Overview

Rebecca Aragon has successfully litigated over 500 suits to conclusion. Her practice focuses on leading litigation, with particular emphasis on class and PAGA action defense in high stakes litigation. She has a proven track record of guiding U.S., international, and foreign sovereign employers through the intricacies of federal and state employment laws to achieve favorable outcomes in matters involving wage and hour claims, contract disputes, arbitration agreement enforcement, trade secret claims, sovereign immunity, and claims of wrongful termination, whistleblowing and discrimination.

Rebecca provides clients with proactive strategies to manage litigation risk and ensure compliance with employment laws concerning disability accommodations, leaves of absence, discrimination, and wage and hour issues. She also counsels clients on matters involving employee hiring, discipline and termination, workplace policies, and labor implications of mergers and acquisitions.

In international matters, Rebecca is experienced in advising foreign government employers regarding sovereign immunity issues and the application of federal and state employment laws to their personnel in the U.S. 

Rebecca represents companies employing Spanish-speaking workforces in the U.S. and Mexico. She provides Spanish language services concerning union avoidance, harassment prevention, policy training, and company investigations. She drafts Spanish language handbooks, policies and arbitration agreements for clients. In litigation, Rebecca has special experience deposing Spanish-speaking parties and conducting Spanish language declaration campaigns in class actions.

Rebecca has represented companies in the retail, staffing, air cargo, medical, defense contracting, financial, and fuel and energy industries. Examples of her significant matters include:

  • Persuading opposing counsel to abandon a PAGA and class action involving unionized employees in exchange for a $16,000 settlement of the plaintiff’s individual claims
  • Obtaining Complex Litigation Class Action court approval of settlement involving no payments to class members in a class action alleging labor code and PAGA violations
  • Waging an effective declaration campaign resulting in plaintiffs’ abandonment of class action claims that thousands of computer technicians were misclassified as exempt professionals
  • Negotiating the resolution of representative action wage claims involving unpaid intern allegations for no monetary, injunctive or other relief
  • Obtaining a complete dismissal of a wage and hour class action without the payment of any sums to class members or opposing counsel
  • Successfully settling challenging wage and hour PAGA and class actions for nominal percentages of multimillion unpaid wage demands
  • Defeating successive motions for class certification in an action involving meal and rest period violation claims, and misclassification of personnel working throughout California after successfully moving the class action into arbitration
  • Persuading opposing counsel in several class and PAGA actions to forgo formal discovery and agree to scaled-back informal discovery, and negotiating dismissals of class action claims going back four years and limiting plaintiffs to one-year periods of limited penalty claims
  • Defeating and negotiating dismissals of wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination and other claims in various state and federal courts and before the EEOC
  • Prevailing on a motion to dismiss a federal wage and hour class action brought against a prominent non-profit organization by volunteers claiming employee status
  • Developing litigation avoidance strategies that enabled a foreign sovereign employer to terminate consulate office personnel working in the U. S. without ensuing claims

Rebecca is a widely published author and frequent lecturer on labor and employment issues affecting national, state and foreign sovereign employers.

Before joining Littler, Rebecca was a partner and chair of an AmLaw 100 national law firm’s labor and employment practice in Los Angeles, and a member of a prior law firm’s board of directors. She served for two years as a law clerk to the Hon. Terry J. Hatter, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. In law school, she was the editor-in-chief of the Georgetown Immigration Law Reporter.

Professional & Community Affiliations

Member, Board of Directors (and former two-term President)

Latina Lawyers Bar Association

Member, Board of Trustees

Mexican American Bar Foundation

Advisory Council Board Member

Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles

Member, Steering Committee

Just The Beginning Foundation, Los Angeles

Member

Labor and Employment Law and Litigation sections

State Bar of California

Recognition

Named, The Best Lawyers in America®

2015-2025

Named, Super Lawyer

Southern California

Super Lawyers

2013 - 2022

News, Analysis & Press

#MeToo Claims Hit Foreign Sovereign Employers in the U.S.

The Washington Diplomat

September 28, 2018

The End of Immunity?

Foreign Affairs

November 18, 2014

Three Steps to Make Unpaid Internships Work

Society For Human Resource Management (SHRM)

May 14, 2014

Litigation consequences of unpaid internships

InsideCounsel

April 14, 2014

Are Unpaid Interns Really Employees?

California Minority Counsel Program Newsletter

December 3, 2013

Unpaid interns: keep 'em, pay 'em or let 'em go

Los Angeles Daily Journal

July 29, 2013

Judicial Spotlight: Judge Terry J. Hatter, Jr.

California Minority Counsel Program Newsletter

February 28, 2013

Claim Protection

Latin Lawyer

April 13, 2012

What are the Main Legal Challenges Impacting Businesses Today?

Hispanic Executive Magazine

September 1, 2011

Say Goodbye to Wage-and-Hour-Class Actions

Los Angeles Daily Journal

May 18, 2011

Buyer Beware: Employers Leasing Employees Are Not Immune From Liabilities

Los Angeles Daily Journal

May 11, 2011

Should Counsel at Foreign Language Depositions and Trials be Bilingual?

Los Angeles Daily Journal

March 21, 2011

Missed Meal and Rest Breaks Can Add Up for California Employers

Firm Publication

February 28, 2011

Will Insurance Cover California Wage and Hour Class Actions?

Firm Publication

December 8, 2010

U.S. Supreme Court Rules 3/5 is a Must for NLRB

Firm Publication

June 30, 2010

Third Parties Beware: California Supreme Court Ruling Expands “Employer” Definition

Firm Publication

June 14, 2010

California Supreme Court Ruling has Bite for Employment Arbitration Awards

Firm Publication

May 4, 2010

California Supreme Court Ruling Paves the Way for More Representative Actions Against Employers

Firm Publication

July 10, 2009

Time to Review Employee Arbitration Agreements

The Bankruptcy Weekly

July 1, 2009

Independents' Day

Los Angeles Daily Journal

March 20, 2009

Speaking Engagements

Southern California Legal Update Series - Los Angeles

January 29, 2019

Strategies Embassies and Consulate Offices Should Implement to Minimize Their Exposure to Employee Claims in the U.S. Before and After Litigation

December 11, 2018

Essential Business Operations – Employment Law Basics

California Continuing Education of the Bar Conference, Santa Barbara, CA

September 20, 2018

Panelist

2017 Microsoft Infinite Perspective – Untapped Talent Conference, Redmond, WA

May 23, 2017

Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act - What's Next?

Webinar, The Knowledge Group

October 22, 2014

Current National Origin Discrimination Issues & Employer Best Practices

Employment Round Table of Southern California, El Segundo, CA

September 17, 2014

Internships – Best Practices, Recruitment, and Avoiding Legal Pitfalls

Human Resources and Labor Policy Conference - American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), Greensboro, NC

February 27, 2014

Following the Rules and Defining "Internships"

Los Angeles, CA

December 4, 2013

Littler's Workplace Policy Institute™ – Sacramento's Bumper Crop: New Labor and Employment Laws for Private Sector Employers

October 23, 2013

The History, Current Challenges and Future Opportunities of Latinos in the Legal Profession

Latinos In Law Symposium - Los Angeles City Attorney's Office and Latino City Attorneys Association, Los Angeles, CA

October 10, 2013

Dyslexia: A Civil Rights Issue for Our Time

Annual Conference, The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity, Yale University, New Haven, CT

August 5, 2013

Preventative Measures Embassies, Consulate Offices and Other Foreign Sovereign Employers Should Take to Avoid or Minimize Their Exposure to Employee Claims in the U.S.

Global Employer Institute

Littler Mendelson, Washington D.C.

November 8, 2012

Wage-Hour Procedural Tactics, Pre-Trial and Trial Strategy: Update on the Developing Law

The 2012 Executive Employer® Conference

Littler Mendelson, Scottsdale, AZ

May 11, 2012

The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act: Special Concerns for Sovereign Employers

The Global Employer - Latin America Conference

Littler Mendelson, Miami, FL

February 9, 2012

California's New Wage/Hour 'Gotchas': What You Need to Know About the Latest Court Rulings and Regulations

National Firm Webinar Presentation

August 25, 2011

California: Sexual Harassment Avoidance Training and Response Tactics

Briefings Media Group

July 27, 2011

Wage Agreements in California: How to Set Up Fixed Overtime Schedules that Hold Up in Court

Employer Resource Institute

May 10, 2011

2011 Immigration Laws and Regulations for Employers

Business & Legal Reports (BLR)

February 18, 2011

Overtime Exemptions in California: How to Audit Overtime Classifications and Avoid Most Common (and Costly) Mistakes

Employer Resource Institute

December 9, 2010

Minimizing Damage from Lawsuits: Steps Employers Must Follow to Avoid Litigation

National Firm Presentation

October 26, 2010

California's New Wage and Hour Pitfalls: What Employers Need to Know About the Latest Wage and Hour Court Rulings and Regulations

Business & Legal Reports (BLR)

October 5, 2010

Family Leave: Avoiding Liability Under California Law and Policies to Adapt in the Workplace

Employer Resource Institute

August 18, 2010

Crossing the Pond: Employment and Labor Law in the U.S. and U.K.

National Firm Presentation

June 16, 2010

Releases, Severances and Layoffs: Reducing Employer Liabilities with Effective Preparation

Business & Legal Reports (BLR)

May 26, 2010

Discipline and Termination: How to Eliminate Poor Performance While Managing an Employer's Legal Risks

Business & Legal Reports (BLR)

May 26, 2010

High-Profile Employees: How to Coach, Discipline and Terminate These 'Untouchable' Workers

California Employer Advisor

May 18, 2010

California Wage and Hour Risks: Preventing the Most Common (and Costly) Wage and Hour Mistakes

Business & Legal Reports (BLR)

February 19, 2010

The Outside Sales Exemption: Four-Part Virtual Boot Camp Series

Business & Legal Reports (BLR)

December 21, 2009

The Executive Exemption: Four-Part Virtual Boot Camp Series

Business & Legal Reports (BLR)

December 17, 2009

The Professional Exemption: Four-Part Virtual Boot Camp Series

Business & Legal Reports (BLR)

December 16, 2009

The Administrative Exemption: Four-Part Virtual Boot Camp Series

Business & Legal Reports (BLR)

December 14, 2009

Properly Handling and Defending Against Employee Complaints of Discrimination

Lorman Education Services

September 25, 2009

California Wage and Hour Update: The Arias and Starbucks Cases and Other Recent 'Gotchas' - How to Avoid Employee Claims and Class Actions

National Firm Presentation

September 8, 2009

Employment Law Compliance: Disciplining or Terminating a Workers' Compensation Claimant

Lorman Education Services

August 10, 2009

Defending Against Private Attorney General Act Claims

Mid-Year Wage & Hour Litigation Conference - Bridgeport Continuing Education

June 26, 2009

Protecting Your Business: An Interactive Workshop on Disability Accommodation and Leave Laws in a Changing Regulatory Environment

National Firm Presentation, Washington, D.C.

April 21, 2009

Must-Know Employment Law Developments for Every Kind of Business in California

April 28, 2008

Education

  • J.D., Georgetown University Law Center
  • B.A., Yale University

Languages

  • Spanish

Bar Admission

California

Courts

  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Central District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
  • U.S. District Court, District of Columbia