About Outten & Golden LLP · Washington
Outten & Golden LLP is a nationally recognized U.S. law firm exclusively representing employees, executives, and professionals in employment-related matters. Founded in 1998 in New York, the firm has grown to roughly 140 attorneys and professionals across three offices — New York, Oakland (CA), and Washington, D.C. — and has recovered more than $1.3 billion for workers through counseling, negotiation, individual representation, and over 500 class and collective actions.
Outten & Golden LLP was founded in 1998 with a distinctive premise: to build a firm with the talent, resources, and strength to go toe-to-toe with the elite defense-side firms that represent America's largest employers. From day one the firm focused exclusively on the side of the worker — individuals, executives, professionals, whistleblowers, and classes of employees — rather than on corporate defense. Over the past three decades the firm has prosecuted more than 500 class and collective actions, with federal and state courts designating Outten & Golden as class counsel in more than forty cases. The firm is a national leader in pay-equity litigation, having brought major class actions against Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, JPMorgan Chase, Google, Uber, Goldman Sachs, Mastercard, and Syracuse University, and has recovered more than $1.3 billion for employees overall. Outten & Golden also routinely partners with state Attorneys General and civil rights agencies on impact litigation, including its recent representation of the California Civil Rights Department in the $54.8 million Activision Blizzard gender-discrimination settlement and its work with the D.C. Office of Attorney General on wage-and-hour enforcement. Today the firm operates from offices in New York (685 Third Avenue, 25th Floor), Oakland (1999 Harrison Street, Suite 1500), and Washington, D.C. (1225 New York Ave NW, Suite 1200B), serving employees nationwide across virtually every area of workplace law.
- In business
- Founded 1998 (approx. 27+ years)
- Serves
- Nationwide (United States); offices in New York, NY; Oakland, CA; and Washington, D.C.
- Rating
- 4.8/5.0 (27 Martindale peer reviews for the Washington, D.C. office)
Overview: Outten & Golden LLP
Outten & Golden LLP is one of the largest U.S. law firms dedicated exclusively to representing employees, executives, professionals, and whistleblowers. Headquartered in New York with offices in Oakland and Washington, D.C., the firm combines individual counseling and negotiation with high-stakes class-action and impact litigation. Its stated mission is to 'empower employees and tirelessly advocate for justice and equity under the law.'
- Founded 1998
- Approximately 140 attorneys and professionals
- Three offices: New York, Oakland, Washington, D.C.
- More than $1.3 billion recovered for employees
- More than 500 class and collective actions prosecuted
Our History
Outten & Golden was conceived in 1998 as a firm built with the talent, resources, and strength to go toe-to-toe with the elite law firms that represented America's biggest employers. At the time, most lawyers who represented employees were solo practitioners or worked in very small firms; Outten & Golden was structured differently from day one, growing over three decades into a national employee-side firm with offices on both coasts and in the nation's capital.
- Founded 1998
- Grew from a small employee-side start-up to a 140-person firm
- Established offices in New York, Oakland, and Washington, D.C.
Office Locations
The firm operates from three U.S. offices, allowing it to handle matters nationwide. Each office serves as a base for the firm's employment counseling, negotiation, and litigation work.
- New York: 685 Third Avenue, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10017
- Oakland: 1999 Harrison Street, Suite 1500, Oakland, CA 94612
- Washington, D.C.: 1225 New York Ave NW, Suite 1200B, Washington, DC 20005
Practice Capabilities
Outten & Golden offers full-service capabilities for employees. The work is supported by in-house litigation technology, e-Discovery, and economics and data analytics teams in addition to its 140 attorneys and professionals. The firm handles individual counseling, negotiation, single-plaintiff litigation, and complex class and collective actions.
- Counseling and negotiation
- Individual employment litigation
- Class action and collective action representation
- In-house litigation technology and e-Discovery
- In-house economics and data analytics
Class Action Civil Rights Practice
Outten & Golden is a national leader in class-action civil rights and pay-equity litigation, having prosecuted many of the largest and most notable class actions in this area. Collectively, these cases have returned hundreds of millions of dollars to workers while pursuing systemic change. Federal and state courts have designated the firm as class counsel in more than forty cases.
- Notable class actions against Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, JPMorgan Chase, Google, Uber, Goldman Sachs, Mastercard, and Syracuse University
- More than 500 class and collective actions prosecuted
- Designated class counsel in 40+ cases
- Active litigation on algorithmic bias (e.g., Liapes v. Facebook, Kistler v. Eightfold)
Class Action Collaborations with Government Agencies
Outten & Golden frequently represents state Attorneys General and civil rights agencies in complex class actions, bringing its litigation resources to bear in the public interest.
- Represented the California Civil Rights Department in the $54.8 million Activision Blizzard gender-discrimination settlement
- Represented the D.C. Office of Attorney General in a $3.75 million wage-and-hour settlement with a construction contractor
- Currently represents the New Jersey Attorney General and Department of Labor and Workforce Development against Amazon (Amazon Flex drivers case)
Employment Contracts & Separation Agreements
A core specialty is advising executives and professionals on employment contracts, separation agreements, and restrictive covenants such as non-competes and non-solicits. The firm combines contract negotiation with the ability to litigate high-stakes disputes when needed, drawing on experience advising hundreds of leading executives.
- Employment contract review and negotiation
- Separation / severance agreement negotiation
- Non-compete and non-solicit analysis and litigation
- Executive transitions and exit planning
Whistleblower Practice
Outten & Golden maintains an active whistleblower practice representing individuals who report fraud or misconduct under multiple federal programs.
- SEC Whistleblower Program
- CFTC Whistleblowing
- DOJ Whistleblower Program
- IRS Whistleblowing
- False Claims Act / fraud against the government
Discrimination, Harassment & Retaliation
The firm represents employees in all major categories of workplace discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims, drawing on its class-action experience to handle both individual high-profile matters and systemic cases.
- Sexual harassment and assault
- Race, sex, gender, age, disability, pregnancy, national origin, and religious discrimination
- Retaliation and wrongful termination
- Hostile work environment claims
Areas of Practice (Martindale Listing)
According to its Martindale-Hubbell listing, the firm and its attorneys are credited across more than 75 practice areas, reflecting the breadth of its employee-side work.
- Labor and Employment
- Class Actions and Employment Class Actions
- Employee Rights
- Employment Contracts and International Employment Contracts
- Executive Compensation and Severance Agreements
- Partnership Law
- Sexual, Racial, and Religious Harassment
- Age, Race, Religious, Disability, Sex, Pregnancy, and National Origin Discrimination
- ADA, ADEA, FMLA, USERRA, WARN Act
- Whistleblower Protection and Litigation
- ERISA, Pension Plans, Employee Benefits
- Noncompete Litigation and Restrictive Covenants
- Mediation, Arbitration, Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Appellate Practice and Civil Litigation
- Wage and Hour Class Actions
- Workplace Violence, Security Clearances
Washington, D.C. Office Attorneys
The Washington, D.C. office includes partners and associates focused on labor and employment, whistleblower litigation, employment class actions, and discrimination and civil rights matters.
- Susan Huhta (Partner) — Employment Law, Litigation, Employee Rights, Employment Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Wrongful Termination
- Cassandra Lenning (Partner) — Labor and Employment, Civil Rights, Discrimination, Class Actions
- Jennifer Davidson (Associate) — Labor and Employment, Whistleblower Litigation
- Daniel Stromberg — E-Discovery, Employment Law, Employee Rights
- Hannah Cole-Chu (Associate)
- Ryan Cowdin (Associate) — Employment Law, Employee Rights, Employment Class Actions
- Ian Roy (Associate) — Labor and Employment
- Pooja Shethji (Associate)
Reputation and Recognition
Outten & Golden is described on its own website as 'nationally recognized for individual, collective and class action litigation that advances and defends the rights of employees.' The firm holds an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, with a 4.8/5.0 peer-review score (27 reviews) for the Washington, D.C. office.
- AV-Rated law firm (Martindale-Hubbell)
- 4.8/5.0 peer rating on Martindale-Hubbell (Washington, D.C. office)
- Court-designated class counsel in 40+ cases
Contacting the Firm
Outten & Golden can be reached through its website contact portal or by contacting any of its three offices directly. The Washington, D.C. office is located in downtown D.C., near the White House and major federal courthouses.
- Website: https://www.outtengolden.com/
- Contact form available under 'Contact Us' on the site
- Three offices: New York, Oakland, Washington, D.C.