LOS ANGELES- Liebert Cassidy Whitmore (LCW) is pleased to announce that attorneys Megan Atkinson, Amy Brandt, Alysha Stein-Manes, Emanuela Tala and Alexander Volberding have been named to the 2025 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America list. Atkinson was recognized for her outstanding work in Labor and Employment Law – Management, Brandt for her excellence in Litigation – Labor and Employment, Stein-Manes for her expertise in Education Law, Municipal Law, and Litigation – Labor and Employment, Tala for her exceptional performance in Municipal Law, and Volberding for his prowess in Labor and Employment Law – Management. This recognition marks Atkinson and Stein-Manes’ fifth, Brandt’s third, and Tala and Volberding’s second consecutive year receiving this distinction.
Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers recognitions are compiled based on an exhaustive Purely Peer Review® evaluation. More than 184,000 industry leading lawyers are eligible to vote (from around the world), and we have received more than 25.8 million evaluations on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas around the world.
For the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, more than 4 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in more than 27,000 lawyers honored in the new edition.
Liebert Cassidy Whitmore congratulates Megan, Amy, Alysha, Emanuela, and Alex on this well-deserved honor!
About Megan Atkinson
Senior Counsel Megan Atkinson represents public entities in labor and employment litigation matters, regularly defending against claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. She litigates in both state and federal court and has experience from pre-litigation through trial. Megan focuses her practice on public safety employment issues, including the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act and the Firefighters Procedural Bill of Rights Act. She regularly assists clients throughout the disciplinary process, from the initiation of an investigation through termination.
About Amy Brandt
Partner Amy Brandt provides advice and counsel to clients in all matters pertaining to education, labor, and employment law. She works closely with community college and school district boards and administrators on various issues such as investigations, employee discipline, civil rights issues, student discipline, leaves, community partnerships, layoffs and workforce reductions. Amy also serves as lead negotiator for clients at the bargaining table. She has experience drafting and reviewing CBAs and MOUs, as well as managing bargaining unit grievances, including responses, mediations, arbitrations, and settlements.
Amy is passionate about special education and supports schools in these matters, including advising and representing districts at IEP meetings, assessment and eligibility issues, manifestation determinations, and in due process hearings. Additionally, Amy is on the board of the California Council of School Attorneys.
About Alysha Stein-Manes
Partner Alysha Stein-Manes primarily represents Liebert Cassidy Whitmore’s educational institution clients in a range of employment, labor, and student matters, regularly working with governing boards on conducting CEO evaluations and contract negotiations, as well as advising and training boards on ethics, Brown Act, and other governance issues. In addition to her renowned counsel, Alysha also works as a litigator, representing public agencies and nonprofit educational institutions at all levels of the litigation process in state and federal court.
Alysha is also a leader in the retirement and health arenas, providing counsel to LCW’s clients about the Affordable Care Act and disability interactive process, and to LCW’s public agency clients in the areas of the post-retirement work restrictions, PEPRA compliance, and reporting employee compensation to CalSTRS and CalPERS. Alysha serves on the Executive Committees for LCW’s Public Education Practice Group and Retirement, Benefits, and Disability Practice Group.
About I. Emanuela Tala
Associate Emanuela Tala provides representation and legal counsel to clients in matters pertaining to employment law and litigation. She has defended employers in litigation claims for discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour and other employment claims. Emanuela has successfully argued dispositive motions, including motions for summary judgment.
About Alexander Volberding
Partner Alex Volberding has spent much of his career working for and on behalf of public agencies in matters pertaining to labor law and labor relations. Alex is well-versed in bargaining strategy and tactics and negotiates collective bargaining agreements on behalf of public agency clients. When he is not bargaining, Alex advises and counsels public agency clients on a wide range of labor relations matters from meet and confer obligations to factfindings to employee strikes. Alex regularly appears at and advocates for clients in administrative proceedings and in arbitrations.
As a leader in the firm’s workplace health and safety practice, Volberding led a team of attorneys that developed resources and training materials that have helped hundreds of firm clients come into compliance with new obligations related to the prevention of workplace violence. Volberding and his team have provided assistance to some of the largest public employers in the state and trained tens of thousands of employees on their employer’s plan to prevent workplace violence. Alex also serves a lead role in the firm’s workplace health and safety work on the firm’s COVID-19 Strike Team. Alex monitors federal and state laws and public health guidance, develops policies and practices that comply with relevant law, advises and counsels clients on such matters, and defends clients against alleged statutory and regulatory violations.
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With offices throughout California, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore is a full service employment and labor relations law firm. Our legal experts provide client focused services in litigation, labor relations, negotiations, employment, business, and construction. LCW delivers vital web-based and live training to clients, proactively helping them avoid problems. Leveraging decades of expertise, we conduct impartial workplace investigations for California’s private sector employers. Visit www.lcwlegal.com for more information.
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Cynthia Weldon
Director of Marketing & Training
310.981.2055
cweldon@lcwlegal.com