Obiora Ikedi Onyemaobim

Ikedi O. Onyemaobim is an associate in the Los Angeles, California, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. His practice focuses on representing employers in workplace law matters, including preventive advice and counseling.

Ikedi has defended employers in a wide variety of industries, including automotive, medical, retail, and hospitality. Ikedi advises employers in various areas of employment matters, including compliance and counseling, litigation, and alternative dispute resolution. 

Ikedi’s litigation practice includes defending employers in a broad spectrum of labor and employment law disputes in federal and state court and administrative proceedings against allegations of unlawful discrimination, harassment, retaliation; wrongful termination; unfair competition; and wage and hour claims. He also has experience defending employers in individual and class action matters involving wage and hour claims and PAGA actions.  

Ikedi also provides day-to-day counseling and assists employers with developing personnel handbooks and training supervisory employees on the prevention of sexual harassment. He has also conducted in-house seminars and trainings for managers, supervisors, and employees concerning employment compliance, including but not limited to trainings regarding workplace harassment, discrimination and retaliation, wage and hour issues, workplace violence and effective communication in the workplace.

Prior to joining Jackson Lewis, Ikedi was a labor and employment law associate at a large, national general practice firm, handling all aspects of employment law litigation and routinely advising employers on litigation prevention. 

While in law school, Ikedi served as editor-in-chief of the Pepperdine University Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship, and the Law and was awarded “Winner,” “Best Brief,” and “Best Oral Advocate” in the 7th Annual ABA First Amendment and Media Law Diversity Moot Court Competition. Additionally, Ikedi served as a Judicial Extern for the late Honorable Richard M. Neiter of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California.

Honors and Recognitions

• The Best Lawyers in America©, “Ones to Watch: Litigation - Labor and Employment” (2023-present)
• National Black Lawyers©, “Top 40 Under 40” (2021-present), "Top 100 Honoree" (2023)

Pro Bono and Community Involvement

• STOKED, Mentor

Published Works

• “HBO’s Insecure Might Need to Compensate Issa’s Unpaid Intern,” EntertainHR (June 2020) [Author]
• “The Michael Brown Legacy: Police Brutality and Minority Prosecution,” George Mason University Civil Rights Law Journal, Volume 26, Issue 2 – Spring 2016 (July 2016) [Author]
• “Batson Challenges at Work: Jury Selection in the Realm of Employment Law,” American Bar Association (January 2015) [Author]