COSTA MESA, Calif., Jan. 14, 2013 – Partner Mark Payne recently was elected Chair of the Employment & Labor Section at Rutan & Tucker, LLP, California’s largest full-service business law firm based in Orange County.
In his leadership role, he will support a team of experienced and highly successful attorneys who represent local, regional and national employers across a wide range of industries in all aspects of employment and labor law, with an emphasis on the unique challenges facing California employers.
For over 20 years, Payne has handled a wide variety of employment-related litigation and counseling on behalf of employers, including wrongful discharge litigation and dispute resolution; wage and hour compliance and class action defense; executive compensation and related disputes; employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims; and workplace investigations.
He also has extensive experience with unfair competition and protection of trade secrets, helping companies in a variety of industries to protect their information assets and resources through the use of effective policies, enforceable agreements and, when necessary, litigation. Payne previously served for four years on the Firm’s Compensation Committee, in addition to other committee assignments.
Payne earned his law degree from the College of William and Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law in 1991, where he served as managing editor for the William & Mary Law Review. He was admitted to the Order of the Coif, an honor he received after graduating in the top five percent of his class. He then served as a law clerk to the Honorable Rebecca Beach Smith in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Norfolk Division, before moving to California to begin his law practice.
“We are pleased to announce Mark’s election and know he will be an outstanding leader,” said Kim Thompson, the firm’s managing partner.
About Rutan & Tucker, LLP
Rutan & Tucker is Orange County’s largest full-service business law firm with offices in Costa Mesa and Palo Alto. Primary practice areas include corporate and securities law, business, real estate and intellectual property litigation, labor and employment law, intellectual property, real estate, government and regulatory law, land use law, bankruptcy, condemnation and property valuation, environmental law, and taxation and estate planning. Detailed information about the firm is available at www.rutan.com.
