Seyfarth Boosts Labor & Employment Practice with Five-Member Team in California and Texas

NEW YORK – (July 15, 2024) – Seyfarth Shaw LLP announced today the arrival of a five-member team to the firm’s Labor & Employment department in California and Texas led by partners Michele Beilke and Julia Trankiem. Beilke and Trankiem join Seyfarth from Hunton Andrews Kurth where they were partners. The firm also added three other lawyers as counsel from Hunton Andrews: Galit Knotz, Blake Guerrero, and Steven Morphy. All five lawyers will be based in Seyfarth’s Los Angeles Downtown office except for Trankiem, who will divide her time between Los Angeles and the firm’s Houston office.

“We are pleased to welcome Michele, Julia, Galit, Blake, and Steven as we continue to strategically grow our destination Labor & Employment group,” said Laura Maechtlen, chair of Seyfarth’s national Labor & Employment department. “Both Michele and Julia are exceptional trial lawyers who will bolster our strong, cross-departmental trial team as we continue to deepen our complex litigation and wage hour offerings in California and Texas.”

Beilke has litigated single-plaintiff discrimination and multi-plaintiff cases in state and federal courts and has considerable national jury trial and arbitration experience. She litigates state and national wage and hour class actions, and discrimination and harassment claims under state and federal law. Beilke also counsels clients with respect to California and FLSA wage and hour issues, FMLA, CFRA and ADA issues and leave policies, WARN requirements, and non-solicitation and non-compete agreements.

Trankiem brings more than two decades of experience representing employers throughout the country on critical employment topics, across many different industries and in high-stakes single-plaintiff actions as well as class, collective, and representative actions. Trankiem’s wage and hour experience includes litigation involving claims of misclassification, off-the-clock work and unpaid overtime, and meal and rest period violations, as well as claims under California’s PAGA statute.

These latest additions follow the move of Labor and Employment partner Alan Marcuis from Hunton Andrews in Dallas in April. Earlier this year, Seyfarth brought in a three lawyer L&E group from Morgan Lewis in California led by notable partner Clifford “Seth” Sethness.

“I have long admired Seyfarth’s top-tier employment and labor team, and I am excited to be part of the firm’s continued growth in California,” said Beilke. “I represent both individuals and large companies in a variety of industries, and the scope and reach of Seyfarth’s litigation practice provides an excellent opportunity to further expand my practice.”

“I am excited to be joining a strong team of lawyers who are leaders in our field,” noted Trankiem. “I look forward to continuing to work alongside Michele, Galit, Blake, and Steven and to reunite with Alan, as we service our clients with the resources of one of the most renowned labor and employment groups in the industry.”

Beilke earned her JD from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, and her BA from the University of Southern California. Trankiem received her JD from the University of Michigan Law School, and her BA from the University of California, Los Angeles.

About Seyfarth

With more than 900 lawyers across 18 offices, Seyfarth Shaw LLP provides top-tier advisory, litigation, and transactional legal services to clients worldwide.

Contact: Tom Mariam, Director of Public Relations: 212-218-3366 or tmariam@seyfarth.com