Leonora M. Schloss

Leonora "Lenny" Schloss brings to bear her 30 + years of experience as a labor and employment attorney to provide employers with effective legal advice and business-oriented solutions to help them achieve their objectives in a cost-effective manner. Lenny works every day to deliver results that exceed her clients' expectations.

Lenny’s legal experience extends beyond her 30 + years in practice. Her first exposure to the law—and a key motivating factor in her choosing law as a profession—was navigating legal documents for her family as a first-generation American with parents who fled from Eastern Europe during World War II. It was that experience that influenced her dedication to ensuring a practical approach to solving problems for clients and her proactive client service mindset on every matter.

Lenny co-leads the Wage and Hour Internal Audit Subgroup at Jackson Lewis P.C. in California and has litigated discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and wage/hour cases in state and federal courts. Not only has she defended hundreds of wage/hour class action cases, but she has also obtained complete dismissals of some.

One of Lenny's more notable successes is her involvement in a representative class action case that shaped California employment law. By taking the case to trial and securing a dismissal of the representative class, Lenny helped define minimum wage calculation under California law for the first time and set it apart from federal law.

A frequent speaker on employment law issues, Lenny offers valuable guidance on preventive measures, drafting policies and substantive employment law topics.

Honors and Recognitions

• Los Angeles Times, "2023 Legal Visionary" (2023)
• Legal 500 USA, "Recommended Attorney" (2020)
• Los Angeles Business Journal, "Most Influential Women Attorneys" (2018)
• Super Lawyers®, "Super Lawyer" (2016-present)    
• Who’s Who of American Women

Published Opinions

• Armenta et al. v. Osmose, Inc., 135 Cal. App. 4th 314; 37 Cal. Rptr 3d 460 (2006).
• Walter H. Taylor v. Lockheed Martin Corporation, 113 Cal. App. 4th 380; 6 Cal. Rptr. 3d 358 (2003).
• Walter H. Taylor v. Lockheed Martin Corp., et al., 78 Cal. App. 4th 472, 92 Cal. Rptr. 2d 873 (2000).
• Kalivas v. Barry Control Systems, 49 Cal. App. 4th 1152; 57 Cal. Rptr. 2d 200 (1996).
• Local 21, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, AFL-CIO v. Thornton C. Bunch, Jr., Waldemar Rojas, 40 Cal. App. 4th 670, 46 Cal. Rptr. 2d 813 (1995).

Published Works

• “Layoffs: The New Economic Reality,” Employee Relations Law Journal, Autumn 2009 [Co-Author]
• “An Ounce of Prevention: Avoiding Wage-and-Hour Claims,” Employment Litigation Reporter, April 21, 2009 [Co-Author]
• "Watch Your Back: Smart Hiring and Proper Background Checks,” Employee Relations Law Journal, Vol. 34, No. 3, Winter 2008
• “Legal Expert Discusses Thorny Wage and Hour Disputes,” (interviewed and discussed the state of wage and hour law in California), California Executive, October 30, 2007
• “Don’t Trash That Paper,” (Regarding employers’ obligations to maintain documents), The Recorder, August 29, 2007 [Co-Author]
• “Assessing the Amended Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act,” Los Angeles Lawyer, February 2006 [Co-Author]
• “The Federal Enclave Doctrine,” Briefing Papers, July 2000

Speeches

• “Legalities Employers Need to be Aware of with AI and Automated Decision Making,” HR Star Conference (June 27, 2023)
• “The Expansion of California's Fair Pay Act: Important Developments & New Obligations,” HR Star Conference (March 16, 2017)
• “Pay Equity Updates for 2017 - More obligations – How do We Comply?,” Healthcare Human Resources Management of Association of California (February 24, 2017)
• “California's Fair Pay Act - The Battle of the Sexes,” HR Star Conference (March 22, 2016)
• "Amendments to the California Fair Pay Act and PAGA,” Association of Corporate Counsel (January 20, 2016)
• “Sick of Leaves? California’s New Paid Sick Leave Law,” HR Star Conference (July 15, 2015)
• "Blunders and Bloopers: Practical Reminders About Handbook Policies,” HR Star Conference (March 19, 2014)
• “Relieving Acronym Anxiety and Demystifying Leaves,” PIHRA District 6 (March 13, 2014)
• “You Don’t Have to be Sherlock Holmes to Figure Out Leaves of Absence,” HR Star Conference (February 29, 2012)
• “Eat, Rest, Get Paid. California Wage/Hour Update,” PIHRA District 5 (September 21, 2011)
• “Navigating the Maze of Medical Leave Laws,” HR Star Conference (March 30, 2011)
• “FMLA/CFRA Master Class,” M. Lee Smith Publishers LLC, Glendale, CA (October 21, 2010)
• "When California and Federal Leave Laws Collide,” HR Star Conference (2010)
• “Gimme a Break,” PIHRA, Palm Springs, CA (September 16, 2009)
• “When State and Federal Laws Collide,” PIHRA, Temecula, CA (July 21, 2009)
• “Leave of Absence,” PIHRA, Hawthorne, CA (June 11, 2009)
• “FMLA/CFRA Master Class,” M. Lee Smith Publishers LLC, Glendale, CA (May 27, 2009)
• “Wage & Hour Master Class,” M. Lee Smith Publisher LLC, Costa Mesa, CA (March 18, 2009) and Glendale, CA (March 17, 2009)
• “Layoffs: The New Economic Reality,” PIHRA Legal Update Conference, Woodland Hills, CA (January 15, 2009) and Garden Grove, CA (January 13, 2009)
• “Wage/Hour: Ten Things You Absolutely Must Know,” PIHRA Annual Conference & Exhibition, Long Beach, CA (October 7, 2008)
• “Calculating Family Leave Absences,” PIHRA Annual Conference & Exhibition, Long Beach, CA (October 7, 2008)