Steven G. Pearl, ESQ.

• Wage and hour class, Private Attorneys General Act, and Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions
• Actions alleging discrimination and harassment based on all types of protected characteristics
• Actions alleging retaliation and wrongful termination for all types of protected activity
• Actions alleging theft of trade secrets and violation of non-competition agreements
• Class actions under the Unfair Competition Law, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Telephone Consumer Protection Act, False Advertising Law, and Consumer Legal Remedies Act

• A “nationally renowned wage and hour class/collective action mediator...”
• George v. Academy Mortgage Corp., 369 F. Supp. 3d 1356 (N.D. Ga. 2019)
• “[S]pecializes in mediating employment disputes, including wage and hour class actions.”
• Espinosa v. California College of San Diego, Inc. (S.D. Cal. 2018)
• A “well-respected and experienced mediator of class action lawsuits in California.”
• Gradie v. CR England, Inc. (D. Utah 2020)
• A “well-respected mediator in wage and hour matters.”
• McClure v. Brand Energy Service, LLC (E.D. Cal. 2021),
• citing Contreras v. Worldwide Flight Servs., Inc. (C.D. Cal. 2019)
• An “experienced class action mediator...”
• Hernandez v. Children's Creative Learning Centers (N.D. Cal. 2013)
• “Super Lawyer” in Dispute Resolution and Employment & Labor Law
• 2011 to 2020 Southern California Super Lawyers Magazine
• “Rising Star” Neutral (One of Ten in California)
• 2013 Daily Journal List of Top California Neutrals

• University of California, Hastings College of Law (Juris Doctor, 1992)
• Dean’s Scholar
• University of California, Berkeley (Bachelor of Arts, 1989)
• Graduated with Honors from the Department of English

• Full Time Neutral (2011 - present)
• The Pearl Law Firm, A Professional Corporation (1994-2011)
• Founded practice with emphasis in litigating individual and class action wage and hour, employment, unfair competition, and consumer protection actions
• Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe (1992-1994)
• Litigated complex employment, business, insurance coverage, and entertainment actions
• Judicial Extern for Hon. Fern M. Smith (1991-1992)
• United States District Court, Northern District of California

• State Bar of California
• Executive Committee, Labor and Employment Law Section
• 2011 - 2015
• Los Angeles County Bar Association
• Executive Committee, Labor and Employment Law Section
• 2010 - Present

• California Wage and Hour Law and Litigation
• Continuing Education of the Bar
• Contributing Author
• Employee Rights Litigation: Pleading and Practice
• Matthew Bender and National Employment Lawyers Association
• Contributing Author

• “Advanced Mediation Conference: Practical Skills to Improve Results in Mediation”
• California Lawyers Association (formerly State Bar of California)
• 2016, 2019, 2022
• “Advanced Wage and Hour Conference”
• California Lawyers Association (formerly State Bar of California)
• 2013 - 2014
• “Advanced Wage and Hour Conference”
• California Employment Lawyers Association
• 2008 - 2011

• “California Employment Law Blog”
• From 2009 to 2017, Mr. Pearl wrote more than 800 blog posts on current developments in state and federal employment, wage and hour, class action, unfair competition, and arbitration law
• “Mediation and Negotiation Blog”
• Insights into mediation and negotiation theory and best practices
• “The Employment Law Update”
• Monthly email update on employment law developments with more than 2,000 subscribers, including plaintiffs’ attorneys, defense attorneys, and neutrals

• "Class Action Attorney’s Fee Awards: A Nation-Wide Survey of the Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals"
  FORUM Magazine, January/February 2024   Download/View PDF
• “Anti-SLAPP and Employment in 2015”
  Daily Journal, January 27, 2016
• “Wage and Hour Update”
• California Labor & Employment Law Review
• Official Publication of the State Bar of California Labor and Employment Law Section
2011 - 2015
• “Don’t Get Carried Away with Your Demands”
  Daily Journal, December 11, 2015
• “Pre-Mediation Demands May Anchor Talks”
  Daily Journal, September 25, 2015
• “Does the Federal Arbitration Act Cover Your Dispute?”
  Daily Journal, August 28, 2015
• “Improving Results in Mediation: Practical Lessons from the Science of Decision Making”
  California Labor & Employment Law Review, November 2014
• “When Negotiation Becomes Extortion”
  Daily Journal, June 26, 2014
• “Employment Law Class Actions after Concepcion”
  Los Angeles Lawyer, April 2014
• “What Are They Thinking?!? Understanding Decision-Making in Mediation”
  ​Advocate Magazine, September 2012
• “The Limits on Employer Deductions from Pay in California”
  Los Angeles Lawyer Magazine, November, 2010
• “California Supreme Court Finally Defines ‘Employer’ Under California Wage Law”
  Continuing Education of the Bar, California Business Law Reporter, July, 2010
• “‘Employer’ Defined Under California Wage Law”
  Daily Journal, June 1, 2010
• “Bargaining in the Dark”
  Daily Journal, April 30, 2010
• “Real World Lessons from ‘Powerless’ Mediators”
  Daily Journal, April 8, 2010
• “Undocumented Workers Have Equal Rights Under Wage and Hour Laws”
  California Employment Lawyers Association Bulletin, May, 2008
• “Powerful Weapon: The Role of the Expert in Civil Litigation Has Changed”
  Daily Journal, September 12, 2001

• “The ABCs of Resolution”
California Lawyers Association (formerly State Bar of California), January 20, 2023
• “Ethically Mediating Your Case”
Orange County Bar Association, January 15, 2023
• “Ethics in Mediation”
Steve Pearl Mediation P.C. and Barr Mediation LLC, January 12, 2023
• “Mediation: Mixed Motives and Mixed Signals”
• “Competition and Cooperation”
• “Doing the Dance and Cutting to the Chase”
California Lawyers Association (formerly State Bar of California) Advanced Mediation Conference, December 1 and 2, 2022
• “PAGA: What’s Next After Viking River Cruises?”
Los Angeles County Bar Association, May 22, 2022
• “Fundamentals for New Practitioners: Employment Law 101”
California Lawyers Association (formerly State Bar of California), January 20, 2022
• “Ethically Mediating Your Case”
Orange County Bar Association, January 15, 2022
• “Mediators Roundtable”
California Employment Lawyers Association, October 27, 2021
• “Fundamentals for New Practitioners: Employment Law 101”
California Lawyers Association (formerly State Bar of California), January 20, 2021
• “Beyond Dynamex and AB5: Independent Contractors in the 2020s”
Los Angeles County Bar Association, April 25, 2020
• “FLSA Regulations and Opinion Letters: The Latest from the DOL”
American Bar Association, April 23, 2020
• “Mediation: Mixed Motives and Mixed Signals”
• “Competition and Cooperation”
• “Preparing for Mediation”
• “Lessons Learned”
California Lawyers Association (formerly State Bar of California) Advanced Mediation Conference, November 14, 2019
• “Valuing Employment Law Actions for Settlement”
Alameda County Bar Association, October 26, 2018
• “Hot Topics in PAGA Litigation and Arbitration”
California Lawyers Association (formerly State Bar of California), July 12, 2018
• “Mediation and Settlement: Tips on Damages Analysis, New Case Law, and Cy Pres”
Bridgeport Continuing Education, December 8, 2017
• “Mediating Employment Discrimination Cases in Changing Times”
Southern California Mediation Association, May 18, 2017
• “Mediation: Mixed Motives and Mixed Signals”
• “Competition and Cooperation”
• “Preparing for Mediation”
• “Lessons Learned”
State Bar of California Advanced Mediation Conference, December 2, 2016
• “The Watch List: Pending United States and California Supreme Court Employment Law Cases”
State Bar of California, September 29, 2016
• “Advanced Strategies for Mediating the Employment Law Case”
State Bar of California, October 8, 2015
• “What Are They Thinking?! Understanding the Science of Decision-Making Can Help You Achieve Better Results in Mediation”
Consumer Attorneys of San Diego, May 3, 2014
• “Advanced Strategies for Mediating the Employment Law Case”
State Bar of California, October 11, 2013
• “Recent Developments in Wage and Hour Law”
State Bar of California, June 14, 2013
• “Getting To and Through a Class Action Trial”
California Employment Lawyers Association, April 5, 2013
• “Wage & Hour Compliance for Business Law Practitioners”
Continuing Education of the Bar, March 8, 2013
• “Harris v. City of Santa Monica: Causation in Fair Employment and Housing Actions”
State Bar of California, February 22, 2013
• “Advanced Strategies for Mediating the Employment Law Case”
State Bar of California, February 20 and 27, 2013
• “The Fair Labor Standards Act and California Labor Code”
State Bar of California, February 22, 2013
• “Update on Arbitration Law and The Nuts and Bolts of Arbitrations”
Bridgeport Continuing Education, December 14, 2012
• “Wage & Hour – Now What? Emerging Trends and New Developments”
Employment Roundtable of Southern California, November 7, 2012
• “Wage and Hour 201: The Future of Wage and Hour Class Actions”
California Employment Lawyers Association, October 5, 2012
• “Advanced Mediation Techniques in Wage and Hour Cases”
State Bar of California, July 25, 2012
• “Wage and Hour after Brinker – What’s Next?”
Pasadena Bar Association, July 9, 2012
• “Mediating Employment Law Cases”
State Bar of California, June 21, 2012
• “Settlement Talks & Mediation in Discrimination and Harassment Cases”
Bridgeport Continuing Education, May 11, 2012
• “Beyond Brinker: Give Me A Break!!”
Beverly Hills Bar Association, May 1, 2012
• “Ethical Considerations in Mediation”
Ventura County Bar Association, March 9, 2012
• “Hot Button Issues in Wage and Hour Law”
Los Angeles County Bar Association, March 7, 2012
• “Achieving Your Goals Through Successful Mediation”
Association of Corporate Counsel, Southern California Chapter, February 15, 2012
• “Advanced Mediation Techniques for the Employment Lawyer: The Lost Art of Preparation”
Los Angeles County Bar Association, January 13, 2012
• “Strategies for Settlement of Individual and Wage & Hour Class Action Cases”
Bridgeport Continuing Education, December 16, 2011
• “Employment Law Update: Wage and Hour Misclassification”
Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, September 9, 2011
• “Developing and Sustaining an Employment Law Firm: Plaintiff, Defense and Mixed Plaintiff-Defense Practices”
Los Angeles County Bar Association, June 9, 2011
• “Master Mediators: After the Mediation, It’s Never Over Even When It’s Over”
Southern California Mediation Association, May 21, 2011
• “30 Cases in 30 Minutes: A Round-Up of the Last Year's Most Important Developments”
California Employment Lawyers Association, April 29, 2011
• “Wage and Hour Compliance for Business Law Practitioners”
Continuing Education of the Bar, April 15, 2011
• “Beyond Overtime: Spotting Wage and Hour Issues for Employers and Employees”
Encino Lawyers Association, March 9, 2011
• “Damage Modeling in Wage and Hour Class Actions”
Bridgeport Continuing Education, December 16, 2010
• “Lessons Learned: Successful Lawyers Talk about Painful Moments”
California Employment Lawyers Association, October 1, 2010
• “Technology in the Courtroom: Using Excel to Calculate Wage and Hour Damages”
California Employment Lawyers Association, September 30, 2010
• “Class Certification Standards and Daubert Analysis in Flux”
Strafford Publications, July 8, 2010
• “Current Developments in California and Federal Wage and Hour Law”
California Employment Lawyers Association, April 30, 2010
• “California Employment Law Face Off: Plaintiff and Defense Attorneys Go Head-to-Head on California Employment Law Issues”
Employment Law & HR Forum, November 6, 2009
• “Mediating Independent Contractor Cases”
Southern California Mediation Association, May 9, 2009
• “Starting Off on the Right Foot: Case Intake, Investigation, and Provisional Remedies”
California Employment Lawyers Association, May 1, 2009
• “[Mis]Classified Information: Independent Contractor vs. Employee Status”
Los Angeles County Bar Association, March 31, 2009
• “Handling Small Cases in Difficult Industries: Practical Solutions for Practitioners”
California Employment Lawyers Association, October 3, 2008
• “Meal and Rest Period Compensation is a Wage - So What? Mediating Meal and Rest Period Cases after Murphy v. Kenneth Cole”
Southern California Mediation Association, May 10, 2008
• “Recent Developments and Hot Topics in California Wage and Hour Law”
California Employment Lawyers Association, May 9, 2008
• “To Pay or Not to Pay: Cutting Edge Issues in Employers' Duties to Indemnify Employees and Employees’ Duties to Repay Their Employers”
Los Angeles County Bar Association, March 8, 2007

Mr. Pearl has given his time to numerous pro bono and charitable organizations, including:

• AYSO
• The Los Angeles Jewish Home for the Aging
• TreePeople

Mr. Pearl loves skiing, mountain biking, hiking, and travel. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife.