Joan Fife  Speaks at ACI’s 20^th National Forum on Wage & Hour Claims & Class Actions 

Winston & Strawn partner Joan Fife spoke at the American Conference Institute’s 20^th National Forum on Wage & Hour Claims & Class Actions, held on January 30-31, 2014 in Miami.   

Wage and hour litigation is the fastest growing type of class action today given the complexity of federal and state laws regarding classification of workers and overtime pay, the increased number of displaced employees, and the recent enhancement in DOL enforcement efforts. In this forum, a faculty of in-house counsel, renowned federal and state judges, outside plaintiffs, and defense counsel from around the nation examined skills and strategies needed to keep pace with this rapidly changing area of law, ways to manage and defend against new and innovative claims, and how to prepare for emerging regulations and evolving enforcement priorities. Ms. Fife presented “Developments in Class Certification, Decertification, Hybrid Claims and More: Managing and Defending FLSA Collective Actions and State Law Actions.” 

Joan Fife is a partner and the head of the Winston & Strawn's San Francisco labor and employment group. She represents employers in class action employment litigation and was named in 2009 and 2010 as one of the Daily Journal's Top Women Litigators in California. Ms. Fife has more than 20 years of experience trying employment cases before juries and judges in federal and state courts and before administrative agencies.