LOS ANGELES – Reed Smith partners Mara Curtis and Jennifer Terry were profiled today in the Daily Journal among the year’s top labor and employment lawyers in California. Both based in the firm’s downtown Los Angeles office, Curtis and Terry are key members of Reed Smith’s Labor and Employment group.

Related Professionals: Jennifer C. Terry Mara D. Curtis

Curtis is among the nation’s leading lawyers in wage and hour law for cutting-edge industries, particularly the gig-economy, transportation, health care and retail sectors. Many of her cases involve complex, high-risk challenges to her clients’ operational, classification or business models.

Curtis was highlighted for obtaining the first published decisions in the Ninth Circuit and the California Court of Appeals dismissing a claim under California's Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), based on the failure to include facts and theories in the PAGA letter. She also was highlighted for her recent win in a novel, untested wage claim over grocery store self-checkouts; and several, rare, full summary judgment victories in wage and hour class and PAGA actions.

Terry has more than 20 years of experience serving as lead counsel in hundreds of single-plaintiff actions in state and federal courts. In this capacity, she handles high value cases relating to sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation. For example, she recently secured a precedent setting terminating sanctions ruling in the Third District Court of Utah for a highly publicized sexual assault and spiritual grooming case.

Terry regularly represents clients in retail, fashion and luxury goods, as well as in the hospital, pharma and medical device, industries. She regularly acts as an advisor to her clients’ Boards of Directors. Terry is the former office managing partner of the Los Angeles office and was likewise profiled for her deep commitment to her community, serving on the board of directors for Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Counsel for Justice, and, previously, chairing the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus.