RAYMOND W. THOMAS is a partner in the Labor and Employment Department of Hill, Farrer & Burrill LLP.

Mr. Thomas focuses his practice on all types of wrongful termination and employment discrimination litigation as well as traditional union-related matters, such as union organizing, collective bargaining and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) matters. His principal clients are in the healthcare, entertainment and transportation industries. He has represented employers in numerous federal and state court litigations, handling motions, discovery, jury trials and appeals relating to wrongful discharge, employment discrimination, ERISA, Section 301, Railway Labor Act and wage claims, as well as union security challenges and labor injunction proceedings.

Mr. Thomas has also represented employers in administrative investigations and hearings before numerous federal and state agencies, including the NLRB, EEOC, DFEH, DOL and DLSE. With regard to NLRB proceedings, he has extensive experience in all aspects of Board practice, including R and C cases and judicial review of Board Orders. In addition, Mr. Thomas has represented employers in numerous labor arbitration proceedings involving contract interpretation issues and disciplinary matters, and has acted as spokesperson and legal counsel for employers in collective bargaining negotiations. He has also advised and guided employers through strikes and other labor actions.

Mr. Thomas received his law degree from Yale Law School in 1976, and his bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, in history from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1972. He is admitted to practice in California before the U.S. District Courts for the Central, Northern, Eastern and Southern Districts of California, and before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the Labor and Employment Sections of the State Bar of California, the Los Angeles Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Mr. Thomas is a former instructor of Advanced Labor Law and Industrial Relations at the UCLA Extension – School of Management.