Leah Lively

Practice Areas

Labor & Employment

Litigation

Commercial Finance

Trade Secrets & Employee Mobility

Career

Leah Lively is a Shareholder in Buchalter’s Portland, San Diego and Seattle offices and a member of the Labor & Employment practice. She is licensed to practice law in CA, OR, WA, ID, and AK. Ms. Lively is an experienced litigator and counselor who has tried more than 40 jury trials in multiple states and jurisdictions during her career. Ms. Lively enjoys taking depositions and is known for her attention to detail and ability to out-maneuver the plaintiff, setting the stage for favorable client outcomes.

Ms. Lively’s employment practice centers on defending employers against claims of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wrongful discharge, and wage and hour violations. When employers need to get ahead of potential disputes, Ms. Lively conducts workplace investigations and counsels businesses on employment law compliance, risk, and best practices.

In addition to her single-plaintiff employment claims experience, Ms. Lively has experience defending wage and hour claims, including class actions. She served as lead defense counsel in a putative wage/hour misclassification class action in Oregon and co-managed the defense of a 40,000 putative class-member case for a national restaurant chain in California.

Ms. Lively advises and represents clients in non-compete, trade secrets breach of contract, tortious interference with business, and defamation litigation.

Ms. Lively also is a member of Buchalter’s Equine Law Industry Group. She drafts boarding and sales contracts, advises clients on wage and hour compliance, and represents clients in litigation.