SAN DIEGO, CA – WTK Partner Meryl C. Maneker will present as a panelist during the Thomas Jefferson School of Law’s Annual Women and the Law Conference, Her Place at the Bargaining Table: Gender, Negotiation and “Risky” Decision-Making. The panel, comprised of four female partners/owners in varied practices, will address “Her Place at the Bargaining Table- The View from the Legal Profession”. The panel will be moderated by expert Professor Ellen Waldman of Thomas Jefferson School of Law. Panelists include: 

• Nadia P. Bermudez, Shareholder, Klinedinst
• Meryl Maneker, Partner, Wilson Turner Kosmo
• Heather Riley, Partner, Allen Matkins
• Susan Swan, Owner, Swan Employment Law 

The conference will be held Friday, February 9, 2018 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, CA. 

This conference brings together leading experts and practitioners to focus exclusively on issues related to gender and the law to address the issue of women at the bargaining table. How does gender affect the way we approach and manage negotiations in a variety of settings?

Explorations into the enduring wage gap between men and women prompt us to examine this important topic. Despite advances, women on average continue to earn roughly 80 cents for each male dollar earned. In 1960, women earned approximately 64 cents for each male dollar and experts estimate that the gap will likely not close for at least another 40 years…longer for Latina or African American women. What accounts for this gap? Is it explicit sexism, implicit bias, male and female divergent life choices? 

Negotiation experts maintain that women’s antipathy to negotiation and risk-taking provides a partial explanation. This year’s topic explores women and decision-making, with particular attention paid to the art and science of bargaining for advantage. 

Ms. Maneker is a partner at WTK where her practice is concentrated on the defense of class actions, primarily in the fields of employment and consumer protection.  Ms. Maneker has represented large and small employers from a broad spectrum of industries in a wide range of wage and hour class actions in state and federal courts, including those alleging misclassification, lack of expense reimbursement, improper piece rate pay plans, failure to provide meal breaks and/or rest periods, lack of suitable seats, and off the clock work.  In addition to class actions, Ms. Maneker has defended employers in representative actions brought under California’s Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 (“PAGA”) and collective actions brought under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”).

In the consumer protection context, Ms. Maneker has defended numerous claims brought under California’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act (“CLRA”) and the state’s Unfair Competition Law, Business & Professions Code section 17200, including cases that have challenged the use of the term “All Natural” on food product labels and representations regarding the performance of homeopathic remedies.   In addition, Ms. Maneker has defended manufacturers against claims of improper designation of products as “Made in the USA” and retailers against claims of improper collection of sales tax and the inclusion of unlawful terms on gift cards.   Ms. Maneker also has extensive experience defending corporations against claims brought under the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”), including cases alleging use of artificial or prerecorded voice messages and automated telephone dialing systems and calls to numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry.

Ms. Maneker received her A.B. in history from Brown University and her J.D., cum laude, from New York University School of Law.  She has been named a San Diego Super Lawyer for class action practice in 2013 -2016. She was chosen for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2018 in the area of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions- Defendants.  Ms. Maneker is also an active member of the San Diego legal community and has served as president of the San Diego Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, on the Board of Directors of Lawyers Club of San Diego, and as co-chair of the Lawyer Representative Committee to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. 

Firm Profile 

Wilson Turner Kosmo is the largest certified women-owned law firm in San Diego, and one of the largest in California. Founded in 1991, our firm represents the litigation and counseling needs of companies on a local, statewide and national level.
We are committed to providing value to our clients as trusted advisers and legal counsel and contributing to our clients’ success through superior legal services that combine the highest levels of excellence, integrity and professionalism with cost-efficiency and a clear understanding of our clients’ business goals.

We are committed to making our workplace an inclusive community that values our diversity, our professional development, as well as leadership in and service to the legal profession and the communities in which we live.

We are committed to supporting an environment that emphasizes team work, professionalism, respect and a focus on superior service.

Our attorneys have extensive experience as lead counsel in jury and bench trials in state and federal courts, as well as in arbitrations and mediations. We routinely provide representation in complex and class actions and mass tort litigation. Our firm is AV-rated in Martindale-Hubbell’s Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers and was recognized by Corporate Counsel magazine in 2018 as one of the “Go-To” law firms for Fortune 100 companies.