Jason C. Ross

Jason C. Ross: Attorney with Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman LLP

Biography

Jason Ross is a partner in WSHB's San Diego office where his practice focuses on labor and employment. He represents employers of all sizes in a myriad of complex employment matters.

His work includes representing clients in single-plaintiff employee litigation, wage and hour class actions, and Private Attorney General Act (“PAGA) representative actions. Jason represents clients in state and federal court, arbitrations, and administrative proceedings, in addition to counseling clients on employment issues.

Jason also handles complex business litigation disputes involving real estate, business dissolution, unfair competition, breach of contract, and trade secret claims. He has successfully represented clients in appeals in the California Court of Appeal and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

He has secured countless victories for clients, including a reversal of a class certification decision on an interlocutory appeal, resulting in the decertifying of a statewide class of more than 20,000 retail employees in an expansive wage-and-hour case. Jason also obtained a full defense judgment after trial of a PAGA representative action involving wage-and-hour claims of over 20,000 retail employees who had made nine-figure demands.

Jason graduated from Columbia University and earned his law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. He is frequently called upon to present on employment matters at both statewide and national conferences.

Newsroom

News

•California: Court Has Inherent Authority to Strike PAGA Claims as Unmanageable
Case Updates, 10.12.21
•California Votes to Regulate Warehouse Distribution Center Performance Quotas for Nonexempt Employees
Article, 9.21.21

Events, Seminars & Speaking Engagements

•The Hair Game Podcast, Is Your Salon Legal? What You Need to Know About the ABC Rule with Salon Industry Attorney Jason Mr. Ross, January 2019
•Employee Complaint Management Strategies that Keep You Out of Court, ASCA National Conference, Boston MA, April 2018
•Intake and Investigation: Effectively Handling Employee Complaints, ASCA National Conference, Orlando, FL, May 2015
•Medical Leave, San Diego Employers Association Roundtable, October 2014
•Effective Employee Complaint Intake and Investigation, National Conference for ASD Management, Inc., Dana Point, CA, October 2014
•Accommodation & Leave, CASA Statewide Conference, San Diego, CA, September 2014
•Waging the Wage-and-Hour Battle: Preventing Costly Lawsuits, ASCA National Conference, Nashville, TN, May 2014
•California Employment Law and Credentialing: Maximize Your Knowledge, Minimize Your Risk, California Ambulatory Surgery Center Statewide Conference, La Quinta, CA, September 2013
•The Five Tenets of Highly Effective Employee Risk Management: Using Progressive Discipline to Avoid Employee Litigation, American Surgery Center Association National Conference, Boston, MA, April 2013

Publications

•New California Employment Laws Impacting Employers in 2025: Navigating Opportunities and Challenges
Article, 1.6.25
•Court Declares Arbitration Agreement Unconscionable, Denies Employer's Motion to Compel Arbitration in Employment Law Case
Case Updates, 8.26.24
•California PAGA Reforms: What You Need to Know
Article, 6.21.24
•Unraveling the Complexity: Addressing the Hurdles of Unmanageable PAGA Claims in California
1.30.24

Community Activities

•Downtown YMCA, Board of Directors - 2011-2012
•LEAD San Diego, Impact Program - 2015 Graduate

In the News

•New California Employment Laws Impacting Employers in 2025: Navigating Opportunities and Challenges
•Court Declares Arbitration Agreement Unconscionable, Denies Employer's Motion to Compel Arbitration in Employment Law Case
•California PAGA Reforms: What You Need to Know
•Unraveling the Complexity: Addressing the Hurdles of Unmanageable PAGA Claims in California

Honors & Recognitions

•Selected as one of the Best Lawyers in America for Litigation - Labor and Employment in San Diego, CA (2025 - 2026)
•Super Lawyers Rising Star (2015 - 2017)
•San Diego Daily Transcript’s “Young Attorneys” Award (2011)
•Nominee, San Diego Daily Transcript’s Young Attorneys Award (2009 - 2015)
•Semi-Finalist, San Diego Daily Transcript’s Top Attorneys, Labor / Employment (2015)

See more ›

Areas of Practice (2)

  • Commercial and Business Litigation
  • Employment

Education & Credentials

University Attended:
Columbia University, B.A., 2002
Law School Attended:
University of San Diego School of Law, J.D., 2007
Year of First Admission:
2007
Admission:
2007, California; U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of California; U.S. District Court, Northern District of California; U.S. District Court, Central District of California; U.S. District Court, Southern District of California; U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California; United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Memberships:

Memberships

State Bar of California

San Diego County Bar Association

American Inns of Court, William B. Enright Chapter, Barrister - 2008-2017

Reported Cases:
Experience: Secured published opinion in U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, in favor of national retail client upholding district court denial of class certification in large class action (Davidson v. O'Reilly Auto Enterprises, LLC(9th Cir. 2020) 968 F.3d 955); Won motion to strike class allegations for national healthcare organization in putative class action seeking seven-figure recovery and defended on appeal to California Court of Appeal (Carroll v. ALSC(Feb. 25, 2014) 2014 Cal. Unpub. LEXIS 1377); Helped obtain favorable published decision establishing new law in military discrimination case (Haligowski v. Sup.Ct. (2011) 200 Cal.App.4th 983); Secured summary judgment in federal court on 14,000+ employee PAGA representative action for large national retailer after also defeating class certification as to 21,000+ employees; Negotiated full, voluntary walk-away dismissal of putative nationwide wage-and-hour class action for retail client two months into federal case with minimal litigation cost to client; Procured multi-million-dollar settlement as part of two-attorney team in a complex real property case against large national bank; Won motion to strike class allegations for national healthcare organization in putative class action seeking seven-figure recovery and defended on appeal to California Court of Appeal (Carroll v. ALSC (Feb. 25, 2014) 2014 Cal. Unpub. LEXIS 1377); Settled employment matter in mid-five-figures at mediation following opening demand of over $1.5 million for a national employer, work that was recognized by the company's general counsel as 'some of the best legal work he's seen in his 25+ years of practice; Obtained full summary judgment for retail client in federal consolidated case brought by former district manager alleging 17 claims, and negotiated walk-away settlement before appellate briefing; Arbitrability of PAGA Cases Before US Supreme Court; 1.7.22
ISLN:
919739763

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www.wshblaw.com/attorney/jason-c-ross

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