Jessica Riggin is a partner at Rukin Hyland & Riggin LLP. Jessica litigates individual and class action cases on behalf of employees, including claims for violations of wage and hour and overtime laws, sexual harassment claims, whistleblower and retaliation claims, and discrimination and equal pay claims. Jessica also provides employment law counsel on a wide range of issues; advises executives, start-up employees, and other professional employees in pre-litigation matters (for example, non-compete agreements, severance agreements, and review of employment agreements); and has represented her clients in trial and arbitration.

Jessica regularly writes and speaks on employment law issues, and she has co-authored the Plaintiffs’ Litigation Chapter of the CEB California Wage and Hour Law Treatise since 2014. Jessica has been named one of the Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Employment Lawyers since 2020 and a Northern California Super Lawyer in 2023 and 2022 (previously a Rising Star since 2016) by Super Lawyers Magazine. In 2019, Jessica was awarded the California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) Award from Daily Journal and California Lawyer Magazine. Jessica also serves on the Membership Committee of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA). Jessica clerked for the Honorable David O. Carter of the Central District of California, and she is a graduate of Columbia Law School and Boston College.

Representative Cases and Experience

Recovered over $1.5 million in wages, penalties, damages, and attorneys’ fees and costs on behalf of three plaintiffs in sexual harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour case
Reached $4.9 million settlement on behalf of class and collective action of claims adjusters in a case against one of the country’s largest insurance companies
Represented whistleblower in retaliation and wrongful termination claims against hospitality company
Reached $6 million settlement on behalf of class and collective action of loan underwriters
Represented retail worker in pregnancy discrimination and accommodations case
Regularly advise executives and professionals regarding severance agreements and other employment contracts
Represented transgender man alleging he was denied care by hospital due to his transgender status

Speaking Engagements

Speaker, Attorneys’ Fees and Costs in Wage and Hour Class and Collective Actions, American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law Conference (November 9, 2019)
Speaker, The Art of Mediating Employment Cases presented by California Lawyers Association, Litigation Section (November 14, 2018)
Speaker, The Impact of the New Professional Rules of Conduct on Contingency Fee Retainers and Co-Counseling Agreements presented by California Lawyers Association (CELA) (October 26, 2018)
Moderator, Effectively Challenging Discrimination & Harassment In A Post-Epic Systems World, 2018 NELA Fall Seminar, Harnessing the #MeToo Momentum (October 13, 2018)
Moderator, Keynote Address with Justice Mariano Florentino Cuellar, Litigation and Appellate Summit presented by the California Lawyers Association, Litigation Section (October 5, 2018)
Moderator, “A Judge, A Trial Attorney, and A Jury Consultant Walk Into A Courtroom: Effective Jury Selection Strategies and Techniques,” Litigation and Appellate Summit presented by the California Lawyers Association’s Litigation Section (October 5, 2018)
Speaker, “Know Your Legal Rights” sponsored by Blind and coworker.org (September 26, 2018)
Speaker, “Know Your Legal Rights in the Workplace” sponsored by nonprofit Girls in Tech and Gainsight (September 18, 2018)
Moderator, So You Want to Be a Judge? presented by California Women Lawyers and Litigation Section of California Lawyers Association (March 9, 2018)
Speaker, Update on Ethical Issues in Fair Labor Standards Law, American Bar Association
Section of Labor and Employment Law Federal Labor Standards Legislation Committee Midwinter Meeting (February 23, 2018)
Moderator, Keynote Address with Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauaye, Litigation Summit presented by the State Bar of California’s Litigation Section (October 13, 2017)
Moderator, Judges’ Panel, Litigation Summit presented by the State Bar of California’s Litigation Section (October 13, 2017)
Speaker, Settling Wage/Hour Claims: Weighing Settlement Options, Negotiating Damages, and Ensuring Court Approval, Strafford CLE webinar (September 14, 2017)
Speaker, Know Your Rights in the Workplace, sponsored by nonprofit group Girls in Tech and Asana (August 30, 2017)
Speaker, Discovery Truths: Alternative Fact-Checking and Other Winning Strategies, California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA) Advanced Wage and Hour Conference (May 12, 2017)
Speaker, “Closing the Gender Wage Gap? What You Should Know About California’s Fair Pay Act,” sponsored by Iranian American Bar Association Northern California Chapter and Queens Bench (September 14, 2016)
Speaker, Know Your Rights Panel: Women in the Workplace, sponsored by nonprofit group Girls in Tech (March 8, 2016)
Moderator, Wage and Hour Update: The Year in Review, State Bar Advanced Wage and Hour Conference (July 31, 2014)
Speaker, The Executive Whistleblower – the rights, protections and opportunities for executive blowing the whistle on organisational wrongdoing, International Forum of Senior Executive Advisers (IFSEA) Conference 2023 (June 20, 2023; London, UK)

Jessica Riggin

Representative Cases and Experience

Publications

Professional Activities

Speaking Engagements

Awards

Bar Admissions

Education