Veteran Employment Litigator JoAnna Brooks Joins Pillsbury as Partner in San Francisco

Brooks is a seasoned employment lawyer who has worked on a wide variety of high-profile cases, including more than 80 class actions over the last ten years. She advises clients on employment best practices, and serves as defense counsel to Fortune 500 clients in cases involving harassment, discrimination, breach of contract, wage and hour, and unfair business practices disputes.

“Beyond the complex employment issues businesses have traditionally faced, the increasing use of artificial intelligence and modern working models have created entirely new employment challenges for companies to navigate,” said Deborah Baum, Pillsbury’s global head of Litigation. “JoAnna’s experience includes an impressive record of success in high-value cases in and out of court. She is ideally suited to assist our clients as they confront the ever-evolving legal landscape in addition to the new workforce paradigm. We are thrilled to augment our San Francisco team with a lawyer of her caliber.”

Brooks is the latest partner to join Pillsbury in the Bay Area, where the firm has welcomed several high-profile additions to its San Francisco and Silicon Valley offices. Recent Bay Area additions include former National Coordinator of the DOJ’s Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Program Mark Krotoski; seasoned litigator Patrick Hammon; veteran startup lawyer Matt Kirmayer; Executive Compensation & Benefits practitioner Laura McDaniels; and Adam Goldberg, who focuses on cross-border investigations and disputes. The firm also elevated eight Bay Area lawyers to partner in 2023 and 2024, which represents more than 20 percent of Pillsbury’s global partner classes in recent years.

“Pillsbury is one of California’s elite law firms and is renowned as a national litigation powerhouse,” Brooks said. “I’m looking forward to being a part of a firm with such broad capabilities and expertise, and can’t wait to help Pillsbury’s many amazing clients and highly-regarded lawyers across the globe.”

Pillsbury is an international law firm with a particular focus on the Technology, Media & Telecoms; Energy; Financial; Life Sciences & Digital Health; and Real Estate & Construction sectors. Recognized as one of the most innovative law firms by Financial Times and one of the top firms for client service by BTI Consulting, Pillsbury and its lawyers are highly regarded for their forward-thinking approach, their enthusiasm for collaborating across disciplines and their authoritative commercial awareness.