San Francisco, CA/ April 1, 2009 -- Littler Mendelson, P.C. (Littler), the nation's largest employment and labor law firm representing management, is pleased to announce the arrival of its newest shareholder, Benjamin Webster, after 21 years of service at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP (Pillsbury). Webster will succeed Richard Gray as Sacramento office managing shareholder, with Gray continuing his active litigation and counseling practice.
Coming to Littler after having served as managing partner of Pillsbury's Sacramento office since 2001, Webster is very well experienced in firm management issues and in providing legal counsel for clients. During his tenure at Pillsbury, Webster's practice focused on general commercial litigation, with an emphasis on employment and labor law. Webster has extensive experience defending employers in state and federal court involving allegations such as breach of contract, misappropriation of proprietary information, unfair competition and other business torts, defamation, invasion of privacy, sexual harassment, class action lawsuits including wage-hour and discrimination claims, and immigration status. He has also prosecuted and defended numerous trade secret cases, winning and defeating requests for injunctive relief in high stakes, time-sensitive disputes. In addition, Webster has successfully handled trials as well as binding arbitrations and mediations in a variety of complex cases.
"Ben is an excellent attorney who will provide the same level of high quality leadership in our Sacramento office as did Richard Gray," said Marko Mrkonich, president and managing director of the firm. "We look forward to implementing his ideas to continue improving the capabilities of the firm overall." Under Gray's management, Littler's Sacramento office experienced strong growth in clients and in number of attorneys.
"I look forward to the opportunity to focus solely on my labor and employment practice, providing superior client service as part of the nation's largest labor and employment law firm dedicated exclusively to the representation of employers. The firm's vast resources provide an excellent means for developing the most effective solutions for clients," said Webster. "I plan to help further develop the ability of Littler's Sacramento office to serve clients most strategically, similar to how I have done in the past."
Webster is also very involved in civic activities, and is currently the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sacramento Community Services Planning Council. He received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1987 and his B.A. from Stanford University in 1980. He is licensed to practice in the state of California, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Eighth and Ninth Circuits and in the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Central Districts of California.
About Littler Mendelson
With more than 750 attorneys and 47 offices, Littler Mendelson is the largest U.S.-based law firm exclusively devoted to representing management in employment and labor law matters. As the only U.S. member of the Ius Laboris global alliance, Littler has extensive resources to address the global needs of clients, from navigating foreign employment laws and international labor relations issues to applying corporate policies on a global basis. Established in 1942, the firm has litigated, mediated and negotiated some of the most influential employment law cases and labor contracts on record. For more information, visit littler.com.
