Greg S. Labate 

Greg S. Labate prepares his cases for trial like a gourmet chef prepping a complex recipe, drawing upon his extensive expertise in the culinary arts.

“When you are a trial attorney, a gourmet chef is kind of like that: you have to get all your ingredients together, you have to plan, you have to make sure your ingredients that you put in are high quality, and then you have to execute the final dish, and you have to serve it,” he said. “Being a good chef also helps me be a good lawyer.”

As the keynote speaker at the 2022 California Employment Law Update by the Professionals in Human Resources Association, he provided updates regarding arbitration agreements, employment handbooks and severance packages — as well as a treasured family recipe.

“Every time I do a seminar, I get big crowds because I always give away a recipe at the end, but you have to stay through the end to get the recipe,” he said. “I typically will give out some Italian recipe that my mother perfected over the years and that I’ve taken to the next level. The one that got the biggest round of applause was the Timpano … and it’s a showstopper.”

As a partner with the law firm of Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP in the firm’s Orange County office, Labate represents employers in a wide range of industries, though his clients have often been restaurant owners.

“They’ve been my bread and butter — and no pun intended — for many years as a lawyer,” he said, “so I do have a specialized interest in the restaurant business.”

Labate led a Sheppard Mullin team that defeated class certification for Hillstone Restaurants in a federal wage and hour class action lawsuit, which alleged waiting time penalties, meal and rest period violations and failure to provide accurate wage statements. A remaining representative claim under the California Private Attorneys General Act would have included substantial claims for over 3,000 employees, but in August 2022, Judge Susan Van Keulen granted the team’s motion for judgment on the pleadings, entirely dismissing the PAGA claims.

Labate mentions that he is particularly proud of serving as chair of the firm’s labor and employment practice group from 2006 to 2021, which was the longest reign of any practice group leader at Sheppard Mullin in that area. He also highlights his volunteer work, including mentorship in the Big Brothers Program as well as pro bono work for Project Access, which provides housing and care for underprivileged families in Orange County.

—Kathryn Stelmach Artuso