clients comply with immigration law
Thomas J. Barton
Leading wrongful termination cases at the state federal level
Michele Haydel Gehrke
Specializing in labor relations for airline & transportation employees
click to view all honorees
Melissa Azallion
Put Title Here
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Thomas J. Barton
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Michele Haydel Gehrke
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
click to view all honorees
Year after year, our Intellectual Property Trailblazers section remains to be one of our most competitive. From pharmaceutical patent litigation and entertainment patents to patents for leading technology companies - our diverse list covers it all. We are pleased with our final list of honorees and are proud to share each of their stories with you.
intellectual property
Melissa Azallion
Helping clients comply with immigration law
Thomas J. Barton
Leading wrongful termination cases at the state federal level
Michele Haydel Gehrke
Specializing in labor relations for airline & transportation employees
click to view all honorees
Melissa Azallion
Put Title Here
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Thomas J. Barton
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Michele Haydel Gehrke
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Immigration continues to be a popular legal topic right now. We wanted to take a moment to recognize our peers that are involved in immigration law. You will find a mixture of touching personal stories as well as profiles on those focused on shaping immigration legislation within this section. We are pleased with our final list of honorees and are proud to share each of their stories with you.
immigration
Melissa Azallion
Helping clients comply with immigration law
Thomas J. Barton
Leading wrongful termination cases at the state federal level
Michele Haydel Gehrke
Specializing in labor relations for airline & transportation employees
click to view all honorees
Melissa Azallion
Put Title Here
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Thomas J. Barton
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Michele Haydel Gehrke
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
click to view all honorees
Immigration continues to be a popular legal topic right now. We wanted to take a moment to recognize our peers that are involved in immigration law. You will find a mixture of touching personal stories as well as profiles on those focused on shaping immigration legislation within this section. We are pleased with our final list of honorees and are proud to share each of their stories with you.
immigration
Melissa Azallion
Helping clients comply with immigration law
Thomas J. Barton
Leading wrongful termination cases at the state federal level
Michele Haydel Gehrke
Specializing in labor relations for airline & transportation employees
click to view all honorees
Melissa Azallion
Put Title Here
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
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Thomas J. Barton
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Michele Haydel Gehrke
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
As the fight to legalize marijuana for medical and/or recreational use continues from state to state, it is no secret that attorneys are often in the middle of that fight. In the states that have already legalized it, there are new issues arising daily from how to run the business financially to how to license a company’s new products. We hope you find these honorees to be as intriguing and informative as we did.
cannabis
Melissa Azallion
Helping clients comply with immigration law
Thomas J. Barton
Leading wrongful termination cases at the state federal level
Michele Haydel Gehrke
Specializing in labor relations for airline & transportation employees
click to view all honorees
Melissa Azallion
Put Title Here
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Thomas J. Barton
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Michele Haydel Gehrke
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
click to view all honorees
As the fight to legalize marijuana for medical and/or recreational use continues from state to state, it is no secret that attorneys are often in the middle of that fight. In the states that have already legalized it, there are new issues arising daily from how to run the business financially to how to license a company’s new products. We hope you find these honorees to be as intriguing and informative as we did.
cannabis
click to view all honorees
Murielle Steven Walsh
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Emma Gilmore
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Michael J. Wernke
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Partner
Murielle Steven Walsh
PIONEER SPIRIT After graduating cum laude from the New York Law School, Murielle Steven Walsh originally planned on doing criminal prosecution work and interned with the Kings County District Attorney’s Office. “But while interning, I found that this type of work was not the right fit for me.” She later worked in the mergers and acquisition group of Sullivan & Cromwell. “So when I first interviewed with Pomerantz I hadn’t considered plaintiff-side securities work. But it all fell into place. I like that I am still able to prosecute wrongdoing, but in the white-collar context.” TRAILS BLAZED In EBC I v. Goldman Sachs, Walsh represented clients involving claims against a lead underwriter of an IPO. “We alleged that the underwriter had underpriced the offering, because it had conflicts of interest which made it lucrative for the underwriter to underprice.” She brought what was then a novel claim, questioning whether a lead underwriter has a fiduciary duty. “We convinced the courts all the way up to the New York Court of Appeals, which confirmed that they do. It has since helped shape the law for all market participants.” In the securities class action In re Livent Noteholders Securities Litigation, Walsh was one of the lead attorneys helping to obtain a $36 million judgment against the company’s executives in a ruling later upheld by the Second Circuit on appeal. She also led the firm’s litigation involving the popular Pokemon Go, an augmented reality game played on smartphones where players have to virtually capture Pokemon characters in real-world locations in order to advance in the game. Using GPS-enabled technology, the company placed virtual game items onto private properties without the owners’ permission, which resulted in trespass and nuisance by Pokemon Go players. Walsh obtained a highly favorable injunctive relief-style settlement for the homeowner class that required Niantic to modify its policies to better protect against trespass. As a passionate advocate for human rights, Walsh leads cases involving
#MeToo issues, and serves on boards advocating for the rights of children, women and those seeking political asylum. She is currently leading a class-action case against Wynn Resorts involving allegations of concealing a pattern of sexual misconduct by company founder Stephen Wynn. “The case alleges that the company misled investors into believing that it was committed to a Code of Conduct that required employees to act legally and ethically, when in fact, Wynn’s senior management was aware of and failed to investigate numerous claims of sexual misconduct by Steven Wynn against the company’s female employees. We are making the relatively untested argument that codes of conduct like these should be actionable under the securities laws. Given the #MeToo movement and the negative stock price impact of revelations of misconduct by senior management, statements about a company’s code of conduct have taken on heightened importance for investors Walsh currently serves as a member on the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA), a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that supports and promotes court-appointed advocates for neglected and abused children. She has served on the Honorary Steering Committee for Equal Rights Advocates (ERA), another U.S.-based nonprofit that helps advance legal rights and opportunities for girls, women and those of all gender identities. FUTURE EXPLORATIONS Walsh believes allegations of personal misconduct by senior executives will continue to be taken more seriously by investors. “Years ago, corporate America could just sweep this kind of thing under the rug, but not now. I see the #MeToo movement getting stronger, and companies will have to take stronger steps to prevent the types of misconduct we have seen in the Wynn case.”
Partner
Emma Gilmore
PIONEER SPIRIT Emma Gilmore was born in Romania and moved to Arizona at the age of 17 shortly before the Romanian Revolution began in 1989. She learned English as a high school student and graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University. Inspired by her grandfather, a judge in Romania, to attend law school, Gilmore graduated cum laude from Brooklyn Law School and served as a law clerk for former U.S. chief judge for the Eastern District of New York Thomas C. Platt. She started her career at a big firm as a defense attorney, working on the multi-billion dollar WorldCom litigation before deciding to change to the other side. “When it was recommended that I pursue plaintiffs’ work, it felt like the right side for me. And it has been a lot more rewarding.” TRAILS BLAZED Gilmore represented plaintiffs in a class-action case in the Southern District of New York against Brazil’s largest oil company, Petrobras, involving a multibillion-dollar kickback and bribery scheme. She helped secure a $3 billion settlement for the investors—the largest global securities fraud class-action settlement against a foreign issuer. “At the time, Petrobras was the fifth-largest oil company in the world. I traveled to Brazil to gather evidence and uncover more about the fraud, and I met with members of the Brazilian Federal Police and the press before returning to the U.S. to draft the complaint.” The case was one of the most extensive instances of corruption in the history of Brazil and involved former Petrobras executives, the former president of Brazil and members of the Brazilian legislature. “The case involved a lot of corrupt politicians, with 51% of the company owned by the Brazilian government and one-third of the Brazilian legislature involved in the corruption.” During the investigations, Gilmore deposed and defended expert witnesses, including the former CEO of Petrobras, the whistleblower and the chief accountant. “There was a cartel to inflate prices and then kickback money to lawmakers. Everyone was winning except the investors. It was difficult because in Brazil Petrobras was portrayed as the victim—an argument that was actually successful with Brazilian prosecutors and the Brazilian courts.” Despite these public perceptions, Gilmore was able to successfully argue fraud in the U.S.
Brazilian prosecutors and the Brazilian courts.” Despite these public perceptions, Gilmore was able to successfully argue fraud in the U.S. “When I deposed the whistleblower, she told the story of how she was accosted on the street and threatened at gunpoint to keep quiet.” The victory allowed many institutional investors who had opted out of the class to come back in to take part in the settlement. “And as part of this case, we made good law in the Second Circuit, making it easier to get a class certified.” Gilmore also represented plaintiffs in class-action litigation against Yahoo! Inc., resulting in an $80 million settlement. Involving one of the largest data breaches in U.S. history, more than three billion Yahoo accounts were compromised. “I actually had a Yahoo account that had been hacked. Because the CEO had failed to disclose a large attack, it was able to be approached as a securities fraud issue. Yahoo represented that they had the right protections when they knew they had been hacked. Ours was the first successful case that was approached in this way.” Gilmore is also prosecuting securities fraud claims against multinational oil and gas company BP in a case involving charges resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. She is helping to develop unique strategies to protect investments by investors by those who purchased foreign-traded shares of a foreign company to pursue securities fraud claims in a U.S. court. She was also recently selected to serve on the New York City Bar Association’s Securities Litigation Committee, where she will have the opportunity to help shape future law and public policy. FUTURE EXPLORATIONS As the number of data breaches continues to rise, Gilmore sees an increase in the number of fraud cases involving cybersecurity issues. “The law has been evolving for years, but fraudsters have found new ways to defraud investors. I don’t see cybersecurity issues going away. They are here to stay as fraudsters come up with different ways to hack into accounts.”
Partner
Michael J. Wernke
PIONEER SPIRIT After graduating from Harvard Law School in 2004, Michael Wernke started his career in a big defense firm. “I stumbled onto securities class actions. I started working high-profile First Amendment cases, which I liked, but there was not that much work.” He decided to take on a variety of complex commercial litigations, including a securities fraud class action. When the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in the landmark securities case Dura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Broudo, holding that inflated stock prices alone do not demonstrate “loss causation” and that the plaintiff needs to show that the inflation was due to the fraud, Wernke’s interest in taking on more securities class actions took off. “But as I became a more seasoned attorney, I found myself agreeing more with the formulation of the law from the investor side, so I came to Pomerantz where I could champion the rights of the small investor.” TRAILS BLAZED Wernke obtained a $110 million settlement as the co-lead counsel in Pirnik v. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. et al., a high-profile securities class action relating to Fiat Chrysler vehicles’ noncompliance with diesel emissions regulations. “We alleged that the company was not in compliance, with some diesel vehicles having defeat-device software installed.” The emissions-compliant software operated when the vehicle was in an Environmental Protection Agency testing scenario. But the software was turned off during normal driving conditions, allowing for increased power and miles per gallon for the vehicle. “At first, the court granted the defense’s motion to dismiss, stating that we had not shown that the statements were false and misleading and the company knew.” In response, Wernke amended the complaint, adding emails from the EPA to Fiat Chrysler’s head of regulatory affairs that Wernke had received pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request to the EPA. He argued that the emails, which showed the EPA’s concerns about the possibility of violations were enough to plead that the defendants’ statements of compliance were actionable. “We added the EPA’s concerns shown in the emails, and the court sustained based on that determination.” In previous cases, formal documentation from a regulator was
necessary, but Wernke successfully argued for allowing the case to proceed based on an exploratory email. “This allows investors to bring claims they wouldn’t have been able to bring otherwise.” In December 2018, Wernke helped obtain a $31 million partial settlement in In re Libor-Based Financial Instruments Antitrust Litigation involving the Libor rigging scandal. And in October 2018, he obtained a $15 million settlement in a securities class action involving data capture and delivery equipment manufacturer Symbol Technologies misleading investors on its ability to forecast revenues. Since moving from the defense side to the plaintiffs’ bar, more than 85% of complaints drafted by Wernke have survived motions to dismiss. He currently leads a securities fraud class action against Quorum Health Corporation, alleging the operator of general acute care hospitals and outpatient services misled investors on the financial health of hospitals that the parent company had spun off into a stand-alone business. He successfully defeated the defendants’ motions to dismiss the complaint by arguing that the company from which Quorum Health was spun off made false statements. With this victory for the plaintiffs, Wernke continues to manage the complex fact-finding and discovery in the matter. FUTURE EXPLORATIONS Wernke believes there will be an increase in the number of cases resulting from the coronavirus declining the markets. “Anytime something this drastic happens, it’s fertile ground for fraudsters. Opportunistic fraudsters will be looking to mislead, but a lot of fraud also happens when people are not necessarily setting out to commit fraud, but because they crossed the line out of fear or are attempting to cover up mismanagement. I see a broad scope of cases related to these areas.” He also believes there will be an increase in cases hinging on reputational damage. “For example, there will be more #MeToo-related cases rather than just financial ones. Consumers and shareholders are more concerned than ever about who is running the company and that person’s standing in the community.”
The National Law Journal released our second annual list of Sport and Entertainment Trailblazers in October 2020. Our Sports and Entertainment honorees cover everything from counseling A-list celebrities to sports betting legislation. We are pleased with our final list of honorees and are proud to share each of their stories with you.
sports & entertainment
Melissa Azallion
Helping clients comply with immigration law
Thomas J. Barton
Leading wrongful termination cases at the state federal level
Michele Haydel Gehrke
Specializing in labor relations for airline & transportation employees
click to view all honorees
Melissa Azallion
Put Title Here
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Thomas J. Barton
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Michele Haydel Gehrke
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
click to view all honorees
The National Law Journal released our inaugural list of Sports and Entertainment Trailblazers in 2019. Our Sports and Entertainment honorees cover everything from counseling A-list celebrities to sports betting legislation. We are pleased with our final list of honorees and are proud to share each of their stories with you.
sports & entertainment
Melissa Azallion
Helping clients comply with immigration law
Thomas J. Barton
Leading wrongful termination cases at the state federal level
Michele Haydel Gehrke
Specializing in labor relations for airline & transportation employees
click to view all honorees
Melissa Azallion
Put Title Here
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Thomas J. Barton
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Michele Haydel Gehrke
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
For our purposes, we defined the boutique firms by their specialization in one area of practice/industry rather than their size. That definition allowed us to focus on firms big and small. Our list of honorees is very diverse, ranging from attorneys practicing everything from real estate to insurance law and even media and entertainment law.
elite boutique
Melissa Azallion
Helping clients comply with immigration law
Thomas J. Barton
Leading wrongful termination cases at the state federal level
Michele Haydel Gehrke
Specializing in labor relations for airline & transportation employees
click to view all honorees
Melissa Azallion
Put Title Here
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Thomas J. Barton
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Michele Haydel Gehrke
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
click to view all honorees
Employment law attorneys have been busy this past year with the emergence of the #MeToo era. Some Employment Law Trailblazers have been squarely in the middle of these sexual harassment cases, while others have been fighting for fairness through gender/race discrimination suits, wrongful termination, and more.
elite boutique
Melissa Azallion
Helping clients comply with immigration law
Thomas J. Barton
Leading wrongful termination cases at the state federal level
Michele Haydel Gehrke
Specializing in labor relations for airline & transportation employees
click to view all honorees
Melissa Azallion
Put Title Here
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Thomas J. Barton
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Michele Haydel Gehrke
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Introducing The National Law Journal's 2020 Crisis Leadership Trailblazers, a special supplement brought to you by the Publication's business team. Our inaugural list of Crisis Leadership Trailblazers honors individuals who launched new initiatives through times of crisis to help their communities, colleagues or clients.
Crisis Leadership
Melissa Azallion
Helping clients comply with immigration law
Thomas J. Barton
Leading wrongful termination cases at the state federal level
Michele Haydel Gehrke
Specializing in labor relations for airline & transportation employees
click to view all honorees
Melissa Azallion
Put Title Here
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Thomas J. Barton
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Michele Haydel Gehrke
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
click to view all honorees
Introducing The National Law Journal's 2020 Crisis Leadership Trailblazers, a special supplement brought to you by the Publication's business team. Our inaugural list of Crisis Leadership Trailblazers honors individuals who launched new initiatives through times of crisis to help their communities, colleagues or clients.
Crisis Leadership
click to view all honorees
Murielle Steven Walsh
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Emma Gilmore
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Michael J. Wernke
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Partner
Murielle Steven Walsh
PIONEER SPIRIT After graduating cum laude from the New York Law School, Murielle Steven Walsh originally planned on doing criminal prosecution work and interned with the Kings County District Attorney’s Office. “But while interning, I found that this type of work was not the right fit for me.” She later worked in the mergers and acquisition group of Sullivan & Cromwell. “So when I first interviewed with Pomerantz I hadn’t considered plaintiff-side securities work. But it all fell into place. I like that I am still able to prosecute wrongdoing, but in the white-collar context.” TRAILS BLAZED In EBC I v. Goldman Sachs, Walsh represented clients involving claims against a lead underwriter of an IPO. “We alleged that the underwriter had underpriced the offering, because it had conflicts of interest which made it lucrative for the underwriter to underprice.” She brought what was then a novel claim, questioning whether a lead underwriter has a fiduciary duty. “We convinced the courts all the way up to the New York Court of Appeals, which confirmed that they do. It has since helped shape the law for all market participants.” In the securities class action In re Livent Noteholders Securities Litigation, Walsh was one of the lead attorneys helping to obtain a $36 million judgment against the company’s executives in a ruling later upheld by the Second Circuit on appeal. She also led the firm’s litigation involving the popular Pokemon Go, an augmented reality game played on smartphones where players have to virtually capture Pokemon characters in real-world locations in order to advance in the game. Using GPS-enabled technology, the company placed virtual game items onto private properties without the owners’ permission, which resulted in trespass and nuisance by Pokemon Go players. Walsh obtained a highly favorable injunctive relief-style settlement for the homeowner class that required Niantic to modify its policies to better protect against trespass. As a passionate advocate for human rights, Walsh leads cases involving
#MeToo issues, and serves on boards advocating for the rights of children, women and those seeking political asylum. She is currently leading a class-action case against Wynn Resorts involving allegations of concealing a pattern of sexual misconduct by company founder Stephen Wynn. “The case alleges that the company misled investors into believing that it was committed to a Code of Conduct that required employees to act legally and ethically, when in fact, Wynn’s senior management was aware of and failed to investigate numerous claims of sexual misconduct by Steven Wynn against the company’s female employees. We are making the relatively untested argument that codes of conduct like these should be actionable under the securities laws. Given the #MeToo movement and the negative stock price impact of revelations of misconduct by senior management, statements about a company’s code of conduct have taken on heightened importance for investors Walsh currently serves as a member on the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA), a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that supports and promotes court-appointed advocates for neglected and abused children. She has served on the Honorary Steering Committee for Equal Rights Advocates (ERA), another U.S.-based nonprofit that helps advance legal rights and opportunities for girls, women and those of all gender identities. FUTURE EXPLORATIONS Walsh believes allegations of personal misconduct by senior executives will continue to be taken more seriously by investors. “Years ago, corporate America could just sweep this kind of thing under the rug, but not now. I see the #MeToo movement getting stronger, and companies will have to take stronger steps to prevent the types of misconduct we have seen in the Wynn case.”
Partner
Emma Gilmore
PIONEER SPIRIT Emma Gilmore was born in Romania and moved to Arizona at the age of 17 shortly before the Romanian Revolution began in 1989. She learned English as a high school student and graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University. Inspired by her grandfather, a judge in Romania, to attend law school, Gilmore graduated cum laude from Brooklyn Law School and served as a law clerk for former U.S. chief judge for the Eastern District of New York Thomas C. Platt. She started her career at a big firm as a defense attorney, working on the multi-billion dollar WorldCom litigation before deciding to change to the other side. “When it was recommended that I pursue plaintiffs’ work, it felt like the right side for me. And it has been a lot more rewarding.” TRAILS BLAZED Gilmore represented plaintiffs in a class-action case in the Southern District of New York against Brazil’s largest oil company, Petrobras, involving a multibillion-dollar kickback and bribery scheme. She helped secure a $3 billion settlement for the investors—the largest global securities fraud class-action settlement against a foreign issuer. “At the time, Petrobras was the fifth-largest oil company in the world. I traveled to Brazil to gather evidence and uncover more about the fraud, and I met with members of the Brazilian Federal Police and the press before returning to the U.S. to draft the complaint.” The case was one of the most extensive instances of corruption in the history of Brazil and involved former Petrobras executives, the former president of Brazil and members of the Brazilian legislature. “The case involved a lot of corrupt politicians, with 51% of the company owned by the Brazilian government and one-third of the Brazilian legislature involved in the corruption.” During the investigations, Gilmore deposed and defended expert witnesses, including the former CEO of Petrobras, the whistleblower and the chief accountant. “There was a cartel to inflate prices and then kickback money to lawmakers. Everyone was winning except the investors. It was difficult because in Brazil Petrobras was portrayed as the victim—an argument that was actually successful with Brazilian prosecutors and the Brazilian courts.” Despite these public perceptions, Gilmore was able to successfully argue fraud in the U.S.
Brazilian prosecutors and the Brazilian courts.” Despite these public perceptions, Gilmore was able to successfully argue fraud in the U.S. “When I deposed the whistleblower, she told the story of how she was accosted on the street and threatened at gunpoint to keep quiet.” The victory allowed many institutional investors who had opted out of the class to come back in to take part in the settlement. “And as part of this case, we made good law in the Second Circuit, making it easier to get a class certified.” Gilmore also represented plaintiffs in class-action litigation against Yahoo! Inc., resulting in an $80 million settlement. Involving one of the largest data breaches in U.S. history, more than three billion Yahoo accounts were compromised. “I actually had a Yahoo account that had been hacked. Because the CEO had failed to disclose a large attack, it was able to be approached as a securities fraud issue. Yahoo represented that they had the right protections when they knew they had been hacked. Ours was the first successful case that was approached in this way.” Gilmore is also prosecuting securities fraud claims against multinational oil and gas company BP in a case involving charges resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. She is helping to develop unique strategies to protect investments by investors by those who purchased foreign-traded shares of a foreign company to pursue securities fraud claims in a U.S. court. She was also recently selected to serve on the New York City Bar Association’s Securities Litigation Committee, where she will have the opportunity to help shape future law and public policy. FUTURE EXPLORATIONS As the number of data breaches continues to rise, Gilmore sees an increase in the number of fraud cases involving cybersecurity issues. “The law has been evolving for years, but fraudsters have found new ways to defraud investors. I don’t see cybersecurity issues going away. They are here to stay as fraudsters come up with different ways to hack into accounts.”
Partner
Michael J. Wernke
PIONEER SPIRIT After graduating from Harvard Law School in 2004, Michael Wernke started his career in a big defense firm. “I stumbled onto securities class actions. I started working high-profile First Amendment cases, which I liked, but there was not that much work.” He decided to take on a variety of complex commercial litigations, including a securities fraud class action. When the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in the landmark securities case Dura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Broudo, holding that inflated stock prices alone do not demonstrate “loss causation” and that the plaintiff needs to show that the inflation was due to the fraud, Wernke’s interest in taking on more securities class actions took off. “But as I became a more seasoned attorney, I found myself agreeing more with the formulation of the law from the investor side, so I came to Pomerantz where I could champion the rights of the small investor.” TRAILS BLAZED Wernke obtained a $110 million settlement as the co-lead counsel in Pirnik v. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. et al., a high-profile securities class action relating to Fiat Chrysler vehicles’ noncompliance with diesel emissions regulations. “We alleged that the company was not in compliance, with some diesel vehicles having defeat-device software installed.” The emissions-compliant software operated when the vehicle was in an Environmental Protection Agency testing scenario. But the software was turned off during normal driving conditions, allowing for increased power and miles per gallon for the vehicle. “At first, the court granted the defense’s motion to dismiss, stating that we had not shown that the statements were false and misleading and the company knew.” In response, Wernke amended the complaint, adding emails from the EPA to Fiat Chrysler’s head of regulatory affairs that Wernke had received pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request to the EPA. He argued that the emails, which showed the EPA’s concerns about the possibility of violations were enough to plead that the defendants’ statements of compliance were actionable. “We added the EPA’s concerns shown in the emails, and the court sustained based on that determination.” In previous cases, formal documentation from a regulator was
necessary, but Wernke successfully argued for allowing the case to proceed based on an exploratory email. “This allows investors to bring claims they wouldn’t have been able to bring otherwise.” In December 2018, Wernke helped obtain a $31 million partial settlement in In re Libor-Based Financial Instruments Antitrust Litigation involving the Libor rigging scandal. And in October 2018, he obtained a $15 million settlement in a securities class action involving data capture and delivery equipment manufacturer Symbol Technologies misleading investors on its ability to forecast revenues. Since moving from the defense side to the plaintiffs’ bar, more than 85% of complaints drafted by Wernke have survived motions to dismiss. He currently leads a securities fraud class action against Quorum Health Corporation, alleging the operator of general acute care hospitals and outpatient services misled investors on the financial health of hospitals that the parent company had spun off into a stand-alone business. He successfully defeated the defendants’ motions to dismiss the complaint by arguing that the company from which Quorum Health was spun off made false statements. With this victory for the plaintiffs, Wernke continues to manage the complex fact-finding and discovery in the matter. FUTURE EXPLORATIONS Wernke believes there will be an increase in the number of cases resulting from the coronavirus declining the markets. “Anytime something this drastic happens, it’s fertile ground for fraudsters. Opportunistic fraudsters will be looking to mislead, but a lot of fraud also happens when people are not necessarily setting out to commit fraud, but because they crossed the line out of fear or are attempting to cover up mismanagement. I see a broad scope of cases related to these areas.” He also believes there will be an increase in cases hinging on reputational damage. “For example, there will be more #MeToo-related cases rather than just financial ones. Consumers and shareholders are more concerned than ever about who is running the company and that person’s standing in the community.”
Pomerantz LLP is the oldest and one of the most respected law firms in the world dedicated to championing investor rights. A global leader in securities class actions, Pomerantz monitors assets of over $5.6 trillion on behalf of institutional investors worldwide. From achieving record-breaking recoveries for defrauded investors, including $3 billion in litigation against Brazilian oil giant Petrobras, to securing decisions that have shaped the law to the benefit of shareholders, Pomerantz raises the bar.
Murielle Steven Walsh
read profile
Emma Gilmore
read profile
Michael J. Wernke
read profile
plaintiffs
plaintiffs
plaintiffs
Plaintiffs
Partner
Murielle Steven Walsh
PIONEER SPIRIT After graduating cum laude from the New York Law School, Murielle Steven Walsh originally planned on doing criminal prosecution work and interned with the Kings County District Attorney’s Office. “But while interning, I found that this type of work was not the right fit for me.” She later worked in the mergers and acquisition group of Sullivan & Cromwell. “So when I first interviewed with Pomerantz I hadn’t considered plaintiff-side securities work. But it all fell into place. I like that I am still able to prosecute wrongdoing, but in the white-collar context.” TRAILS BLAZED In EBC I v. Goldman Sachs, Walsh represented clients involving claims against a lead underwriter of an IPO. “We alleged that the underwriter had underpriced the offering, because it had conflicts of interest which made it lucrative for the underwriter to underprice.” She brought what was then a novel claim, questioning whether a lead underwriter has a fiduciary duty. “We convinced the courts all the way up to the New York Court of Appeals, which confirmed that they do. It has since helped shape the law for all market participants.” In the securities class action In re Livent Noteholders Securities Litigation, Walsh was one of the lead attorneys helping to obtain a $36 million judgment against the company’s executives in a ruling later upheld by the Second Circuit on appeal. She also led the firm’s litigation involving the popular Pokemon Go, an augmented reality game played on smartphones where players have to virtually capture Pokemon characters in real-world locations in order to advance in the game. Using GPS-enabled technology, the company placed virtual game items onto private properties without the owners’ permission, which resulted in trespass and nuisance by Pokemon Go players. Walsh obtained a highly favorable injunctive relief-style settlement for the homeowner class that required Niantic to modify its policies to better protect against trespass. As a passionate advocate for human rights, Walsh leads cases involving
#MeToo issues, and serves on boards advocating for the rights of children, women and those seeking political asylum. She is currently leading a class-action case against Wynn Resorts involving allegations of concealing a pattern of sexual misconduct by company founder Stephen Wynn. “The case alleges that the company misled investors into believing that it was committed to a Code of Conduct that required employees to act legally and ethically, when in fact, Wynn’s senior management was aware of and failed to investigate numerous claims of sexual misconduct by Steven Wynn against the company’s female employees. We are making the relatively untested argument that codes of conduct like these should be actionable under the securities laws. Given the #MeToo movement and the negative stock price impact of revelations of misconduct by senior management, statements about a company’s code of conduct have taken on heightened importance for investors Walsh currently serves as a member on the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA), a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that supports and promotes court-appointed advocates for neglected and abused children. She has served on the Honorary Steering Committee for Equal Rights Advocates (ERA), another U.S.-based nonprofit that helps advance legal rights and opportunities for girls, women and those of all gender identities. FUTURE EXPLORATIONS Walsh believes allegations of personal misconduct by senior executives will continue to be taken more seriously by investors. “Years ago, corporate America could just sweep this kind of thing under the rug, but not now. I see the #MeToo movement getting stronger, and companies will have to take stronger steps to prevent the types of misconduct we have seen in the Wynn case.”
Partner
Emma Gilmore
PIONEER SPIRIT Emma Gilmore was born in Romania and moved to Arizona at the age of 17 shortly before the Romanian Revolution began in 1989. She learned English as a high school student and graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University. Inspired by her grandfather, a judge in Romania, to attend law school, Gilmore graduated cum laude from Brooklyn Law School and served as a law clerk for former U.S. chief judge for the Eastern District of New York Thomas C. Platt. She started her career at a big firm as a defense attorney, working on the multi-billion dollar WorldCom litigation before deciding to change to the other side. “When it was recommended that I pursue plaintiffs’ work, it felt like the right side for me. And it has been a lot more rewarding.” TRAILS BLAZED Gilmore represented plaintiffs in a class-action case in the Southern District of New York against Brazil’s largest oil company, Petrobras, involving a multibillion-dollar kickback and bribery scheme. She helped secure a $3 billion settlement for the investors—the largest global securities fraud class-action settlement against a foreign issuer. “At the time, Petrobras was the fifth-largest oil company in the world. I traveled to Brazil to gather evidence and uncover more about the fraud, and I met with members of the Brazilian Federal Police and the press before returning to the U.S. to draft the complaint.” The case was one of the most extensive instances of corruption in the history of Brazil and involved former Petrobras executives, the former president of Brazil and members of the Brazilian legislature. “The case involved a lot of corrupt politicians, with 51% of the company owned by the Brazilian government and one-third of the Brazilian legislature involved in the corruption.” During the investigations, Gilmore deposed and defended expert witnesses, including the former CEO of Petrobras, the whistleblower and the chief accountant. “There was a cartel to inflate prices and then kickback money to lawmakers. Everyone was winning except the investors. It was difficult because in Brazil Petrobras was portrayed as the victim—an argument that was actually successful with Brazilian prosecutors and the Brazilian courts.” Despite these public perceptions, Gilmore was able to successfully argue fraud in the U.S.
Brazilian prosecutors and the Brazilian courts.” Despite these public perceptions, Gilmore was able to successfully argue fraud in the U.S. “When I deposed the whistleblower, she told the story of how she was accosted on the street and threatened at gunpoint to keep quiet.” The victory allowed many institutional investors who had opted out of the class to come back in to take part in the settlement. “And as part of this case, we made good law in the Second Circuit, making it easier to get a class certified.” Gilmore also represented plaintiffs in class-action litigation against Yahoo! Inc., resulting in an $80 million settlement. Involving one of the largest data breaches in U.S. history, more than three billion Yahoo accounts were compromised. “I actually had a Yahoo account that had been hacked. Because the CEO had failed to disclose a large attack, it was able to be approached as a securities fraud issue. Yahoo represented that they had the right protections when they knew they had been hacked. Ours was the first successful case that was approached in this way.” Gilmore is also prosecuting securities fraud claims against multinational oil and gas company BP in a case involving charges resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. She is helping to develop unique strategies to protect investments by investors by those who purchased foreign-traded shares of a foreign company to pursue securities fraud claims in a U.S. court. She was also recently selected to serve on the New York City Bar Association’s Securities Litigation Committee, where she will have the opportunity to help shape future law and public policy. FUTURE EXPLORATIONS As the number of data breaches continues to rise, Gilmore sees an increase in the number of fraud cases involving cybersecurity issues. “The law has been evolving for years, but fraudsters have found new ways to defraud investors. I don’t see cybersecurity issues going away. They are here to stay as fraudsters come up with different ways to hack into accounts.”
Partner
Michael J. Wernke
PIONEER SPIRIT After graduating from Harvard Law School in 2004, Michael Wernke started his career in a big defense firm. “I stumbled onto securities class actions. I started working high-profile First Amendment cases, which I liked, but there was not that much work.” He decided to take on a variety of complex commercial litigations, including a securities fraud class action. When the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in the landmark securities case Dura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Broudo, holding that inflated stock prices alone do not demonstrate “loss causation” and that the plaintiff needs to show that the inflation was due to the fraud, Wernke’s interest in taking on more securities class actions took off. “But as I became a more seasoned attorney, I found myself agreeing more with the formulation of the law from the investor side, so I came to Pomerantz where I could champion the rights of the small investor.” TRAILS BLAZED Wernke obtained a $110 million settlement as the co-lead counsel in Pirnik v. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. et al., a high-profile securities class action relating to Fiat Chrysler vehicles’ noncompliance with diesel emissions regulations. “We alleged that the company was not in compliance, with some diesel vehicles having defeat-device software installed.” The emissions-compliant software operated when the vehicle was in an Environmental Protection Agency testing scenario. But the software was turned off during normal driving conditions, allowing for increased power and miles per gallon for the vehicle. “At first, the court granted the defense’s motion to dismiss, stating that we had not shown that the statements were false and misleading and the company knew.” In response, Wernke amended the complaint, adding emails from the EPA to Fiat Chrysler’s head of regulatory affairs that Wernke had received pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request to the EPA. He argued that the emails, which showed the EPA’s concerns about the possibility of violations were enough to plead that the defendants’ statements of compliance were actionable. “We added the EPA’s concerns shown in the emails, and the court sustained based on that determination.” In previous cases, formal documentation from a regulator was
necessary, but Wernke successfully argued for allowing the case to proceed based on an exploratory email. “This allows investors to bring claims they wouldn’t have been able to bring otherwise.” In December 2018, Wernke helped obtain a $31 million partial settlement in In re Libor-Based Financial Instruments Antitrust Litigation involving the Libor rigging scandal. And in October 2018, he obtained a $15 million settlement in a securities class action involving data capture and delivery equipment manufacturer Symbol Technologies misleading investors on its ability to forecast revenues. Since moving from the defense side to the plaintiffs’ bar, more than 85% of complaints drafted by Wernke have survived motions to dismiss. He currently leads a securities fraud class action against Quorum Health Corporation, alleging the operator of general acute care hospitals and outpatient services misled investors on the financial health of hospitals that the parent company had spun off into a stand-alone business. He successfully defeated the defendants’ motions to dismiss the complaint by arguing that the company from which Quorum Health was spun off made false statements. With this victory for the plaintiffs, Wernke continues to manage the complex fact-finding and discovery in the matter. FUTURE EXPLORATIONS Wernke believes there will be an increase in the number of cases resulting from the coronavirus declining the markets. “Anytime something this drastic happens, it’s fertile ground for fraudsters. Opportunistic fraudsters will be looking to mislead, but a lot of fraud also happens when people are not necessarily setting out to commit fraud, but because they crossed the line out of fear or are attempting to cover up mismanagement. I see a broad scope of cases related to these areas.” He also believes there will be an increase in cases hinging on reputational damage. “For example, there will be more #MeToo-related cases rather than just financial ones. Consumers and shareholders are more concerned than ever about who is running the company and that person’s standing in the community.”
Plaintiffs
Plaintiffs
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Melissa Azallion
Helping clients comply with immigration law
Thomas J. Barton
Leading wrongful termination cases at the state federal level
Michele Haydel Gehrke
Specializing in labor relations for airline & transportation employees
Melissa Azallion
Put Title Here
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Thomas J. Barton
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
Put Title Here
Michele Haydel Gehrke
PIONEER SPIRIT Michele Haydel Gehpke’s initial intereest in employment law stemmed from taking public policy courses as an undergraduate at UCLA. She found the intersection of law, public policy and social justice fascinating, especiallly around gender discrimination. “And whenI went to law school, continued down that path and still enjoy that area of the law today”. TRAILS BLAZED Gehrke specialsizes in the Railway Labor Act, a niche area of national labor regulations specific to airline and other transportation employees. In Smith v. United Airlines, she was the lead attorney and won a dismissal at district court level on a motion to dismiss before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals. She has also served as lead counsel on a case involving the overlap of social media speech and the Railway Labor Act. She wonthat case but also filed suit in federal court in Texas, bringing statutory claims under Title VII and the act. “It’s a balance betweenfree speech and the ability to protect employees from harassment.” Gehrke has also represented clients in several cases involving the issue of mandatory arbritration agreements. “There is awhole line of cases up to the Supreme Court, and these issues are very much at the forefront right now.” FUTURE EXPLORATIONS An employers watch how the supreme Court will handle the issues of class-actionarbritation where there is now waiver, Gehrke expects addtional guidance from the court on this and Selection VII and whether it includes sexual orientation discrimination. “There are a lot of old agreements out there that are silent on the subject. It’s still an open issue under federal law.” She also sees an increasing numberof Private attorneys General Act cases, which allow individual employees to sue for violations of the labor code in the name of attorney general.
immigration
sports & entertainment
plaintiffs
immigration
sports & entertainment
Plaintiffs
