Littler Mendelson moves to Woodcliff Drive

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When Littler Mendelson PC, the nation’s largest employment and labor law firm representing management, opened a Rochester office in 2009, it was the firm’s 49^th office. Margaret A. Clemens, who brought nearly 25 years of employment law experience with her from Nixon Peabody LLP, established the office.

Since then, the firm has grown both locally and internationally with a current total of 67 offices throughout the U.S., Canada, and Central and South America, and employing more than 1,000 attorneys.

“It was such a great opportunity when Littler talked to me about opening an office here. I couldn’t pass it up,” admitted Clemens. “Day one at Linden Oaks, it was just me and my secretary. Six years later, we are in a new office at 375 Woodcliff with nine attorneys and four support staff.”

Clemens also explained that there isn’t really a “headquarters” office, and that the firm openly shares information across all locations.

Sharing a story about a local client who needed information about a unique requirement in Minnesota employment law, Clemens was delighted to get the answer in five minutes from a colleague in Minneapolis.

“I get the benefit of using the experience of 1,000+ employment attorneys,” she said

Work environment

Littler has earned industry and client recognition for its inclusive and diverse work environment. Last year, Coca-Cola awarded Littler its “Living the Values” award and the firm is consistently ranked by legal industry publications and industry associations as a standout firm in the area of diversity and inclusion.

It was named Best Law Firm for Women by the National Association for Female Executives multiple times. Employment Law360 ranked Littler second in the top 25 Best Law Firms for African-American Attorneys in 2015, and it was ranked among the top five firms in the diversity category by the Vault 2016 Guide to the Top 100 Law Firms.

“I’m particularly delighted to be a part of a firm that places such importance on diversity and on the advancement of women,” stated Pam Reynolds, a senior associate at Littler’s Rochester Office and the president-elect of the Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys. “I work at an office where seven of the nine attorneys are female. And, 50 percent of all attorneys at Littler are female. That focus on equality is important to me.”

Hanok George, an employment litigation associate, stated, “Littler has a number of affinity groups. My participation in the Ohana affinity group (for Asian, South Asian and Pacific Islander-American attorneys) has given me contacts across the firm and opportunities to represent companies in local and international matters.”

Those who wish to work from home are encouraged to do so with the full support of the firm. Littler believes that a home office should be just as ergonomically efficient and technologically advanced as the law firm.

When the firm ran out of office space at Linden Oaks, Littler’s newest shareholder, Jackie Phipps Polito, agreed to try a home office. After transitioning, Jackie continues to enjoy the flexibility of being able to work from home, although she also has a dedicated office at the new space at Woodcliff.

Office management

“Littler attorneys specialize in niche areas within labor and employment law, such as privacy, leaves of absence and disability, ethics and compliance, class actions, and e-discovery, among others,” explained Trent M. Sutton, managing shareholder of the local office.

Sutton initially began his career as a plaintiff’s attorney in Utah but switched to represent management in companies across the globe. He now focuses his practice almost exclusively on advising and counseling companies in international employment law, including international workforce initiatives and expatriate workforce issues.

“It’s a firm that invests not only in technology and business growth, but also the growth of its individual attorneys, Sutton continued. “It is an exciting time to be at Littler.”

One of Rochester’s newer attorneys, Jessica Pizzutelli, returned to her native Pittsford to join Littler.

She said, “From day one, I was able to participate in a number of wage and hour class action cases. I feel like my knowledge has increased exponentially and I’ve had terrific support in developing my niche in this area.”

New hires

Carey Ann Denefrio recently joined the firm after spending eight years as the confidential law clerk to U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan W. Feldman. Denefrio started her career at Ward Norris Heller & Reidy (now Ward Greenberg).

Though she enjoyed her time as a law clerk, Denefrio said, “I wanted to get back into private practice.”

Hinna Upal also joined the firm since its move to Woodcliff. Originally from Canada, Upal had been living in Boston, working for the commonwealth of Massachusetts as deputy counsel of the Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs following a stint for a U.S. District Court judge, and an assignment with one of the judges of the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Her husband’s career brought him to Rochester in February 2015, and she and their two daughters are happy to be here.

“I had my first daughter when I was in my fourth year of college,” Upal noted. “At that time it was my intention to go on for a (doctorate) in anthropology. Instead, I enrolled up at Roger Williams University of Law in Rhode Island. I was five months pregnant when I started law school, but it didn’t affect my graduation on schedule in 2007.”

Employment law

Counseling and training are a big part of the services Littler provides to employers – trying to keep them out of court. The firm deals with every aspect of employee relations from wage and hour issues, to safety concerns, to employee conduct expectations.

“There are so many compliance matters not just regarding discrimination and sexual harassment, but regarding benefits policies under the new marriage equality law, occupational safety, and more,” Clemens explained. “Employers need updated employment handbooks and training for managers on new regulations. “

Jill Lowell, a senior associate at Littler and a Rochester native whose primary focus is employment counseling, noted that the firm often hosts seminars or CLEs at the Woodcliff Lodge to help clients stay abreast of developing law. The lodge can accommodate 100-120 people, a necessary size given the turnout to such programs.

“That is now very convenient for us, and our new office suite includes two conference rooms along with access to a 40-seat conference room on the first floor,” she said.

Littler has developed a suite of technology solutions to enhance the delivery of legal services. It most recently partnered with Neota Logic, to launch CompliancHR, a revolutionary approach to employment law compliance that enables employers to get concise, instantaneous guidance on critical employment issues.

Working there

Littler’s standards, approaches, and offerings reflect a commitment to strong human resource practices and incentive programs. For instance, Littler offers attorneys a range of work arrangements suited to the needs of the attorney. Littler also provides attorneys an alternative track to work as FlexTime attorneys who have reduced billable-hour goals and limited non-billable requirements.

In addition, the new space at Woodcliff attempts to maximize natural lighting, offer an open-environment for ease of communication and team work, and flexible workstations that can be adjusted to standing or sitting positions so that workers can adapt to their workspace, as needed. A kitchen area also provides seating to allow employees to get away from their desks for a break.

“We are committed to Rochester,” said Sutton. “We have long-term relationships with numerous companies across Western New York and intend to maintain those relationships – hopefully adding new ones along the way – far into the future.”