Jessica Garland is a partner with Newmeyer Dillion's Newport Beach office. Born and raised in Southern California, Jessica finds joy in helping employers navigate the "Wild West" of our state's labor and employment laws.  Jessica enjoys being able to apply her collaborative spirit to the practice of law, particularly as it relates to working with business owners, administrative and human resources professionals, and general counsel. She has found that collaboration and creativity go a long way in helping to achieve the best results for her clients.

While Jessica's primary focus is in labor and employment law, her decade of experience in construction law perfectly positions her navigate issues facing business owners in the real estate and construction industries.  She finds great success in the niche areas where construction and employment law intersect.

Labor & Employment Law

Jessica's labor and employment practice consists of both compliance advice and litigation work on behalf of employers.  She serves clients representing a wide range of industries including medical, manufacturing, agricultural, hospitality, fitness, beauty, financial, real estate and construction.  Jessica excels in building trust within each client's leadership team and works closely with human resources professionals and general counsel to counsel them on how to avoid pit-falls or find solutions to issues with employees as they arise. Jessica offers both annual sexual harassment training and also other narrowly tailored trainings for her employer clients to ensure their practices and policies comply with California's requirements.

In her employment litigation practice, Jessica defends employers against numerous types of employment-related claims. Recent representative matters include claims for:

  • discrimination,
  • wrongful termination,
  • harassment,
  • retaliation,
  • unfair competition,
  • wage and hour violations,
  • employee misclassifications, and
  • Cal/OSHA citations.

Construction

Jessica’s practice also includes work in residential and commercial construction. Jessica represents residential developers in complex, multi-party construction disputes. In commercial construction, Jessica is focused on defending general contractors in all aspects of construction litigation including delay claims, mechanic’s lien claims, defect litigation claims, ADA claims, and construction contract disputes.

Awards & Recognition

  • Selected to Super Lawyers Southern California Rising Stars list 2022 - 2023

Professional Affiliations

  • Orange County Bar Association

Charitable & Civic Involvement

  • Project Youth OCBF – Board of Directors; Society of Fellows (2016 – present)

Admissions

  • California, 2015
  • U.S. District Court, Central District of California, 2015

Education

  • University of California, Irvine School of Law (J.D., 2015)
    • University of the Pacific (magna cum laude, B.A., 2011)
      • Dual B.A.