Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is pleased to welcome Monica Rodriguez to its nationally recognized employment services team. Joining as a partner in Los Angeles, Rodriguez advances Davis Wright's targeted growth in California and augments the firm's excellence in serving key industry verticals.
Rodriguez comes to the firm from Morrison Foerster. She joins her former colleagues Tritia Murata and David Zins, who co-led Morrison Foerster's wage and hour class action practice and arrived at Davis Wright on March 4.
"At a time when employers across all industries face unprecedented scrutiny and challenge, Monica brings to our team an exceptionally versatile skillset," said Mark Berry, co-chair of Davis Wright's employment services group. "She has deep expertise in both class action and single-plaintiff litigation, as well as significant strength in traditional labor practice and general employment advice and counsel. Whatever the challenge, she delivers pragmatic, business-minded results that help clients reach their goals."
"Monica was a key player in many of the wins our team secured for clients in high-exposure class actions," said Murata. "I'm absolutely thrilled she has chosen to join our outstanding team here at Davis Wright. This is the perfect opportunity for her, David, and me to expand and elevate our practice as part of a collegial, entrepreneurial, and client-focused firm."
Rodriguez serves a diverse client base, with particular focus on companies in the restaurant, technology, financial services, and nonprofit sectors—all areas of particular strength, across multiple disciplines, for Davis Wright, and all industries that have been subject to strong labor activity in recent years.
"With the rise of vigorous, new unionization efforts and the sweeping positions being adopted by the NLRB, Monica's career-long experience as a traditional labor attorney is going to be extremely valuable to our firm and our clients," said Julie Capell, Davis Wright's Los Angeles partner-in-charge and a member of the firm's employment services group. "Particularly in Southern California, we are seeing tremendous demand for exactly the kind of singular expertise that Monica brings."
Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, Rodriguez served as counsel at the University of Southern California, LA's largest private employer. In that role, she managed employment litigation, handled traditional labor matters, and provided advice and guidance across all of the university's business units, including 15 colleges, transportation and logistics, auxiliary services, retail, hospitality, call centers, and three hospitals.
"Monica's in-house experience affords her a remarkable perspective on client service," said Jenna Mooney, co-chair of the employment practice at Davis Wright. "She understands the demands faced by in-house counsel. She is adept at pursuing sensitive, high-level, internal investigations. And she knows how to help communicate regarding litigation risk, management, and exposure in language that senior business leadership understands."
Throughout her career, Rodriguez has been active in the legal community, particularly in organizations focused on diversity. She has been a leader in Morrison Foerster's women's and diversity initiatives and has been a committee co-chair for the National Employment Law Council, which supports HR leaders and management-side attorneys of color. She currently serves as Southern California Deputy Regional President for the National Hispanic Bar Association and is a mentor co-chair for Just The Beginning – A Pipeline Organization, which helps people from underrepresented socioeconomic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds enter the legal profession. Rodriguez is a fluent Spanish speaker.
"Davis Wright's commitment to DEI has been strong and unequivocal," said Rodriguez. "Even by the standards of this city, the firm's LA office is highly diverse compared to competitors. The firm's culture prizes excellence as well as impact and I am very excited to join Tritia and David in launching the next chapter of my career here."
Rodriguez received her undergraduate degree from UC San Diego and her J.D. from Loyola Law School. She began her private practice career at Seyfarth Shaw, where she was an attorney for more than 5 years.