Fisher Phillips Continues Growth in California with Employment Litigation and Appellate Practice Hires

Fisher Phillips, an international labor and employment law firm representing employers, is continuing its strategic growth of both its Employment Litigation and Appellate practices in California with the arrivals of Kimberly Carter, partner in Woodland Hills/Los Angeles, Josh Halen, of counsel in Los Angeles, David Codell, of counsel in Los Angeles, and Aalia Taufiq, associate in Los Angeles. Their arrival follows a year of significant growth in California, where the firm has added more than 50 attorneys across its six offices with plans to continue expanding into 2026.

Kimberly joins the firm on the heels of litigation partners Matthew Wallin in Woodland Hills and Ron Brand in Irvine, further strengthening the firm's California litigation team. Spanning six offices statewide and more than 150 attorneys, the team defends employers in all types and sizes of employment-related lawsuits, including wage and hour class and collective actions, Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) claims, employee misclassification, trade secret disputes, retaliation, whistleblower, workplace safety (OSHA), discrimination, harassment, data privacy, and other complex employment matters.

"We are excited to welcome Kimberly to our team as we continue to expand our litigation practice not just in San Fernando Valley, but across California," said Nicole Golob, Regional Managing Partner of Fisher Phillips' Woodland Hills office. "Our clients are navigating an increasingly complex and fast-changing legal environment, and this growth allows us to provide them with even greater depth, insight, and support to address their most pressing workplace challenges." "As California continues to set the pace nationally for evolving labor and employment laws, it's critical that we bring on seasoned litigators who understand the nuances of this landscape and can deliver practical, strategic solutions in high stakes matters. Kimberly's experience and leadership make her an invaluable addition to our statewide team," added Todd Scherwin, Regional Managing Partner of Fisher Phillips' Los Angeles office.

Fisher Phillips' California Appellate Practice provides employers with seasoned advocacy in state and federal appeals involving labor and employment law. The team handles high stakes matters such as wage and hour class actions, discrimination and harassment claims, trade secret disputes, and complex procedural issues. With deep knowledge of California's appellate courts and extensive experience briefing and arguing cases, the group works to protect employer victories at trial and shape favorable legal precedent for businesses across the state.

"The continued growth of our appellate team in California underscores the critical role this practice plays for our clients," said Kristen Nesbit, co-chair of Fisher Phillips' California Litigation Practice Group. "With the addition of outstanding attorneys like Josh, David and Aalia, we are deepening our ability to handle high stakes appeals and complex legal issues. As employment laws continue to evolve, our appellate lawyers are helping clients not only defend their hard-fought trial victories but also shape the law in ways that impact workplaces across the state."

Kimberly Carter, Partner in Woodland Hills/Los Angeles
Kimberly joins from an AmLaw 200 firm and focuses her practice on a broad range of employment law matters, with particular experience defending employers in high-stakes single-plaintiff litigation, complex class actions, PAGA representative actions, wage and hour class actions, and compliance counseling. She regularly represents employers, including Fortune 500 companies, against claims involving wage and hour violations, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, invasion of privacy, wrongful termination, and other employment-related torts under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the ADA, the FMLA, and other state and federal laws.

In addition to her litigation work, Kimberly provides strategic day-to-day counsel to employers on workplace issues including disability accommodations, protected leaves of absence, personnel policies, employee handbooks, and employee discipline and termination. She also conducts multistate wage and hour audits to ensure her clients comply with federal, state, and municipal laws.

During her legal career, Kimberly has previously served as Managing Partner of the Los Angeles office of a national law firm and was Of Counsel in the Employment Law & Litigation practice at a national labor and employment firm. She is currently Chair of the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce Education Fund & Foundation. 

Kimberly received her J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, her M.B.T from the University of Southern California Leventhal School of Accounting, and her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. She is admitted to practice in California and Florida.

David Codell, Of Counsel in Los Angeles
With over 25 years of experience, David Codell brings extensive knowledge and a proven record of success in employment litigation and appellate matters. He has argued and briefed appeals across a wide range of areas, including constitutional issues, business disputes, employment law, land use, and securities law. Throughout his career, David has worked with clients in key industries, including entertainment, finance and manufacturing, and leverages his extensive appellate experience and strategic insight to help clients navigate complex legal challenges and achieve favorable outcomes.

In addition to his private practice, David has held leadership roles advancing civil rights and constitutional law. He has also provided pro bono representation in numerous historic cases and has been recognized by multiple organizations for his contributions to advancing equality and justice.

Prior to private practice, David served as a law clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the United States Supreme Court and Judge David Tatel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School where he was a Supreme Court Editor of the Harvard Law Review. 

Josh Halen, Of Counsel in Los Angeles
Before joining Fisher Phillips, Josh was an associate at a full-service AmLaw 200 firm where he represented businesses in complex litigation involving employment law, real estate transactional and property disputes, trade secrets, and commercial disputes at both the trial and appellate levels, and in arbitrations.

At Fisher Phillips, Josh bolsters the firm's Appellate practice where he defends and advises employers in a wide range of workplace-related litigation matters in state and federal courts. His experience includes employment litigation, commercial disputes, trade secret and antitrust matters, and intellectual property disputes. Josh has argued and briefed appeals in state and federal courts on various issues, including constitutional matters, confirming arbitration awards, employment law, and business disputes, among others.

Josh received his J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law and his B.A. from the University of Nevada, Reno.

About Fisher Phillips (www.fisherphillips.com)
With over 700 attorneys across the United States, Mexico and Japan, and a vast network of attorneys in jurisdictions around the globe, Fisher Phillips advises and advocates for employers on an international scale. Through our technology-driven approach, we partner with companies to achieve their business objectives, anticipate potential disruption, and provide the legal guidance to navigate and resolve the workplace matters critical to their success.