Justin T.Curley

Partner

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Justin enjoys working with clients to obtain solutions to complex employment matters. He defends employers in wage and hour class, representative, and collective action litigation, as well as in single and multi-plaintiff matters.


More About Justin

Recognized in Best Lawyers in America for Employment Law (Woodward/White Inc., 2027), Justin has been defending employers facing complex employment litigation for over 20 years, successfully defeating class certification, winning jury and bench trials and arbitrations, and securing favorable settlements. His litigation practice primarily involves defending employers in wage and hour class, representative, and collective action litigation under the California Labor Code, including the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). He has successfully resolved class, representative, and collective actions varying in size from over 100 members to multiple actions with over 100,000 members. Justin may be the only defense attorney in California who has first chaired the bench trials of two representative PAGA actions and a PAGA arbitration and has secured a complete win all on claims for the employer in each matter. He has also secured complete summary judgment for the employer in another representative PAGA action and successfully upheld the win on appeal.

Justin also handles single and multi-plaintiff claims for discrimination, failure to accommodate, failure to engage in the interactive process, harassment, and retaliation, including whistleblower claims, as well as employment-related tort and contract claims. He has significant jury and bench trial and arbitration experience, including first chairing five trials and arbitrations and second chairing six trials and arbitrations.

In addition to his litigation practice, Justin provides day-to-day counseling and advice to employers concerning the multitude of state and federal laws bearing on the employment relationship. He advises clients in areas including, for example, wage and hour, employment policies and practices, termination decisions, accommodation and leave issues, internal complaints and workplace investigations, and negotiating employment and separation agreements.

Justin has handled litigation for and provided counseling to clients in a variety of industries, including retail, technology, staffing, distribution, health care, pharmaceutical, life sciences, senior living, banking, construction, automotive, restaurants and hospitality, and defense. He also frequently provides pro bono advice and counseling concerning employment matters to several local nonprofits and has volunteered with pro bono programs such as Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), Legal Services for Children, and Project Homeless Connect. Justin was a member of the firm's 2015 Pro Bono Team of the Year and has been named a Seyfarth Pro Bono All-Star for 10 consecutive years of pro bono work.

Prior to joining Seyfarth, Justin served for two years as a law clerk to the Honorable James P. Donohue of the US District Court for the Western District of Washington in Seattle. Before law school, he earned his CPA license as a financial auditor at PwC.

Justin is active in his community and has served on the boards of nonprofits Community Resources for Science, The Bread Project, and Green Tree Early Childhood Center.

Justin is also committed to promoting inclusion in the legal profession and firm and is a member of the firm’s Hispanic Business Resource Group.

  • JD, Duke University School of Law
  • BS, University of California, Berkeley
  • California
  • US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • US District Court, Central District of California
  • US District Court, Eastern District of California
  • US District Court, Northern District of California
  • US District Court, Southern District of California