Best Lawyers in Arizona, United States for Litigation - Labor and Employment
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Attorney Mick Rusing heads up the firm’s litigation section, which covers virtually every area of civil litigation. A lawyer for over thirty years, Mr. Rusing has tried well over 100 cases in federal and state courts in diverse areas such as breach of fiduciary duty, contract, ERISA, employment, environmental, insurance bad faith, insurance coverage, legal malpractice, medical malpractice, patent infringement, products liability, securities, trusts and estates, will contests, and wrongf...
Ms. Freed is the Managing Shareholder of the Phoenix office. Ms. Freed has exclusively practiced management-side labor and employment law throughout her career. Ms. Freed is a skilled and experienced litigator who regularly defends employers against claims of race, gender, disability, and age discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, FMLA claims, and wage and hour violations before federal and state courts and various administrative agencies. In addition to her lit...
Alden chairs the firm’s Employment and Education Law Departments. She assists employees and employers with wage and hour disputes, harassment and discrimination claims, restrictive covenant disputes, whistleblower claims, and federal and state compliance issues. In her education practice, she assists students and educators with residency, tuition, disability accommodation, discrimination and retaliation, disciplinary matters, and tenure and promotion disputes. Alden has substantial expe...
Mr. Balitis counsels private sector clients as well as government agencies, including the Arizona legislature, on a broad range of employment law and labor relations matters. Over his 30 years of practice, he has represented clients in administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), U.S. Department of Labor, National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Arizona Civil Rights Division, Arizona Industrial Commission, Arizona Department of Occupational Safety and He...
Nonnie partners with employers and managers in three primary ways: litigation avoidance through counseling and training; investigations and resolutions when issues arise; and litigating complex and challenging cases to defend employer’s actions. Nonnie advises and counsels private and public employers in all aspects of employment law. Nonnie regularly partners with clients to plan and implement reductions in force, severance plans and agreements, and pre-litigation disciplinary matters....
Kristin counsels and defends employers of all sizes and across a wide spectrum of industries with an emphasis on providing clients with proactive strategies to manage litigation risk and ensure compliance with complex and ever-changing employment laws. She is a trusted advisor, drawing on her knowledge of state and federal employment laws to counsel clients on a wide range of employment-related issues, including wage and hour issues, discrimination and harassment, employee leave issues, workp...
Aaron Duell is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Labor and Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Aaron, who practices law in Phoenix, Arizona, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Aaron is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
J. Alexander Dattilo is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Labor and Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. J. Alexander, who practices law in Phoenix, Arizona, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which J. Alexander is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Yijee Jeong is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Yijee, who practices law in Phoenix, Arizona, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Yijee is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Jacqueline F. Langland is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Labor and Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Jacqueline F., who practices law in Phoenix, Arizona, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jacqueline F. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Laura Grubb is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Labor and Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Laura, who practices law in Phoenix, Arizona, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Laura is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Ricardo Bours is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Labor and Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Ricardo, who practices law in Phoenix, Arizona, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ricardo is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Melissa L. Shingles is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Labor and Employment. Melissa L., who practices law in Phoenix, Arizona, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Melissa L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Kris Leonhardt is an associate in the firm’s Phoenix office. She focuses her practice on defending employers against a wide range of employment law claims, including disability, race, age, and sexual harassment, retaliation, and unlawful termination of employment. Kris earned her J.D., cum laude, (2008) from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, where she was a Pedrick Scholarship Recipient, worked for the Arizona Justice Project and participated in ...
Chrisanne Gultz is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Labor and Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Chrisanne, who practices law in Phoenix, Arizona, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Chrisanne is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.