Overview
David Codell brings decades of high-stakes litigation experience to his representation of employers in labor and employment matters. Based in Los Angeles, his distinguished background spans trial and appellate courts, complex business disputes, constitutional issues, and class actions. Employers turn to David for strategic advocacy in appeals, litigation, and counseling, particularly when cases involve intricate constitutional or statutory questions.
David has handled a wide range of employment and workplace law issues, including those arising in appellate courts and in the context of broader business and constitutional disputes. In addition to his labor and employment work, he has extensive experience in business, entertainment, and securities litigation, as well as arbitration and land-use matters. He has briefed and argued appeals across numerous areas of substantive law and is known for skillfully navigating cutting-edge legal questions.
After graduating magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, he clerked for Judge David S. Tatel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the United States Supreme Court.
Before entering private practice in Los Angeles, David practiced constitutional law alongside Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe. He later became a partner at a prominent firm focusing on high stakes litigation and later founded the Law Office of David C. Codell in 2003.
David has held prominent leadership roles in national legal advocacy. He served as Visiting Legal Director and Senior Scholar of Law at the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law and later as Constitutional Litigation Director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, where he litigated landmark marriage-equality cases in multiple states and contributed to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling affirming marriage equality nationwide.
A longtime champion of civil rights, David has devoted substantial time to pro bono representation for individuals and nonprofits, earning recognition from leading organizations across the country. He is also a frequent speaker at universities and continuing legal education programs.