Allison J. Fernandez is Of Counsel in the Labor and Employment and Class Action practices in the firm’s San Francisco office. Ms. Fernandez focuses her practice on defending employers in single-plaintiff litigation arising out of claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, disability accommodations, and other related claims. Ms. Fernandez is also an experienced class action litigator, and regularly defends employers in wage and hour class actions and representative actions brought under the California Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). She has experience defending employers in various industries, including manufacturing, transportation, food service, professional services, and insurance. In addition to her litigation practice, Ms. Fernandez provides advice and counsel to employers seeking guidance on compliance, employee relations, and risk management issues.
Prior to joining Ogletree Deakins, Ms. Fernandez spent most of her career practicing commercial and employment litigation at a large national law firm, where she became a partner. There, she represented corporate clients and individuals in a diverse range of complex commercial litigation matters in state and federal court, including consumer class action litigation, data privacy matters, defamation, contract disputes, intellectual property, and labor and employment matters. She was also a Senior Attorney at a boutique litigation firm, where she defended insurers, software companies, and solar energy providers in a wide variety of business litigation, class action, and employment matters. Ms. Fernandez’s experience also includes providing advice and counsel regarding data privacy issues and the application of the California Consumer Privacy Act.
Born and raised in San Francisco, Ms. Fernandez briefly escaped the fog to obtain her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from San Diego State University, where she was a member of SDSU’s NCAA Division I Women’s Swim Team. She then received her J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law before tiring of year-round 75 degree weather and eventually returning to the Bay Area.