Greenberg Traurig has brought on Charles Thompson, Polsinelli's San Francisco office managing partner, to bolster its labor and employment practice.

Thompson is now a shareholder in Greenberg Traurig's San Francisco office, where he will work closely with Chuck Birenbaum. Thompson said he has long admired Birenbaum and added that he was drawn to Greenberg Traurig's international platform, as his clients have grown in Europe and Asia.

Charles Thompson.

“Class action has definitely increased in recent years,” said Thompson, who also chaired Polsinelli's class action practice. As his clients have grown into large companies with national footprints, Thompson noted, it is almost required to have a platform with “national depth.”

Thompson's focuses his practice on employment litigation and counseling clients through all phases of class actions and single-plaintiff cases. Prior to joining Polsinelli as a leader of its West Coast labor and employment practice in 2015, Thompson was at Seyfarth Shaw for two-and-a-half years. Before that, he practiced at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith.

“Chuck's broad experience and reputation as one of the nation's leading labor and employment attorneys further enhance and complement our strong and growing presence in the western states' labor and employment community,” said Birenbaum, who also serves as Greenberg Traurig's Northern California chair, in a statement. “We are experiencing strong client demand in class actions and high exposure cases, leading us to reach out to experts like Chuck Thompson.”

Thompson has handled over 1,000 employment matters for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to Silicon Valley startups. They include matters involving the Americans with Disabilities Act, sexual harassment and assault, discrimination and wrongful termination, wage and hour cases and catastrophic cases.

Naomi Beer, co-chair of Greenberg Traurig's global labor and employment practice, added: “We are very focused on building our West Coast labor and employment practice to meet increasing client demand; and hiring Charles, a highly-regarded and credentialed attorney, reflects our ability to identify and recruit talented practitioners as we position ourselves to address the needs of clients in a changing global market.”

Greenberg Traurig's labor and employment practice has grown to 170 attorneys. The global firm has been expanding its services in California since opening a Los Angeles office in 2000. Its San Francisco office, which opened in 2010, now has a total of 33 attorneys.

Polsinelli did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.

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