Jennifer M. Holly

Jennifer M. Holly is the Co-Managing Partner of the firm's Sacramento and Fresno offices, covering greater Sacramento and the Valley. She is an experienced litigator and counselor, providing clients with solutions in all aspects of employment relations, including litigation, preventative counseling, and guidance.

Jennifer represents employers in employment and traditional labor law matters, including discrimination and sexual harassment, wrongful discharge, retaliation, workers’ compensation, trade secrets, unfair competition, and wage and hour violations. Jennifer has experience defending companies in both class actions and single plaintiff cases. She also has experience representing clients in the health care, construction, trucking, retail, hospitality, education, medical, and gig economy and technology industries. Jennifer regularly represents employers in state, federal, and administrative courts including before the California Labor Commissioner, Department of Fair Employment and Housing, and the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board.

Jennifer’s traditional labor relations experience includes collective bargaining, representation proceedings, and representing employers in arbitrations. She also represents clients in unfair labor practice proceedings. Jennifer provides clients with legal and practical advice on a wide spectrum of labor relations issues including lawful responses to union organizing campaigns.

In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys hiking and camping with her Girl Scouts troop, sailing in the San Francisco Bay, and gardening. 

Admissions

• California

Memberships

• State Bar of California (Labor and Employment Law Section)
• Sacramento County Bar (Labor and Employment Law Section)
• San Francisco County Bar (Labor and Employment Law Section)
• Santa Clara County Bar Association

Community Involvement

• Girl Scouts – Heart of Central California – Leader (2020-present)
• Board of Directors, Crossroads Diversified Services (2015-2019)

Representative Experience

• Successfully opposed a motion for class certification for a restaurant client in California District Court.
• Won summary judgment in Sacramento Superior Court on behalf of a logistics company in a single plaintiff employment matter with twelve causes of action.
• Obtained injunctive relief against use of trade secrets, including a restrictive covenant against soliciting client’s customers for a period of time (published at Pyro Spectaculars North, Inc. v. Souza, 861 F. Supp. 2d 1079 (E.D. Cal. 2012)).

Publications

• “Employer’s Alert: New Supplemental Paid Sick Leave Requirements on the State and Federal Front,” Management Alert, March 2021
• "California Supreme Court Decision in Vazquez v. Jan-Pro Franchising International, Inc. Heightens Legal Risk for Companies That Classify Workers as Independent Contractors,” Management Alert, January 21, 2021
• “Is It 2021 Yet? Not Quite, But New 2021 California Laws Are Here!.” Management Alert, October 6, 2020
• “California’s Crowning Achievement: California Becomes First State to Ban Natural Hairstyle Based Discrimination,” Management Alert, August 7, 2019
• “Use it or Lose it! Supreme Court Holds Employers Risk Waiving Failure to Exhaust Administrative Remedies Defense When Not Timely Pled,” Management Alert, June 13, 2019
• “Big Win for the Healthcare Industry on Meal Break Waivers as the California Supreme Court Resolves an Apparent Conflict in the Labor Code and IWC Wage Order,” Employment Law and Litigation Blog, December 18, 2018
• “Employee Email and Social Media: What Is Protected Concerted Activity under the Law?” American Bar Association, December 3, 2018
• “Third Time’s a Charm? The Republican Majority NLRN Is Re-examining Section 7 and Company Email,” Employment Law and Litigation Blog, August 16, 2018
• “NLRB Finds Restaurant Wrongly Terminated Employees for ‘Profane’ Emails,” Employment Law and Litigation Blog, April 2018
• “Second Circuit Holds NLRB Did Not Err in its Finding that Facebook Posting that Supervisor Is a ‘Nasty Mother F**cker’ and ‘F*** His Mother’ Was Protected Concerted Activity,” Management Alert, May 2017
• “Court of Appeal Upholds LAPD Recruits’ Failure to Accommodate Claim,” One Minute Memo, February 2017
• “Gig Economy Threatened by Proposed Legislation for Collective Bargaining Rights,” Management Alert, March 2016

Presentations

• Reasonable Accommodations: Your Obligations, Los Angeles, October 2023
• Pay Transparency, What It Is and How to Prepare, Sacramento, August 2023
• Employment Hot Topics in these Turbulent Times, Sacramento, March 2022
• Employment Law Breakfast Briefing, San Francisco, December 2020
• California Workplace Investigation Training, San Francisco, November 2020
• Employment Law Breakfast Briefing, San Francisco, January 2020
• Workplace Investigation Training, Dallas, Texas, February 2020
• Labor University: Labor Law For HR Professionals, Employment Lawyers and Legal Generalists: What You Need To Know, San Francisco, November 2016
• Lecturer, various seminars for employees and attorneys, University of California, Hastings College of the Law
   

Education

J.D., University of California, Hastings College of the Law, 2008

• Hastings Law Journal, Comments & Symposium Editor, 2006-2008
• Attended Université Paris X – Nanterre, Paris, France, Fall 2007
• Employment and Labor Law Association
• Employment Law Practicum Teaching Assistant

B.A., magna cum laude, Santa Clara University, Spanish, French and Italian Languages and Literatures, 2002

• Phi Beta Kappa
• Phi Sigma Iota
• SCU Italy Program, 2001
• SCU Paris Program, 2000

Honors

Best Lawyers in America® distinction in Employment Law - Management (2025), Litigation – Labor and Employment (2025)

Northern California Super Lawyers – 2021

Northern California Super Lawyers – Rising Stars – 2018-2019

Top Attorneys: Northern California’s Outstanding Young Lawyers, San Francisco Magazine, 2018-2019

• French
• Spanish