Overview

Samuel J. Stone is a trial attorney in Holland & Knight's Los Angeles office and a member of the firm's Labor, Employment and Benefits Group. Mr. Stone works with clients in a broad range of industries on sensitive, high-stakes employment and litigation matters, complex civil and government investigations, and advice-and-counsel issues. He has represented employers and individuals at all stages of litigation and appeal, including navigating and securing favorable pre-complaint resolutions, first-chairing numerous bench trials, administrative hearings and appeals, and successfully defending favorable results on appeal.

Mr. Stone is frequently called upon to handle high-stakes trade secret and restrictive covenant litigation; whistleblower, harassment, discrimination, and retaliation claims and investigations; and wage-and-hour class and representative actions. Mr. Stone's practice also includes advising and proactively managing government compliance and investigations, working with clients to prevent litigation and conduct workplace investigations, and labor and employment due diligence for merger and acquisition (M&A) deals of all size and complexity.

Mr. Stone also represents management in union representation, election, unfair labor practices, and collective bargaining and negotiating proceedings, including litigating before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and extensively in labor-management arbitration. His clients include those in the financial services, healthcare, advanced technology, defense and government, manufacturing and construction, transportation, and retail and hospitality industries.

During law school, Mr. Stone was a member of the Southwestern Law Review and academic chair of the Trial Advocacy Honors Program. He also served as an extern in the Hardcore Gang Division of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Representative Experience

  • Represented an industry market leader in bicoastal non-compete and non-solicitation litigation involving allegations of misappropriation of trade secrets
  • Represented a major legal services provider in misappropriation of trade secret and conspiracy case alleging theft of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technology brought against former C-suite executive
  • Advised on complex multijurisdictional issues in furtherance of successfully obtaining nationwide injunction barring dissemination of major insurer's confidential information and trade secrets
  • Obtained successive temporary restraining orders barring client's competitor from punitively enforcing unlawful non-competition agreement and compelling arbitration against client's employee

  • Represented a receiver in resolving and managing claims process and distribution for initial coin offering (ICO) fraud scheme, including working closely with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) attorneys
  • Managed a multinational client's response to California Department of Justice site inspections of immigration detention facility and subpoenas, including preparing staff for government interviews and facilitating on-the-ground response to government officials
  • Represented employees as pool counsel for internal investigations into banking fraud allegations and advised in follow-on federal grand jury matters
  • Represented a client in appeals of 40 related adverse administrative decisions with cumulative adverse decisions totaling in excess of $10 million
  • Advised a market leader in highly regulated industry on compliance in connection with criminal indictments and investigations

  • Successfully negotiated favorable settlement of #metoo claims brought against a producer
  • Secured dismissal of whistleblower retaliation claim brought against an airline and successfully defended dismissal of claim on appeal
  • Defended numerous wrongful termination, harassment, retaliation and discrimination claims brought against a multinational security contractor
  • Conducted and assisted in numerous internal investigations into alleged sexual harassment, sexual assault and workplace violence

  • Secured an injunction preventing unlawful work stoppage at two of the largest construction sites in New York City
  • Secured dismissal without leave to amend an unlawful secondary activity claim brought against a major construction industry employer association
  • Negotiated successful resolution of various grievances and trust fund litigation
  • Assisted with high-profile negotiations involving a union threat to picket and handbill presidential debates
  • Advised on furloughs and mass layoffs of an international airline's unionized workforce, and Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act) and Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA) compliance for complete closure of colleges

  • Advised on labor and employment and restrictive covenant diligence matters for a merger between two national banks; the merger resulted in adding approximately $1.3 billion in assets, $1.2 billion in loans and $1 billion in deposits to the surviving entity
  • Provided in-depth substantive diligence review and advice on acquisition deal worth more than $50 million between multinational private security companies, including liaising with, and securing, government consent required for transaction
  • Advised on Service Contract Act labor and employment compliance for potential acquisition of a major defense contractor

Credentials

Education
  • Southwestern Law School, J.D., cum laude
  • Tulane University, M.A.
  • Tulane University, B.A.
Bar Admissions/Licenses
  • California
Court Admissions
  • All Superior Courts in California
  • 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
Memberships
  • American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section
  • American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section
  • Los Angeles County Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section
  • Southwestern Law Review
Honors & Awards
  • Holland & Knight Pro Bono All-Star, 2018, 2020

Publications

News