Mark is a strong and seasoned advocate and legal adviser. His clients praise him as thoughtful, dedicated, thorough, and effective.

Overview
Insights
Awards

Mark has been advising and defending employers since 1992. He represents local, regional, and national employers across a wide range of industries in all aspects of employment and labor law, with an emphasis on the unique challenges facing employers with operations in California.

As lead counsel, Mark has successfully handled and resolved hundreds of employment-related disputes in state and federal courts. His proven track record of litigation success makes him an effective, practical legal adviser to employers seeking to comply with local, state and federal workplace laws (for example, wage and hour compliance, and class action and PAGA defense; discrimination, harassment and retaliation issues; workplace investigations; and traditional labor relations, including collective bargaining negotiations and grievance resolution).

Mark also has extensive experience with unfair competition claims and protection of trade secrets, helping companies protect their information assets through effective policies, enforceable agreements and, when necessary, litigation.

Before practicing law, Mark distinguished himself in his undergraduate and graduate studies. In college, he completed three major courses of study – philosophy, religion, and psychology. He graduated cum laude, received honors in religion, and earned a bachelor’s degree. After college, Mark worked for two years in computer software development for the trade association industry. He then earned his J.D at the College of William & Mary, where he served as the managing editor for the Law Review and was admitted to the Order of the Coif after graduating in the top five percent of his class.

After law school, Mark served in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia as a law clerk for the Honorable Rebecca Beach Smith. He then began his employment and labor law practice with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he was an associate and of counsel for eight years.

  • Best Lawyers in America®: Litigation – Labor and Employment (2026)
  • Benchmark Litigation – United States: Labor & Employment Star (2021, 2023)
  • Super Lawyer, Southern California, Corporate Counsel
  • Rising Star, Southern California, Corporate Counsel

Mark has been advising and defending employers since 1992. He represents local, regional, and national employers across a wide range of industries in all aspects of employment and labor law, with an emphasis on the unique challenges facing employers with operations in California.

As lead counsel, Mark has successfully handled and resolved hundreds of employment-related disputes in state and federal courts. His proven track record of litigation success makes him an effective, practical legal adviser to employers seeking to comply with local, state and federal workplace laws (for example, wage and hour compliance, and class action and PAGA defense; discrimination, harassment and retaliation issues; workplace investigations; and traditional labor relations, including collective bargaining negotiations and grievance resolution).

Mark also has extensive experience with unfair competition claims and protection of trade secrets, helping companies protect their information assets through effective policies, enforceable agreements and, when necessary, litigation.

Before practicing law, Mark distinguished himself in his undergraduate and graduate studies. In college, he completed three major courses of study – philosophy, religion, and psychology. He graduated cum laude, received honors in religion, and earned a bachelor’s degree. After college, Mark worked for two years in computer software development for the trade association industry. He then earned his J.D at the College of William & Mary, where he served as the managing editor for the Law Review and was admitted to the Order of the Coif after graduating in the top five percent of his class.

After law school, Mark served in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia as a law clerk for the Honorable Rebecca Beach Smith. He then began his employment and labor law practice with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he was an associate and of counsel for eight years.

  • Best Lawyers in America®: Litigation – Labor and Employment (2026)
  • Benchmark Litigation – United States: Labor & Employment Star (2021, 2023)
  • Super Lawyer, Southern California, Corporate Counsel
  • Rising Star, Southern California, Corporate Counsel

Top areas of focus

  • Board of Governors, Association of Business Trial Lawyers, Orange County Chapter
  • American Bar Association (Labor and Employment Law Section)
  • California Bar Association
  • Orange County Bar Association (Labor Law Section)

Education

  • William & Mary Law School, J.D., Order of the Coif, 1991
  • University of Mary Washington, B.S., cum laude, 1986

Bar Admissions

  • California

Court Admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Central District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of California