Leonora M. Schloss

Leonora "Lenny" Schloss uses her thoughtfully aggressive approach to provide employers with cost-effective legal advice and business-oriented solutions to help them achieve their objectives. Lenny regularly utilizes obscure defenses to achieve victories. Clients trust Lenny with “bet the farm” cases and 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. 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. More recently, Lenny also created new law on the federal level in a matter of first impression for the Ninth Circuit, securing victory for a manager based on the ministerial exception. Lenny also has published decisions on the federal enclave doctrine and is a firm expert on that legal defense.  

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

• Markel v. Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 32832 (Ninth Circuit 2024).
• Markel v. Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, 648 F. Supp. 3d 1181 (2023).
• 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)