About Alastair Gamble
Mr. Gamble is an attorney in the firm’s Litigation group and focuses his practice on Labor and Employment at both the trial and appellate level. A frequent author and speaker on legal and political issues, Mr. Gamble has spoken on new developments and trends in employment law and has written articles for legal journals, trade magazines and other publications, including an op-ed piece in The New York Times. As a political commentator, Mr. Gamble has appeared on Wolf Blitzer Reports, Paula Zahn Now, The O’Reilly Factor, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and many others.
Employment Law Litigation. Mr. Gamble litigates cases under Title VII (and related state statutes), the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Family Medical and Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the National Labor Relations Act, and the Federal Arbitration Act. He represents a broad array of companies including those in the construction, fast food, hospitality and large-scale manufacturing industries.
Mr. Gamble's recent litigation experience includes:
- Successfully defending a large, national employer against retaliation and discrimination claims during a 3-day arbitration, resulting in total defense judgment.
- Obtaining a unanimous victory in the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, affirming a complete defense judgment in the District Court on harassment, discrimination, and retaliation claims.
- Successfully defending several employers in investigations by the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, resulting in no cause findings.
- Successfully defending several employers during hearings before the California Labor Commissioner.
Strategic Motion Practice. Mr. Gamble is highly regarded for his legal writing skills, having earned several important victories for clients through strategic motion practice, including:
- Early dismissal with prejudice of 11 of 13 claims alleged in a 140-paragraph complaint. Ultimately, plaintiff voluntarily dismissed the remaining claims in the face of a motion for terminating sanctions.
- Early dismissal with prejudice 5 of 7 claims alleged in a 125-paragraph complaint. The dismissal greatly reduced client's exposure, and the case settled shortly after dismissal.
- Early dismissal of entire complaint against a foreign corporation for lack of personal jurisdiction.
- Pre-trial dismissal with prejudice (summary judgment) of 5 of 6 claims; remaining claim was dismissed with prejudice pursuant to defendants' motion for terminating sanctions.
Proactive Employment Law Counseling. Mr. Gamble counsels employers regarding difficult employment issues in order to proactively avoid litigation and/or minimize potential liability.
He routinely assists with difficult terminations; large-scale reductions-in-force (i.e., lay-offs); accommodations and/or leaves of absence for employees with disabilities or other serious medical problems; investigations into internal complaints of harassment or discrimination; employee safety (per state and federal occupational safety regulations); and wage and hour issues (including the classification of employees as exempt or non-exempt).
Previous Experience. From 2008 - 2012, Mr. Gamble practiced in Los Angeles, California, where he focused on Labor and Employment and Securities litigation. Before that, he served as a law clerk to Hon. Andrew Hurwitz of the Arizona Supreme Court and as a judicial extern to Hon. Michael Daly Hawkins of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.