Donna M. Mezias

Labor and employment litigation practice partner Donna M. Mezias of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP has been at the firm for about a decade and in practice since 1983.

Over the course of her career, she has held leadership positions with opportunities to influence policy and serve as a role model for other women in the profession. In the mid-1990s, she served as managing partner of her former firm, Jackson, Tufts, Cole & Black LLP for five years, one of the first women to manage a Bay Area firm. While at the firm now known as K&L Gates LLP, she chaired the associate compensation committee. She has served as a regional or office employment practice leader for over 25 years.

She represents clients including Home Depot U.S.A. Inc., MediaNews Group Inc., Marvell Semiconductor Inc. and C3.ai Inc.

Mezias seeks to knock out complaints on summary judgment. "I generally aim to develop the strategy for the case in the first 90-120 days," she said in an email interview. "Assessing the best legal arguments and the evidentiary strengths and challenges of the case early on informs discovery and motion strategy for the rest of the case."

In a potential class action, Mezias obtained summary judgment for Home Depot shortly after the plaintiffs petitioned for class certification. Moshtagh v. Home Depot U.S.A. Inc., 2:19-cv-01205 (W.D. Wash., filed Aug. 1, 2019).

The plaintiffs alleged that Home Depot made unlawful deductions from employee wages for donations to The Homer Fund, a non-profit fund for workers facing unexpected hardships; failed to compensate workers for off-the-clock time; failed to provide all required rest breaks; and violated the Consumer Protection Act by publishing misleading material about its wage and hour practices.

The court granted summary judgment to Home Depot on all claims except the plaintiffs' individual rest break claim. In October 2021, it dismissed the rest break claim with prejudice and subsequently awarded costs to Mezias' client.

"Confirming the legitimacy of employees' voluntary donations by payroll deduction to the non-profit Homer Fund was important to Home Depot and the many Home Depot employees who contribute to its mission," Mezias said.

She added: "Where is seems that one or more claims may be disposed of on summary judgment, the discovery strategy is tailored to that goal by ensuring my deponents are prepared on the evidence we need to establish to win a dispositive motion, and tailoring deposition strategy to obtain the necessary admissions for that motion."

For Marvell Semiconductor, Mezias has served as lead U.S. employment counsel for more than 15 years. She advises on its acquisition and divestiture transactions. "Working on acquisitions of this type is interesting due to the complications associated with a workforce that spans multiple jurisdictions," she said.

- John Roemer