Tao Leung

Being an employment lawyer means dealing with constant change, Leung said.

"You always have to be knowledgeable of trends on a daily basis," said Leung, who heads the labor and employment practice for Hogan Lovells' California offices. "At first, employment laws aren't always created with practical applications in mind."

Leung successfully resolved two related wage and hour class actions against AEG, the sports and entertainment venue operator. Class members worked in Oracle Arena and the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

The plaintiffs alleged various wage and hour violations, including failure to provide compliant meal and rest breaks, and pay overtime work, according to court documents. Chenille Campbell, et al. v. AEG Management Oakland, LLC, et al. RG17859830; (Alameda Super. Ct. filed May 10, 2017).

"They were alleging that [AEG] should definitely pay for security checks," Leung said. "Our counter argument was that checks are done for the safety of everyone. A lot of my job is to help navigate these laws which aren't clear-cut."

Had the plaintiffs been successful, AEG could have had paid tens-of millions of dollars in damages.

This year, Leung helped obtain a final court approval of a settlement for both matters.

Leung also advises companies on financial dealings, including mergers and acquisitions. Over the past two years, Leung has provided counsel on several deals worth $10 billion. Those clients include Adobe Systems Inc., which purchased Marketo for $4.75 billion; Autodesk, which acquired PlanGrid Inc. for $875 million; Edenred, which acquired Corporate Spending Innovations or CSI for $600 million.

"The goal from my perspective is to make sure the firm's clients go into a transaction with their eyes wide open," Leung explained. "I know what I need to address if they decide to pursue, and there are outstanding lawsuits, and weighing the two and finding the balance."

-- Karen Weil