Littler Mendelson Attracts Leading Authority On Airline Labor Law To Atlanta Office

Former Vice President of Labor Relations Law at FedEx, Don Maliniak Joins Nation's Largest Labor and Employment Law Firm

ATLANTA, GA (October 27, 2009) – Littler Mendelson (Littler), the nation's largest employment and labor law firm representing management, today announced a key addition to its growing Railway Labor Act and transportation practice. Don Maliniak, formerly Vice President of Labor Relations Law at Federal Express Corporation (FedEx), has joined Littler's Atlanta office where he will help lead the development and expansion of the Firm's national service offerings targeting the airline industry and other key transportation industry clients.

"Over the course of more than 20 years at FedEx, Don Maliniak has established a track record of success and innovation that is as impressive as any practitioner of airline labor law," said Marko Mrkonich, president and managing director of Littler. Highlights of Maliniak's achievements include serving as the chair and lead negotiator in FedEx's collective bargaining negotiations with its pilots' union, as well as successfully withstanding multiple union organizing efforts targeting other work groups at FedEx. Additionally, Maliniak counseled FedEx on several international labor projects in both Europe and Asia.

"In the relatively small universe of airline labor law specialists, there are very few who can match Don's legal knowledge coupled with the practical experience he's gained from a career working in-house in every facet of a carrier's labor relations," added Ron Holland, co-chair of Littler's Transportation Practice Group.

A number of contributing factors drew Maliniak to join the Firm. "I have had the opportunity to work with several attorneys at Littler and have been consistently impressed with their quality and creativity. This, combined with their demonstrated knowledge, commitment to innovation, and extraordinary client service made Littler the natural choice for me," explains Maliniak.

Also important to Maliniak is his sense that the airline labor relations legal market has been generally under-served. "It is no secret there are only a few law firms competing for airline labor law business," commented Maliniak. "When I was in-house at FedEx, I would have liked more options in outside counsel." Maliniak, a two-term president of AIR Conference, says he is not alone in that assessment. "Over the years, some of my colleagues expressed the same view. They want more options when selecting outside counsel to help with airline labor issues that can make or break their business. I am very pleased to join Littler and look forward to the opportunity to offer airline companies a much-needed alternative."

Maliniak will advise and represent corporate clients on a broad range of labor matters including issues pertaining to private sector labor relations acts such as the federal Railway Labor Act, negotiating union contracts and collective bargaining agreements, and handling arbitrations between carriers and a unionized workforce.

Maliniak received his J.D. from University of Mississippi and B.S. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is admitted to practice in the Mississippi and Tennessee state bars.

About Littler Mendelson

With more than 750 attorneys and 49 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 www.littler.com.