Fisher Phillips Continues Growth in Southern California

Fisher Phillips, one of the country’s preeminent labor and employment law firms representing employers, is pleased to announce the addition of three attorneys in its San Diego office: Sean McKaveney, Carola Murguia and Audrey Surridge have joined the firm as associates.

Sean joins Fisher Phillips from a regional firm where he served as a litigation attorney and represented clients on employment, public entity, personal injury, products liability, and commercial matters. At Fisher Phillips, he will continue to defend employers in workplace disputes, including employment discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment, retaliation, wage-hour class actions, and California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) cases. He will also advise clients on compliance with a wide range of federal and state employment laws and agency regulations.

Sean earned his J.D. from the UCLA School of Law and his B.A. from Claremont Mckenna College. While in law school, he was a law clerk for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and several Southern California civil litigation defense firms. Additionally, Sean volunteered for the Inner City Law Center in Los Angeles, where he provided legal assistance to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Carola rejoins Fisher Phillips from a global firm where she will continue representing clients in all aspects of employment law and litigation, including class actions, representative actions, and single-plaintiff claims. She will advise and represent employers across California on a broad range of employment law matters, including wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, wage and hour claims, and other employment-related matters. Carola will also continue to represent employers in labor matters related to union organizing, grievance arbitrations, and unfair labor practices.

Carola earned her J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law where she served as the Editor-in-Chief for the San Diego International Law Journal and was also a competitor for Mock Trial and the Paul A. McLennon, Sr. Moot Court tournament. During law school, Carola externed for the Honorable Roger T. Benitez in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, interned with the State of California Department of Transportation and the City Attorney’s office in San Diego. She also served as a Certified Law Clerk in the California Office of the Attorney General, where she wrote appellate briefs and argued before the California Court of Appeal. Carola earned her B.S. from the University of Maryland and served in the United States Marine Corps for eight years.

Audrey is dedicated to helping her clients navigate California’s complex employment laws and regulations. Prior to joining Fisher Phillips, she practiced employment law at a regional law firm.  Her practice focused on representing employers in a variety of employment disputes, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, failure to accommodate, and wage and hour litigation. Audrey also conducted workplace investigations and provided implicit bias, microaggression, and workplace investigation trainings. At Fisher Phillips, she will continue to represent employers in a variety of employment disputes, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, failure to accommodate, California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), and wage and hour matters.

Audrey earned her J.D., cum laude, from the University of San Diego School of Law and her B.A., cum laude, from Saint Mary’s College of California. While in law school, she served as president of the Women’s Law Caucus and Vice Magister of the Phi Delta Phi Legal Honors Society and also externed for the Honorable M. James Lorenz in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. Audrey was also a comment editor for Volume 19 of the San Diego International Law Journal and volunteered over 100 pro bono hours while completing her J.D.  Today, Audrey is a Vice President and third year Board Member of San Diego’s largest affinity bar organization, Lawyers Club.