Eight Attorneys, Seven Offices: Constangy Expands Its Labor and Employment and Cyber Practices

Constangy is pleased to announce the addition of eight attorneys in its Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Nashville, San Diego, and Tampa offices. George Albutt, Collin Delano, Susan Holley, Haley Klima, Sara McCallum, Paul Newman, and Nelson Suarez join the firm’s labor and employment practice, bringing experience in employment litigation, workplace compliance, and employer counseling. Nelson returns to the firm. Robert Cohn joins the Constangy Cyber Team, where he advises organizations on data privacy, cybersecurity, and incident response.

George joins Constangy as senior counsel in the firm’s Los Angeles office, where he represents employers in employment litigation, including wage and hour class actions, claims under California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), and discrimination, harassment, and retaliation matters. With 20 years of litigation experience, George also advises employers on workplace policies, employment agreements, and compliance matters. His experience includes defending claims under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), addressing employee misclassification issues, negotiating class action settlements, and representing employers before the California Labor Commissioner. He has also handled PAGA cure proposals, human resources compliance audits, and arbitration and severance agreements. Having represented both employers and employees in wage and hour class actions, George brings experience from both sides of employment disputes, including litigation involving more than 3,000 construction workers. He earned his J.D. from Ventura College of Law and a postgraduate diploma in law from BPP Law School. He also holds a B.A. in Philosophy and Theology and a Master of Studies in European Literature and Literary Theory from the University of Oxford, as well as a B.A. in German and French Literature from the University of Cambridge.

Rob joins Constangy as an associate attorney in the firm’s Denver office and is a member of the Constangy Cyber Team. He advises organizations on data privacy, cybersecurity, and incident response matters, including ransomware attacks, business email compromises, vendor breaches, and other unauthorized network intrusions. Rob counsels clients on breach notification requirements, communications with affected individuals and the media, reporting incidents to law enforcement, and responding to regulatory inquiries. His experience also includes developing information security and privacy policies, negotiating vendor and data processing agreements, and preparing analyses of U.S. and international privacy and artificial intelligence laws. Those laws include the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the EU AI Act, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA). Rob earned his J.D. and a Certificate of International Legal Studies from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. There, he competed in the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot and authored scholarly works on international data privacy and AI governance. He received his B.A. in World Economy and Business, with a minor in Japanese, from The Ohio State University. Rob is licensed to practice in Colorado and New York. He holds the Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe (CIPP/E) certification from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).

Collin joins Constangy as an associate attorney in the firm’s Dallas office, where he represents businesses in employment-related and commercial disputes at all stages of litigation. His experience includes claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA), as well as breach of contract and fraud claims, and he has assisted in class action litigation. Collin’s litigation work includes drafting and arguing motions, conducting depositions, managing discovery, and representing clients in court hearings and at trial. Earlier in his career, he served as a briefing attorney to U.S. Senior District Judge Sam R. Cummings of the Northern District of Texas, where he helped manage the court’s civil docket, drafted opinions, and researched complex civil issues. Collin earned his J.D., cum laude, from Texas Tech University School of Law and his B.A. in Business Management from Texas Tech’s Rawls College of Business.

Susan joins Constangy as senior counsel in the firm’s San Diego office, where she represents employers in employment litigation involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour claims. With more than 35 years of experience, Susan defends national corporations, publicly traded companies, and small and midsize employers in wage and hour class actions, claims under California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), disability accommodation disputes, whistleblower retaliation claims, and noncompete and trade secret disputes. She also represents employers before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA). In addition, she counsels clients on workplace policies, employee handbooks, and executive employment and separation agreements. Her experience includes successfully challenging class certification, obtaining orders compelling arbitration and dismissing class claims, and first-chairing two bench trials. Susan has also served as a neutral mediator in employment and contract disputes and has conducted internal investigations into allegations of discrimination and harassment. She earned her J.D. from Stanford Law School, where she was an editor of the Stanford Environmental Law Journal. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Neuroscience, summa cum laude, from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Haley joins Constangy as an associate attorney in the firm’s Tampa office, where she represents employers in employment litigation and advises on workplace compliance matters. Her practice includes defending discrimination claims, responding to administrative charges, and counseling employers on employment agreements, workplace policies, and restrictive covenants. Haley has experience preparing responses to charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), reviewing noncompete and nonsolicitation agreements, and drafting cease-and-desist letters involving employment obligations. Her litigation background also includes representing governmental entities and preparing dispositive motions, mediation statements, and other pretrial filings. Earlier in her career, she gained experience in tax and intellectual property matters, including work with a low-income tax clinic and research involving trademark litigation. Haley earned her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Mississippi School of Law, where she served as senior editor of notes and articles for the Mississippi Sports Law Review. She received her B.S. in Entertainment Industry Studies, magna cum laude, from the University of North Alabama.

Sara joins Constangy as senior counsel in the firm’s Kansas City office, where she represents employers in employment litigation and advises on workplace compliance and risk management. Her practice includes defending discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and other employment claims in state and federal courts, arbitrations, and administrative proceedings. Sara also counsels employers on workplace investigations, employee discipline, leaves of absence and accommodations, reductions in force, and employment policies. Her litigation experience includes trying discrimination and retaliation claims, arguing motions before state and federal courts, and developing strategies to enforce arbitration agreements. Before returning to private practice, Sara served as senior in-house labor and employment counsel for a publicly traded global information services company, where she advised human resources and business leaders, managed employment litigation, and collaborated with legal counsel in Canada, Europe, and the United Kingdom on workforce initiatives. During law school, she interned for the Honorable John W. Lungstrum of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. Sara earned her J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law, where she served as articles editor of the Kansas Law Review.

Paul joins Constangy as senior counsel in the firm’s Los Angeles office, where he represents employers in employment litigation involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, wage and hour claims, and class actions, including claims under California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). With more than 20 years of experience, Paul defends Fortune 500 companies, privately held businesses, and public entities. Those cases include claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), and California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). He also conducts workplace investigations and counsels employers on workplace policies, employee discipline, compliance, and management training. Paul previously served in the Office of the General Counsel at the University of Southern California, where he oversaw employment and liability matters involving the university’s employment and athletic departments. He also served as corporate counsel for a global cosmetics company, where he advised human resources leadership and managed employment litigation. In private practice, he has represented entertainment studios, networks, and talent and management agencies, as well as insurance and consumer products companies. Paul earned his J.D. from Loyola University School of Law and his B.S. in Cinema and Photography from Ithaca College.

Nelson rejoins Constangy as senior counsel in the firm’s Nashville office, where he represents employers in employment litigation and advises on workplace compliance matters. His practice includes defending discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, and employment contract claims in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies. Nelson also counsels employers on workplace policies, employee handbooks, training, and litigation avoidance strategies. His experience includes securing favorable summary judgment rulings and successfully defending a major automobile manufacturer in a federal discrimination trial. Before rejoining Constangy, Nelson practiced at another national law firm and served as in-house counsel for a Fortune 500 manufacturing company, where he advised human resources and business leaders on employment matters, managed outside counsel, and developed workplace policies and training programs. He earned his J.D. from Belmont University College of Law, where he served as an editor of the Belmont Law Review and vice president of trial advocacy for the Belmont Board of Advocates. He received his B.S. from Tennessee Tech University.