Resume

Laurie DeYoung is a seasoned employment and commercial neutral with more than 35 years of litigation experience handling high-stakes disputes throughout California. Over the course of her career, she has helped resolve hundreds of employment, commercial, and workplace-related disputes involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, whistleblower claims, wage and hour issues, executive contracts, and emotionally charged workplace conflicts.

A longtime labor and employment defense attorney, Laurie is known for her ability to accurately assess case value early, identify practical paths to resolution, and facilitate candid negotiations that move difficult cases toward settlement. Clients and opposing counsel alike value her direct communication style, credibility, and pragmatic approach to resolving disputes efficiently and realistically. Throughout her career, she has saved clients millions of dollars in litigation costs and exposure by developing streamlined litigation and resolution strategies designed to preserve flexibility while positioning matters for early settlement whenever possible.

Laurie most recently served as Of Counsel at Jackson Lewis P.C., where she managed more than 60 active employment matters spanning litigation, arbitration, administrative proceedings, and pre-litigation disputes. Her former litigation practice gives her insight into how judges, arbitrators, plaintiffs, employers, insurers, and counsel evaluate risk in today’s employment litigation environment.

Prior to joining Jackson Lewis, Laurie served as Senior Partner at Gordon & Rees Scully Mansukhani, where she led and managed a labor and employment litigation team of more than 30 attorneys. In that role, she directed litigation strategy from intake through resolution, conducted early neutral evaluations, prepared matters for mediation, and resolved hundreds of disputes through negotiated settlement and mediation. Her reputation for professionalism, integrity, and candid communication helped establish strong credibility with opposing counsel across the employment bar.

Laurie also co-founded Davis DeYoung LLP, a boutique litigation firm focused on labor and employment litigation, executive contract disputes, and commercial litigation. Earlier in her career, she practiced at firms including Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, Fonda & Hilberman, and Bonne, Bridges, Mueller, O’Keefe & Nichols.

Laurie’s path to becoming a mediator was shaped by decades spent negotiating and resolving complex disputes. After transitioning into employment litigation, she participated in mediations as often as five times per week for nearly fifteen years, gaining extraordinary exposure to the strategies, dynamics, and psychology that drive successful settlements. Under the mentorship of a highly respected litigator and mediator, she developed a deep interest in negotiation, studying not only legal advocacy and case valuation, but also the human factors that influence decision-making and resolution.

As her experience evolved, Laurie learned to view disputes from multiple perspectives simultaneously—including those of the parties, counsel, and mediator. She came to recognize that parties who appear far apart are often motivated by similar underlying concerns, whether those involve certainty, financial security, accountability, reputation, or closure. That understanding informs her mediation style today, helping parties move beyond positions and toward practical, durable resolutions.

Laurie brings especially strong experience in workplace disputes involving reputational concerns, executive employees, sensitive personnel allegations, and high-profile parties. Her practice has included representation in coordinated clergy abuse litigation, public figure disputes involving entertainment and political figures, complex wage and hour matters, executive contract disputes, and high-exposure harassment and retaliation claims.

Laurie believes effective dispute resolution requires both strategic analysis and practical realism. She remains actively involved in post-mediation follow-up efforts and continues working with parties after mediation sessions conclude when necessary to help bridge remaining gaps and achieve final resolution.

Employment Litigation & Workplace Disputes

• Wrongful Termination & Constructive Termination
• Workplace Discrimination (Race, Gender, Age, Religion, National Origin)
• Sexual Harassment & Workplace Harassment
• Retaliation & Whistleblower Claims
• Disability Accommodation & Interactive Process Disputes
• State and Federal Protected Leave Claims (CFRA, FMLA, PDL)
• Wage and Hour Disputes (Class Actions & Individual Claims)
• Executive Employment Agreements & Contract Disputes
• Workplace Investigations

Commercial & Complex Civil Litigation

• Commercial Litigation & Business Disputes
• Public Figure & Entertainment Industry Disputes
• Political Figure Litigation
• Attorney Fee Disputes
• Coordinated & Complex Multi-Party Litigation

Attorneys select Laurie DeYoung for her:

• More than 35 years of California litigation experience
• Extensive labor and employment litigation background
• Experience managing 60+ active employment matters
• Leadership of a 30+ attorney employment litigation team
• Strong defense-side risk assessment perspective
• Ability to accurately evaluate settlement value early
• Extensive experience resolving high-conflict disputes
• Direct and candid communication style
• Credibility with both plaintiffs’ and defense counsel
• Persistent post-mediation follow-up efforts
• Ability to navigate emotionally charged workplace disputes
• Practical understanding of litigation economics and business realities

Laurie approaches mediation with the belief that every case can resolve under the right circumstances and with the right strategy. She tailors her approach to the needs of the parties, recognizing that some litigants need the opportunity to feel heard while others require direct and candid analysis of litigation risk and settlement dynamics.

She believes successful mediation requires flexibility, preparation, persistence, and credibility. Laurie works to identify practical areas of alignment between parties, maintain productive negotiations, and continue settlement efforts beyond the mediation session whenever necessary.

Jackson Lewis P.C.
Of Counsel | 2023 – 2026

Gordon & Rees Scully Mansukhani
Senior Partner | 2017 – 2023

Lindahl Beck LLP
Senior Attorney | 2015 – 2016

Independent Contract Attorney
Employment & Commercial Litigation | 2010 – 2015

Davis DeYoung LLP
Founding Partner | 2005 – 2010

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP
Senior Associate | 2003 – 2005

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
Senior Associate | 2001 – 2003

Fonda & Hilberman
Senior Associate | 1994 – 2001

Bonne, Bridges, Mueller, O’Keefe & Nichols
Associate | 1991 – 1994

Pepperdine University School of Law
J.D., cum laude

New York University
B.A.

What types of employment cases does Laurie DeYoung mediate?
Laurie DeYoung mediates a wide range of employment disputes in Los Angeles and throughout California, including wrongful termination, constructive termination, workplace discrimination, sexual harassment, hostile work environment claims, retaliation, whistleblower claims, disability accommodation and interactive process disputes, CFRA/FMLA protected leave claims, wage and hour matters, executive employment agreements, and workplace investigations. She also handles emotionally charged disputes involving senior executives, public figures, and high-profile parties.

What is Laurie DeYoung’s mediation style?
Laurie is known for being direct, pragmatic, and settlement-focused. She adapts her approach to the dynamics and personalities of each case—providing candid case evaluation and litigation risk analysis for parties who need clear-eyed perspective, while also creating space for parties who need to feel heard before they can move toward resolution. She remains actively involved in post-mediation follow-up efforts, often continuing to work with counsel after the session to close remaining gaps.

Does Laurie DeYoung handle emotionally charged workplace disputes?
Yes. Laurie has extensive experience mediating high-conflict, emotionally sensitive workplace disputes, including sexual harassment allegations, executive-level disputes, retaliation and whistleblower matters, disability accommodation conflicts, and cases involving reputational concerns or high-profile parties. Her background as a defense attorney gives her credibility with both plaintiff and defense counsel in navigating these complex dynamics.

Where does Laurie DeYoung offer mediation services?
Laurie DeYoung is based in Los Angeles and serves clients throughout Los Angeles County and across California. She mediates employment and commercial disputes in person and via video conference.

How does Laurie DeYoung’s litigation background benefit parties in mediation?
With more than 35 years of California employment litigation experience—including managing 60+ active employment matters and leading a 30+ attorney litigation team—Laurie brings a ground-level understanding of how judges, arbitrators, plaintiff attorneys, employers, and insurance carriers evaluate litigation risk. This allows her to provide realistic, credible case assessments that help parties make informed settlement decisions and avoid unnecessary litigation costs.