Costa Mesa, CA – Maria Z. Stearns, an Employment Partner at Rutan & Tucker LLP, has been selected as President of the Harvard Law School Women’s Alliance (HLSWA), a global organization for women alumnae of Harvard Law School which provides a forum for discussion, networking, and mentorship. She has been President of the group’s Southern California chapter since its inception 5 years ago.
“This is an exciting opportunity for me to lead a group that is dedicated to building a strong global network of Harvard Law School alumnae,” says Stearns, who graduated from Harvard Law in 2002. “My goal is to expand upon this powerful network of Harvard Law School women who share a common commitment to increasing the presence of women in positions of power and leadership, whether that be at a law firm, in the board room, the public sector, or otherwise.”
In her law practice, Stearns represents businesses in employment litigation and transactional matters and has extensive wage and hour class action experience. As part of her practice, Stearns provides preventative counseling, training and guidance to businesses regarding all aspects of the employer-employee relationship. Stearns represents employers of all sizes and in a wide range of industries, with particular expertise in the healthcare, restaurant and apparel industries.
In the community, Stearns has been a long-time Board Member of the Orange County Bar Foundation, a non-profit committed to promoting health, safety and education for Orange County’s at-risk youth. Stearns is active in various professional associations, including serving as a Board Member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, Orange County Chapter; committee member of the Orange County Bar Association; and legal update speaker for the Association of Corporate Counsel and the National Human Resources Association. She has been listed as one of the Daily Journal’s Top 100 Women lawyers in California each year since 2014 and a Super Lawyer since 2014. For 2016, Stearns was one of five employment attorneys selected to Law360’s national list of top attorneys under 40.
About The Harvard Law School Women’s Alliance
In 2010, at the encouragement of then president of the Harvard Law School Association, Sharon Jones ’82, HLS alumnae in Chicago formed the HLS Women’s Alliance of Chicago, “a group of women who have come together to foster community, networking, and continuing education.” Around the same time, HLS alumnae in Southern California established the HLS Women’s Career Advancement Initiative. In 2012, these efforts combined and the HLS Women’s Alliance expanded to over 15 chapters worldwide. For more information, http://www.hlswa.org
About Rutan & Tucker LLP
Rutan & Tucker is one of California’s largest full-service law firms with offices in Costa Mesa and Palo Alto. Primary practice areas include corporate and securities law, business, banking and finance, labor and employment law, intellectual property, real estate, government and regulatory law, land use law, bankruptcy, condemnation and property valuation, environmental law, construction law and taxation and estate planning.
