Firm History

Firm History

In 1942, Robert Littler, the Pacific Coast Director of the War Labor Board, and Thomas Coakley, a California deputy attorney general, resigned their positions to form the first law firm in the San Francisco Bay Area to specialize exclusively in representing employers in labor law. The Firm successfully represented businesses faced with government takeover before the War Labor Board and Salary Stabilization Commission. Arthur Mendelson joined the Firm in 1944.

Throughout the United States, the 1950s and 1960s was a time of explosive economic growth and social change.  In Northern California, due to rapid business development and expanding unionization, the Firm was called on to represent numerous companies in landmark collective bargaining cases.  With the passage of civil rights legislation, the Firm's attorneys defended employers in civil rights and wrongful discharge litigation as well.

By the end of the 1970s, Littler Mendelson had grown to fifty attorneys servicing employers throughout California and had acquired a reputation for aggressive representation of employer interests in union-related matters and the emerging area of employment law.

During 1990s the Firm expanded countrywide in response to clients who required services outside of California, more than tripling the number of attorneys and offices. The Firm subsequently formed an alliance with Employment Law Learning Technologies (ELT) in 1996 to provide employers with effective compliance and risk management strategies through online education.

Today, with more than 750 attorneys and 49 offices in major metropolitan areas nationwide, Littler Mendelson is the largest law firm in the country exclusively devoted to representing management in employment, employee benefits 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. The firm's client base ranges from Fortune 500 companies to small-business owners.

Littler History Video