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Paula M. Weber, Partner

Paula M. Weber

Retired Partner
San Francisco

Retired Partner, San Francisco

T: +1.415.983.7488
T: +1.415.983.7488

Paula Weber, a Pillsbury employment partner and a recent member of the firm’s board and compensation committee, litigates complex employment-related actions in federal and state courts and has wide-ranging ADR experience.

Paula represents employers in a variety of complex employment litigation matters, supplemented by compliance advice and counseling and guidance on M&A and other transactions for large institutional employers and smaller companies. She has resolved a broad array of individual and multi-plaintiff employment claims at trial and in arbitration, and has extensive experience defending putative and certified class actions, including both state wage and hour law and FLSA collective actions.

Representative Experience

  • Represented employers in responding to DFEH Directors’ complaints investigating alleged class wide failures to comply with the state medical leave act and disability anti-discrimination laws, with the agency abandoning class-wide claims.
  • Successfully defend in a binding arbitration law firm partners charged with breach of fiduciary duty by their former partner.
  • Investigated sexual harassment claims and advised public and private companies on sexual harassment claims asserted against company executives.

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  • Lead attorney in a trial of a wage/hour class action involving 3,000 class members which was successfully settled immediately prior to the close of plaintiffs' case.
  • Represented a large employer in a pay and promotion sex discrimination suit with 850 class members.
  • Represented a financial Institution in a class action alleging FMLA violations in which the plaintiff abandoned class claims.
  • Represented executives and technology companies in actions alleging unlawful solicitation of the employees and covenant not to compete claims.
  • Litigated putative class actions alleging age discrimination and breach of contract arising out of reductions in force for two of the largest employers in California, with no class being certified in either case.
  • Defended an employer in a putative race discrimination class action in which the class allegations were dismissed.
  • Defended a major utility company in a putative class action in which agency employees/independent contractors sought employee benefits; class certification was denied.
  • Wage/hour class action experience includes the defense of both state wage and hour law and nationwide FLSA collective actions in which Paula has defended employers in the food, retail, financial, utility and technical industries.

Professional Highlights

  • Recognized by Best Lawyers (published by BL Rankings LLC), Litigation – Labor and Employment (2018 – 2024), PLC Which Lawyer? and Super Lawyers (2004 – present), the Lawdragon 500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers Guide (2020) and AV® rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
  • Co-author of PLI’s A Starter Guide to Doing Business in the United States, published in June 2016.

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  • Speaking Engagements
    • For over two decades, Paula has presented an annual seminar series to provide clients with a look back at key employment law developments from the last year and a look forward at what employers in California can expect in the coming year. She also lectures at the Practicing Law Institute and Mealey Publications Conference on sexual harassment, employee contracts, class actions and representative actions.
    • Avoiding Employment Law Hazards in 2023, Pillsbury CLE Marathons in San Francisco and Palo Alto, in January 2023
    • “ESG in the 2022 Proxy Season,” Pillsbury Webinar, June 16, 2022
    • The Work from Home Conundrum, Pillsbury podcast, November 2021
    • “Reopening to a ‘New Normal’: Is Your Business Ready? Practical and Legal Considerations for Deciding Whether Your Business is Ready,” Pillsbury webinar, May 12, 2020
    • “Sexual Harassment Scandal: Managing a Crisis,” Pillsbury CLE Marathons in San Francisco and Palo Alto, January 2018
    • “When is a Secret a Trade Secret?,” Pillsbury CLE Marathon, San Francisco, January 2017
    • “Eliminating Bias in the Legal Profession: The Myth of Meritocracy,” Pillsbury CLE Marathon, San Francisco, January 2016
    • “Avoid a Bring Your Own Disaster in Technology Use by Employees,” Pillsbury CLE Marathons in San Francisco and Palo Alto, January 2015
    • “Eliminating Bias in the Legal Profession,” Pillsbury CLE Marathons in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Palo Alto, January 2014
    • “Anything Left for Employment Class Actions After Dukes and Concepcion?,” Pillsbury CLE Marathons in San Francisco and Palo Alto, January 2012
    • “Not Just a Job: Appellate Decisions in Employment Cases that Impact Everyone,” Pillsbury CLE Marathons in San Francisco and Palo Alto, January 2011
    • “You’re Hired, You’re Fired: Hot Topics in Employment Law in Appellate Courts,” Pillsbury CLE Marathons in San Francisco and Palo Alto, January 2010
    • “Elimination of Bias in the Legal Profession,” Pillsbury CLE Marathons in San Francisco and Palo Alto, January 2009 and January 2008
  • Firm Publications
    • Federal Court Ends California’s Ban on Mandatory Employment Arbitration Agreements, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Laura K. Latham, 02/22/2023
    • Employment Law in the Golden State: 2023 Updates, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Laura K. Latham, Thomas T. Liu, Andrea R. Milano, 02/10/2023
    • New California Law Expands Pay Transparency and Reporting Requirements, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Laura K. Latham, Jordan Rhodes, Kimberly Y. Higgins, 10/14/2022
    • ESG over the 2022 Proxy Season, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Stacie D. Yee, Jean F. Kuei, Jordan Rhodes, 07/14/2022
    • See You in Court? Under New Federal Law, Sexual Harassment Claims Are Not Subject to Mandatory Arbitration, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Laura K. Latham, Aman Rai, 03/07/2022
    • One More Time: 2022 COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave for California Employees, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Laura K. Latham, Aman Rai, 02/16/2022
    • Recalculating the Cost of Lunch, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Laura K. Latham, Andrea R. Milano, Caroline M. Block, 07/23/2021
    • COVID-19: Employer Considerations for Returning Employees to Onsite Work, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Laura K. Latham, Julia E. Judish, Andrea R. Milano, Erica Turcios Yader, Kimberly Y. Higgins, 05/01/2020
    • EEOC Publishes Additional Guidance Addressing “Return to Work” Issues and Employee COVID-19 Testing, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Laura K. Latham, Julia E. Judish, Andrea R. Milano, Kimberly Y. Higgins, 04/27/2020
    • Significant Changes Ahead for California Employers, Effective January 1, 2020, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Laura K. Latham, Andrea R. Milano, Kimberly Y. Higgins, 11/21/2019
    • How Employers Should Respond to the Trump Administration’s Final Overtime Rule, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Julia E. Judish, Rebecca Carr Rizzo, Jean F. Kuei, Andrew J. Lauria, 10/09/2019
    • California Mandates Employment Classification for Many Workers, Codifying Dynamex’s ABC Test, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Laura K. Latham, Cara Adams, 09/26/2019
    • California Laws Change Legal Landscape on Sexual Harassment, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Cara Adams, 10/08/2018
    • Supreme Court Rescues the Collective Action Waiver in Employee Arbitration Agreements, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Dustin Chase-Woods, 06/06/2018
    • Upending the Gig Economy?, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Erica Turcios Yader, 05/09/2018
    • SCOTUS: Whistleblowers Must Report Out to the SEC or No Dodd-Frank, Authors: Bruce A. Ericson, Paula M. Weber, David M. Furbush, 02/26/2018
    • A Sexual Harassment Sea Change for Employers?, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Caron Gosling, 01/12/2018
    • California Supreme Court Punts on FAA Preemption, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Jennie L. La Prade, Kathryn A. Nyce, Nathaniel R. Smith, 05/01/2017
    • SEC Continues Crackdown on Employer Whistleblower Restrictions, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Kenneth W. Taber, Susan P. Serota (Unpublished), Kathryn A. Nyce, Sarah A. Good, 01/19/2017
    • La SEC Continúa Campaña en Contra de las Restricciones a Denunciantes Internos de las Empresas, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Kenneth W. Taber, Susan P. Serota (Unpublished), Kathryn A. Nyce, Sarah A. Good, 01/19/2017
    • A Starter Guide to Doing Business in the United States, Authors: Kirke M. Hasson (Unpublished), Glenn Q. Snyder (Unpublished), C. Brian Wainwright, Paula M. Weber, David A. Jakopin, Susan P. Serota (Unpublished), Sheila McCafferty Harvey, Michael G. Lepre, Reza Zarghamee, Rebecca Carr Rizzo, Jeffrey R. Gans, Michael S. McNamara, Aaron R. Hutman, Justin Krawitz, Woon-Wah Siu, Lu Wang, Thomas M. Shoesmith, Nancy A. Fischer, Andrew D. Weissman, 06/01/2016
    • New Legislation Makes San Francisco the First City to Mandate Fully Paid Parental Leave for Employees, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Erica Turcios Yader, 04/14/2016
    • Ninth Circuit Validates Rules Prohibiting Inclusion of “Back of the House” Employees in Tip Pools Even for Employers Not Taking a Tip Credit, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Anna M. Graves, Julia E. Judish, Rebecca Carr Rizzo, 03/09/2016
    • The U.S. Department of Labor Moves to More Than Double Minimum Salary Levels, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Julia E. Judish, John Scalia, 07/07/2015
    • Uber Hits a Speed Bump in California: Labor Commissioner Rules Driver is an Employee, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Erica Turcios Yader, 06/24/2015
    • New California Legislation Mandates Paid Sick Days for Employees, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Laura K. Latham, Thomas N. Makris, Erica Turcios Yader, 09/19/2014
    • New Threat to “Bring Your Own Device” Policies: Employer Required to Reimburse Personal Cell Phone Expenses, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Thomas N. Makris, Erica Turcios Yader, 09/03/2014
    • “Ban the Box” Legislation Expands Across the Country, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Kenneth W. Taber, Rebecca Carr Rizzo, Stephen S. Asay, 08/13/2014
    • California Supreme Court Ruling Limits Commission Wage Allocation, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Osama E. Hamdy, Thomas N. Makris, 07/17/2014
    • California Supreme Court: Gentry is Gone. PAGA Lives On, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Ellen Connelly Cohen, Erica Turcios Yader, 07/08/2014
    • Supreme Court: Class Action Waiver Trumps Federal Statutory Right, Authors: Roxane A. Polidora, Paula M. Weber, Christine A. Scheuneman (Unpublished), Ellen Connelly Cohen, Connie J. Wolfe, Sarah A. Good, Amy L. Pierce, 07/01/2013
    • 7th Circuit Holds Successor Liable for FLSA Claims, Despite Buyer’s Disclaimer, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Leo T. Crowley, Alexander K. Parachini, Thomas N. Makris, Alexander K. Parachini, 04/11/2013
    • California Supreme Court Issues Employer-Friendly Decision on Mixed-Motive Defense, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Ellen Connelly Cohen, 02/12/2013
    • California Employers Get a Break on Meal and Rest Claims But Still Face Class Action Filings, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Kathryn A. Nyce, Erin C. Carroll, Thomas N. Makris, Darcy L. Muilenburg, 04/18/2012
    • Sullivan v. Oracle Corporation: California-based Employers Must Pay Nonresident Employees Overtime for Work in California, Authors: Paula M. Weber, Laura K. Latham, Karen Harkins, 07/07/2011
    • Wal-Mart v. Dukes: Supreme Court Reverses Ninth Circuit, Clarifies Class Certification Standards, Authors: John M. Grenfell, Paula M. Weber, Jacob R. Sorensen, George Chikovani, Karen M. Harkins, George Chikovani, 06/23/2011

Education

  • J.D., The George Washington University Law School, 1985
    with high honors, Order of the Coif, Law Review

    B.A., Colgate University, 1981
    magna cum laude, honors in Philosophy and Religion, Phi Beta Kappa

Admissions

  • California

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