Overview

Melissa Hughes is a senior associate in the Labor and Employment Practice Group in the firm's San Francisco office.

Areas of Practice

Melissa defends and counsels employers in a range of employment disputes including harassment, discrimination, retaliation, failure to accommodate disabilities and wrongful termination claims. She defends employers against individual wage and hour claims, PAGA representative actions and class actions. Melissa also has traditional labor experience, including arbitration, unfair labor practice proceedings, and litigation related to the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).

As a litigator, Melissa has experience representing businesses of all sizes, from pre-litigation through post-trial motion practice before state and federal courts, as well as representing employers in connection with administrative proceedings. 

With respect to counseling employers, Melissa acts as a trusted advisor to help manage a broad range of employer issues, such as disability accommodation, employee leaves of absence, and performance management. Melissa also has experience conducting workplace investigations and advising employers in connection thereof. Melissa further helps employers navigate the difficult landscape of California wage and hour laws and provides proactive preventative measures to minimize the risks of exposure to litigation.

Melissa is a member of the Sheppard Mullin French Desk, which advises French clients in French and English with respect to U.S. law. Melissa is a trusted advisor to several French groups and companies operating in or seeking to expand to the U.S. with respect to employment and personnel matters.

Insights

Speaking Engagements

  • "2025 Labor Law Update," Golden Gate Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA), February 20, 2025

Events

Education

LL.M., University of California, Los Angeles, 2016

Master, University of Paris I-Pantheon Sorbonne, 2015

Licence (J.D. Equivalent), University of Paris I-Pantheon Sorbonne, 2013

Admissions

  • California

Languages

  • French
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