Melanie Ronen is chair of the employment practice at Philadelphia-based Stradley Ronon, which opened an office in Long Beach last year with a 10-attorney team that included Ronen.
Her practice involves working with employers to ensure compliance with employment law and identifying potential exposure risks for them. Additionally, Ronen also assists companies in the creation of their employee manuals, company policies and handling mergers and acquisitions. She also conducts workplace investigations regarding alleged harassment, discrimination and retaliation at the workplace.
Tell me about your labor and employment practice and how you built it.
My employment practice is focused on helping employers of all sizes and across industries navigate employment issues, including litigation of those issues, in a way that seeks to harmonize legal responsibilities, business needs, company culture and strategic goals as much as possible. I built this practice from a foundation of litigating employment disputes which provided a valuable education about the various ways an employment relationship can become irreparable and emotional. This litigation background led me to expand my advice and counseling practice with a particular emphasis on helping employers navigate employment issues before litigation arises. Today, my practice is split between defending against employment claims (single plaintiff and class/representative actions) and providing employment advice and counseling that ranges from advising human resources through a performance concern to assisting senior leadership with a reduction-in-force or business closure.
What’s a signature legal victory for you?
I recently successfully defended an arbitration claim brought by an employee and former employee alleging 18 causes of action between them ranging from defamation and invasion of privacy to harassment, discrimination and retaliation.
Conversely, is there a loss that was nevertheless formative for your career?
Every case is formative for my career in one way or another. With each case, whether the result is a win or a loss, I take away lessons that can be applied the next one. One loss very early in my career however taught me that a poorly worded but seemingly innocuous communication can irreparably damage an employment relationship, and how such a communication can be perceived after the fact.
What’s it like to work labor and employment in a state like California?
I might be biased, but I think its pretty exciting. While there are a lot of varying opinions about California’s employment laws, its difficult to dispute that they are impactful on both employers and employees in numerous ways both good and bad and there is a deep body of case law interpreting those laws. As a lawyer focused on helping employers of all sizes and across industries, it is a challenging environment and very rewarding to help those employers navigate the legal landscape here.
What has kept you busy so far this year?
This year has been busy on numerous fronts, including litigation of wage and hour, discrimination, and retaliation claims; advising on protected leaves and reasonable accommodations, discipline and terminations, and assisting businesses in establishing compliance HR practices; and helping employers navigate effective and anticipated changing legal requirements.
In the sense that rising operating costs can result in cutbacks, do you anticipate the Trump Administration’s tariffs to add your workload at all?
It still remains to be seen how the administration’s tariffs will ultimately impact employers. That said, it stands to reason that increased costs of goods and an associated decreased importing of goods will negatively impact employers financially, which may necessitate employers to reduce headcount. If that does indeed occur, I expect that I will see an increasing need for employment advice regarding employee terminations and reductions in force. I also expect to see an increase in litigation claims arising from terminations, particularly if there are limited opportunities for segments of the workforce to secure alternate employment in face of widespread headcount reductions.
What are unique challenges to the labor and employment landscape in Los Angeles?
Los Angeles, like several other major metropolitan areas, has enacted several of its own employment requirements that differ slightly but materially from state employment laws. This requires employers in the Los Angeles area to stay abreast of and comply with additional requirements of Los Angeles County and/or the City of Los Angeles, such as minimum wage, paid sick leave, fair chance laws, etc. Additionally, following up on the item above, many employers in the Los Angeles region are impacted during periods of trade disruption and may see their business negatively impacted by tariffs.
How has your firm empowered your career and practice?
Stradley Ronon celebrates and encourages its attorneys to be authentic and develop practices that are meaningful. In this regard, the firm has empowered me to develop and grow all aspects of my practice, especially and including those that I am most passionate about.
