Thomas E. Hill
Partner
Thomas E. Hill
+1.213.896.2440
Overview
Thomas E. Hill is a partner in Holland & Knight's Los Angeles office, a highly accomplished national class action defense attorney, and an experienced trial and appellate lawyer. Mr. Hill has served as lead counsel for some of the largest employers in the country, and done so in more than 600 civil lawsuits filed across 30 states. Mr. Hill has also first-chaired more than 250 adversarial proceedings to decision, including jury, bench and administrative trials and arbitrations. The many Fortune 500 companies that Mr. Hill has represented as lead counsel in class litigation and/or at trial include the most-recognized "brand names" within the financial services, retail, hospitality, healthcare, technology, energy, construction and infrastructure, and gig-economy industries.
A primary focus of Mr. Hill's practice is the defense of complex, high-stakes wage and hour litigation. He has served as lead counsel in more than 125 class, collective and representative actions and, in the process, helped shape California's wage and hour laws. The many cases of first impression that Mr. Hill has argued on appeal have been cited hundreds of times in subsequent published decisions.
Mr. Hill has been named one of the Top 75 employment lawyers in California by the Los Angeles Daily Journal, and recognized annually as a pre-eminent national wage and hour class action attorney by Best Lawyers in America, Chambers USA and The Legal 500, among other attorney rating guides.
Mr. Hill also has many years of experience in law firm management as the office managing partner and the national practice group leader and global managing partner of operations for an Am Law 100 law firm.
Employers in a wide range of industries rely on Mr. Hill as a valued partner when seeking practical and seasoned guidance with respect to whistleblower, discrimination, harassment, and wage and hour issues, and as a trusted resource for the most sensitive and complex workplace investigations.
Representative Experience
- Alcantar, et al. v. Hobart Service, et al., 800 F.3d 1047 (9th Cir. 2015)
- California Podiatric Medical Ass'n v. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., 2006 WL 3072282 (Cal. App. Dist. 2) (2006)
- Conley, et al. v. Pacific Gas & Electric Company, 131 Cal. App. 4th 260 (2005)
- Cychner, et al. v. Food 4 Less Holdings, Inc., 2006 WL 1163772 (Cal. App. Dist. 2) (2006)
- East, et al. v. Macy's/Bullock's, et al., 34 F. Supp. 2d 1176 (D.Az 1998)
- Malone, et al. v. Superior Court (California Bank & Trust), 226 Cal. App. 4th 1551 (2014)
- Meadows, et al. v. NCR Corporation, 2020 WL 1042042 (N.D. Ill. 2020)
- Nabor Mejia, et al. v. Illinois Tool Works Inc., 2019 WL 8135433 (C.D. Cal. 2019)
- Mills, et al. v. Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc., 38 Cal. Rptr. 3d (Cal. App. Dist. 2) (2006)
- Pacific Merchant Shipping Ass'n, et al. v. Aubry, 918 F.2d 1409 (9th Cir. 1990)
- Prachasaisoradej, et al. v. Ralphs Grocery Company, 42 Cal. 4th 217 (2007)
- Reeves v. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., 2007 WL 1032307 (Cal. App. Dist. 1) (2007)
- Reinig, et al. RBS Citizens, N.A., 912 F.3d 115 (3rd Cir. 2018)
- Swanson, et al. v. Ralphs Grocery Company, et al., 112 Cal. App. 4th 1090 (2003)
- Alcantar, et al. v. Hobart Service, et al.: Lead counsel in wage and hour class action challenging national manufacturing company's commuting time pay practices
- Bourdet, et al. v. Procter & Gamble, et al.: Lead defense counsel in wage and hour class action challenging national manufacturing company's meal and rest period policies
- Bradford, et al. v. Logan's Roadhouse, Inc., et al.: Lead counsel in wage and hour class action challenging multistate restaurant company's tip-pooling practices
- California Podiatric Medical Association, et al. v. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, et al.: Lead counsel in successful defense at trial of discrimination and unfair competition class action against largest healthcare employer in California
- Citizens for Fair Treatment, et al. v. Macy's West Inc., et al.: Lead defense counsel in wage and hour class action challenging national retail company's vacation pay policies
- Conley v. St. Mary Medical Center: Lead counsel in successful defense at trial of hospital's exempt treatment of assistant personnel managers
- Conley, et al. v. Pacific Gas & Electric Co.: Lead defense counsel in wage and hour class action challenging the vacation pay policies of largest utility and infrastructure company in Northern California
- Corona, et al. v. Verizon Wireless, Inc., et al.: Lead counsel in wage and hour class action challenging vacation and holiday pay practices of national telecommunications company
- Corpening, et al. v. Macy's California Inc., et al.: Lead defense counsel in wage and hour and unfair competition class action challenging national retail company's pay policies and practices
- Cychner, et al. v. Food 4 Less Holdings, et al.: Lead defense counsel in discrimination, retaliation and unfair competition class action against multistate grocery retail company
- DIRECTV Service Technician Litigation: Lead counsel in 13 multiplaintiff wage and hour cases filed throughout the U.S. challenging pay practices of national technology, telecommunications, construction and infrastructure companies and their installation contractors and subcontractors
- Division of Labor Standards Enforcement v. DE Enterprises Inc.: Lead counsel in successful defense at trial of restaurant's tip-pooling and other wage and hour practices
- Dunn, et al. v. The Kroger Co., et al.: Lead defense counsel in wage and hour class action challenging meal and rest period policies of the largest grocery retail company in the U.S.
- East, et al. v. Bullock's Inc., et al.: Lead defense counsel in Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) opt-in class action challenging national retail company's exempt status determinations and other pay practices
- Flores, et al. v. Albertson's Inc., et al.: Lead defense counsel in wage and hour, unfair competition and fraud class action challenging independent contractor status determinations and overtime and other pay practices of multistate grocery retail company
- Gig-Economy Independent Contractor Status Litigation; Lead counsel in multistate class action litigation challenging the independent contractor status of food delivery drivers for national gig-economy company
- Giorgio, et al. v. Fred Meyer Jewelers Inc., et al.: Lead defense counsel in wage and hour and unfair competition class action challenging exempt status determinations and other pay practices of multistate jewelry retail company
- Jennings, et al. v. Estee Lauder, Inc., et al.: Lead defense counsel in wage and hour class action challenging nonemployee status of cosmetology school students for national manufacturing and beauty company
- Miller v. Jacobs Engineering Group: Lead counsel in successful defense at trial of international construction company's exempt treatment of unregistered engineers
- Mills, et al. v. Bed, Bath & Beyond Inc., et al.: Lead defense counsel in wage and hour class action challenging the meal and rest period policies of a national retail company
- Orozco, et al. Illinois Tool Works Inc.: Lead defense counsel in wage and hour class action challenging the overtime, meal and rest period and other pay practices of national manufacturing company
- Prachasaisoradej, et al. v. The Kroger Co., et al.: Lead defense counsel in wage and hour and unfair competition class action challenging the profit-based bonus plans of the largest grocery retail company in the U.S.
- Penney, et al. v. Prime Healthcare, Inc.: Lead defense counsel in wage and hour class action challenging a multistate healthcare and hospital company's overtime, meal and rest period, reporting time pay and other compensation policies
- Reinig, et al. v. RB Citizens, N.A.: Lead defense counsel in multistate wage and hour class and collective action against major financial services company for off-the-clock overtime pay brought by mortgage loan officers
- Russell, et al. v. Shell Oil Co., et al.: Lead defense counsel in wage and hour class action challenging the donning and doffing and other pay policies of one of the largest energy and infrastructure companies in the U.S.
- Robison, et al. v. J.C. Penney Inc., et al.: Lead defense counsel in wage and hour class action challenging the vacation pay policies of one of the largest department store retail companies in the U.S.
- Stallings, et al. v. Broadway Stores Inc., et al.: Lead defense counsel in age discrimination class action against multistate retail company
- Swanson, et al. v. The Kroger Co., et al.: Lead defense counsel in wage and hour and unfair competition class action challenging the profit-based bonus plans of one the largest grocery retail companies in the U.S.
- Tillotson, et al. v. Prudential Insurance Co., et al.: Lead defense counsel in "glass-ceiling" sex discrimination class action under Title VII against national financial services company
- Ubalde, et al. v. Prudential Securities Incorporated, et al.: Lead defense counsel in wage and hour class action challenging exempt status determinations and other pay practices of national financial services company
- Vitale, et al. v. Pyramid Hotel Group, et al.: Lead defense counsel in wage and hour class action challenging the bonus and other pay practices of national hotel and hospitality management company
- Wales, et al. v. Shell Oil Co., et al.: Lead defense counsel in wage and hour class action challenging exempt status determinations and other pay practices of one of the largest energy and infrastructure companies in the U.S.
Credentials
Education
- Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, J.D.
- UCLA, B.A.
Bar Admissions/Licenses
- California
Court Admissions
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
- U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
Honors & Awards
- Chambers USA – America's Leading Business Lawyers guide, Labor and Employment, 2009-2010, 2016-2024
- The Best Lawyers in America guide, Labor Law - Management; Employment Law - Management, 2024-2025; Litigation - Labor and Employment, 2014-2023, 2025
- Southern California Super Lawyers magazine, Employment and Labor, 2004-2022
- Holland & Knight Pro Bono All-Star, 2021
- Los Angeles Business Journal, Leaders of Influence: Litigators & Trial Lawyers, 2020
- The Best Lawyers in America guide, Lawyer of the Year, Labor and Employment Litigation, 2015
- The Legal 500 USA, Labor and Employment Disputes (including Collective Action): Defense, 2012-2019
- Los Angeles Daily Journal, Top 75 Labor and Employment Attorneys in California, 2012, 2015-2017