Marja-Liisa Overbeck is a litigator in the San Francisco office of Munger, Tolles & Olson. Her practice focuses on complex commercial and employment litigation, including class and collective actions and trade secret litigation.
Ms. Overbeck has experience defending employers in putative national and state collective and class actions for claims brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the California Labor Code, and the Fair Employment and Housing Act.
Ms. Overbeck has experience representing employers in the full-range of wage and hour claims, including misclassification claims, “off the clock” claims, meal and rest period violations, and reimbursement of business expenses. As part of these representations, Ms. Overbeck advises clients in a broad range of statutory and common law employment-related disputes, including matters involving wrongful termination, breach of employment agreements, sexual harassment, discrimination and matters brought pursuant to California’s Private Attorney General Act.
In addition, Ms. Overbeck provides day-to-day counseling for a wide variety of clients across numerous industries in connection with employee hiring, discipline and termination, leaves of absence, and compliance with wage and hour laws. Ms. Overbeck has extensive experience reviewing and auditing internal company policies to ensure compliance with federal and California law.
As part of her counseling practice, Ms. Overbeck also has conducted numerous internal investigations, including confidential investigations related to alleged employee misconduct. She has significant experience interviewing employees as part of large-scale factual investigations.
Ms. Overbeck also has experience as a general civil litigator and has represented a large technology sector company in patent infringement matters; a gaming company in trade secret and misappropriation claims; and a national outdoor advertising company in litigation involving statutory penalties and due process claims.
Key Representations:
- A government contractor in obtaining a complete defense victory against a certified class of 7,000 truck drivers alleging breach-of-contract claims after a nearly three-month arbitration hearing.The Daily Journal recognized that result as a Top Verdict of 2015.
- A major financial services institution in securing a summary judgment ruling and denial of collective action certification in a case alleging the misclassification of financial advisors.
- Corinthian Colleges, Inc. and its officers and directors in securities class action and derivative litigation.
- A national advertising company in litigation involving statutory and due process claims.
Before joining Munger Tolles, Ms. Overbeck served as the sole law clerk to the Honorable Bernard Zimmerman of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California during the 2008-2009 and 2011-2012 terms. In 2012, Ms. Overbeck was also a law clerk to the Honorable William Alsup of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Ms. Overbeck worked previously as a civil and employment litigator in the San Francisco office of Winston & Strawn LLP.
Ms. Overbeck graduated second in her class from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. While a student at UC Hastings, Ms. Overbeck was a member of the Hastings International and Comparative Law Review, as well as the Jessup International Moot Court Team, where she received awards and recognition for both her oral and written advocacy. Ms. Overbeck graduated magna cum laude from Middlebury College with a B.A. in International Politics and Economics, where she also received departmental high honors for her thesis work on international constabulary forces.
For the past six years, Ms. Overbeck has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where she teaches advanced legal writing and oral advocacy to second-year law students. Ms. Overbeck is also a Visiting Professor at Middlebury College. There, she teaches an undergraduate course on persuasive advocacy and logic. Ms. Overbeck also serves as an alumna coach to the UC Hastings Jessup International Moot Court Team.
Ms. Overbeck remains active in the San Francisco legal community by serving on the board of directors of Equal Rights Advocates, and as a member of the Steering Committee for Legal Services for Children.
Education:
- UC Hastings College of the Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 2008)
- Middlebury College (B.A., magna cum laude, 2005)
Bar Admissions : California
Cost
Rate : $$$