Leila Narvid is the managing partner of the San Francisco office and a partner in the Employment Law Group.

Leila represents employers in all areas of labor and employment law. She has extensive experience in various employment litigation matters, including wage-and-hour claims, discrimination, sexual harassment, disability accommodation, wrongful termination, retaliation, defamation, and other employment-related torts. Clients come to Leila for her courtroom experience and her practical, creative, and efficient resolution of all types of business disputes.

Leila has substantial class and collective action experience and has successfully defended national employers in actions involving allegations of wage-and-hour violations under federal and state law. She also defends businesses accused of engaging in trade secret misappropriation and acts of unfair competition and provides counsel on employee mobility issues.

In addition to her experience with employment matters, Leila has handled a wide range of general business litigation for companies, including cases involving contract disputes, business torts, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, partnership and LLC disputes, and unfair competition/unfair business practices. She regularly defends businesses in Fair Credit Report Act (“FCRA”) class actions, including successfully defeating motions for class certification at an early stage and resolving lawsuits on favorable terms for her clients. Her practice includes representing clients in California and New York state and federal courts, as well as in alternative dispute resolution process.

Background

Leila has authored several articles on employment matters for The Recorder and the Daily Journal. She has taught trial advocacy at the University of California, Hastings College of Law, and has been a guest lecturer at the Golden Gate University School of Law. She is a dynamic speaker on hiring practices and the Rooney and Mansfield Rules, the MeToo movement’s impact on sexual harassment claims, and other timely employment law topics.

Leila enjoys learning about and collecting prints, drawings and photographs. She is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Achenbach Graphic Arts Council, a non-profit arts organization that supports the graphic arts collection of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. She is also the Chair of the Firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

Before joining Payne & Fears LLP, Leila was an associate at Sideman & Bancroft LLP. She represented shareholders in corporate squeeze-out lawsuits and handled contractual, partnership and intra-corporate disputes, unfair competition and legal malpractice litigation matters.

Representative Matters

  • Prevailed in arbitration of wrongful termination, disability, and retaliation claims on behalf of a global technology company.
  • Prevailed in FINRA arbitration of wrongful termination and gender discrimination claims on behalf of a financial services firm.
  • Represented a retailer in a “second wave” misclassification class action lawsuit. Negotiated a very favorable settlement prior to the hearing on class certification, engaging in aggressive fact discovery and convincing plaintiff to attend an early mediation prior to taking any depositions. This defense strategy resulted in a settlement amount nearly one-tenth of the amount in the first wave lawsuit, which had been defended by another law firm.
  • Successfully enforced an arbitration agreement in California putative class action resulting in dismissal of class allegations.
  • Obtained multiple summary judgment victories in cases involving discrimination, retaliation, defamation, breach of contract, and other claims.
  • Conducted investigations for highly sensitive allegations involving C-Suite-level sexual harassment allegations and crisis communications management.