Diane L. Kimberlin has represented both private companies and public entities in many facets of labor and employment law, including:

• Wage and hour class actions
• Leaves of absence and the duty to accommodate disabled individuals
• Defense of wrongful discharge actions
• Claims of sexual harassment
• Employment discrimination and retaliation claims
• Collective bargaining negotiations
• Labor arbitrations

In recent years Diane has devoted a significant part of her practice to the defense of retail and service sector employers faced with wage and hour class action claims.  She has a record of success in defeating class certification and of securing favorable settlements when clients wish to dispose of claims with certainty.  She has specific knowledge of:

• The Americans with Disabilities Act
• The Family and Medical Leave Act
• The California Fair Employment and Housing Act
• The California Family Rights Act
• The Employee Polygraph Protection Act
• California and federal wage and hour laws

Diane provides clients with practical advice to help them navigate the tangle of state and federal laws governing leaves of absence and the duty to accommodate individuals with disabilities.  She guides clients through the process of discipline and termination decisions, the investigation of workplace harassment and other misconduct claims, and helps them to arrive at sound decisions that meet business needs and show compliance with their legal duties as employers.

Over the course of her career, Diane has worked with a broad range of clients, including those in the following industries:

• Retailers, including those in the grocery industry
• Hospitals
• Manufacturing
• Waste disposal and recycling
• Finance
• Entertainment
• Cities – in negotiations with public safety employees
• Public schools

Before joining Littler in 1985, Diane was an associate at a Los Angeles firm representing labor unions with an emphasis on the retail grocery industry and motion picture production unions and guilds.

PROFESSIONAL AND COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS

• Member, Board of Directors, Center for Civic Mediation - Los Angeles County Bar Association
• Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association
• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, Labor Law / Litigation sections - Los Angeles County Bar Association
• Member, Labor Law / Litigation sections - American Bar Association
• Member, Board of Directors - Regis House

RECOGNITION

• Named, The Best Lawyers in America, 2007-2013