Tanner is an associate in the Labor & Employment Group. Tanner’s practice focuses on litigating and advising clients on employment related matters in the transportation, food and beverage, and health care industries, with an emphasis on wage and hour litigation. Tanner routinely defends employers in class and collective actions, as well as PAGA representative actions, concerning issues such as failure to pay wages, meal and rest periods, waiting time penalties, wage statements, and the implementation of productivity quotas, among others.
Tanner’s practice also includes defending employers in single plaintiff matters, as well as state and federal agency charges, involving issues related to sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, accommodation of disabilities, and wrongful termination.
Tanner has considerable experience representing employers in state and federal courts, as well as at the appellate level. Tanner has achieved successful outcomes in reversing trial court decisions on appeal, as well as arguing and briefing dispositive motions, including motions to compel arbitration and motions for summary judgment. Tanner also routinely engages in advice and counsel work, including internal investigations, presenting managerial trainings on best employment practices, and advising clients on issues related to leaves of absence. Tanner is also a member of the Recruiting Committee for the Los Angeles office.
Prior to joining Reed Smith, he worked as a law clerk for a personal injury law firm. While in law school, Tanner served as an extern to the Honorable Sandra S. Ikuta of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Tanner also participated in Pepperdine’s Ninth Circuit Appellate Advocacy Clinic, where he co-authored two appellate briefs for the Ninth Circuit and successfully achieved a positive settlement for a pro-bono client claiming violations of his constitutional rights. Tanner also served as a note and comment editor for Pepperdine Law Review.
