Ogletree Deakins Taps New Leadership in San Diego, Christopher Olmsted Elevated to Office Managing Shareholder

SAN DIEGO – July 12, 2022 – Ogletree Deakins, one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, has named Christopher (Chris) Olmsted office managing shareholder of the firm’s San Diego office. Olmsted succeeds Frank Tobin, who returns full time to his employment law practice.

In his new role, Olmsted leads a talented team of 19 practitioners with an established presence in southern California and nationwide. They advise and represent employers in myriad industries across the full spectrum of labor and employment law matters related to California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), wage and hour, cross-border, discrimination, workplace investigations, leaves of absence, and more. The office is home to a skilled team of litigators that represents clients against class, collective and representative action claims, as well as individual claims. San Diego also has a significant business immigration practice, including last year’s addition of two shareholders with a combined more than 30 years of employment-based immigration experience.

Olmsted’s 28 years of litigation experience combined with an extensive history of advising employers on a broad array of compliance matters allows him to offer employers practical, succinct, and creative advice. He helps businesses avoid employment-related legal claims by providing California employment law compliance advice. Olmsted frequently assists clients with issues relating to California wage and hour compliance, difficult terminations and severance negotiations, leaves of absence, disability accommodations, workplace investigations, and more.

Olmsted serves as a member of Ogletree Deakins’ California Advice Group, a network of California attorneys who lend their knowledge to the clients of Ogletree Deakins’ attorneys in the firm’s offices across the nation.

Olmsted is actively involved in local and legal organizations, including serving as a Board of Directors member of the North County Human Resources San Diego Association. He frequently writes, presents, and speaks on topics affecting California employers, including changes in legislation and regulations and avoiding issues related to leaves of absences, wage and hour, and pay transparency. He has written for and been quoted in numerous prominent media outlets.

Olmsted received his J.D., Loyola Law School and his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

About Ogletree Deakins
Ogletree Deakins is one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management in all types of employment-related legal matters. Premier client service, as outlined in the firm’s Client Pledge, is one of the firm’s top priorities and a cornerstone of its core values. U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” has named Ogletree Deakins a “Law Firm of the Year” for 11 consecutive years. In 2022, the publication named Ogletree Deakins its “Law Firm of the Year” in the Employment Law – Management category. Ogletree Deakins has more than 900 attorneys located in 53 offices across the United States and in Europe, Canada, and Mexico. The firm represents a diverse range of clients, including many of the Fortune 50 companies in the U.S. www.ogletree.com