Profile
Timothy Long, Co-Managing Shareholder of the Sacramento office, has deep experience litigating complex labor and employment issues, having served as lead counsel in multiple class, collective, and representative actions and advising on dozens more. Tim splits his time between GT’s Los Angeles and Sacramento offices, and is Practice Group Leader of the Sacramento office’s Labor & Employment Practice. Tim’s clients have included a variety of financial institutions and entities, health care-related entities, airlines, retailers, high-tech companies, and transportation and logistics companies. Tim also advises private investment funds and their partners in disputes concerning the management of funds, removal of non-performing members, and disputes involving portfolio companies.
Tim has litigated virtually every wage-and-hour issue there is, including exemption, incentive compensation, independent contractor, off-the-clock, meal and rest, pay practice, and PAGA claims. He also has defeated class and collective certification (including at Stage One) in exemption, off-the-clock, and pay practice cases, and has defeated PAGA claims short of trial. Tim has also litigated a wide variety of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims, as well as wrongful termination, defamation, Anti-SLAPP, fraud, emotional distress, breach of contract, and other employment-related claims. Tim has both prosecuted and defended employers in trade secret and unfair business practices litigation. He has also resisted competitor efforts to enjoin the lawful practices of his clients.
Tim advises businesses on employment litigation and other types of claims. He litigates employment discrimination and wrongful termination claims, as well as matters involving trade secrets. Tim provides counsel on many corporate matters and often advises entertainment industry employers on emerging issues.
While Tim prides himself on helping clients avoid litigation in the first instance, if a matter proceeds to trial, Tim has the courtroom experience necessary to protect a client’s interests. Indeed, Tim is one of the few lawyers to have tried a class action to verdict, achieving a complete defense verdict, which he protected on appeal. Tim has appeared in numerous trial courts throughout and outside of California and is admitted to practice in multiple jurisdictions. Tim has also argued before several California Courts of Appeal, the California Supreme Court, the Washington State Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, and has taken a case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Tim also represents employers before state and federal administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the California Department of Fair Employment & Housing (DFEH), Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE), and Employment Development Department (EDD). He also conducts workplace investigations and audits.
Tim has been invited to speak at and/or chair a number of conferences and programs covering a wide variety of employment law issues. Tim also writes frequently on topics of most interest to employers, as well as other employment law practitioners. For example, for more than 20 years, Tim has edited and contributed to PLI’s Employment Law Yearbook, the only treatise updated annually that focuses on employment law issues of most concern to employment law practitioners. He is also served on the Board of Editors of the two most prestigious wage hour treatises; The Fair Labor Standards Act (Fourth Edition), and Wage And Hour Laws: A State-by-State Survey both published by Bloomberg Law through the ABA, Federal Labor Standards Legislation Committee, ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law, in which Tim is also active.
Concentrations
- Complex employment litigation
- Class, collective, and representative actions
- Wage-and-hour litigation
- Employment discrimination and wrongful termination claims
- Workplace investigations and audits
- Trade secret and unfair business practices litigation
- Labor law and labor relations
Capabilities
Experience
- Has handled dozens of wage-and-hour class, collective, and representative actions involving a myriad of wage-and-hour claims. Most recently, Mr. Long defeated class certification in a wage-and-hour case, in which plaintiffs alleged off-the-clock, meal and rest break claims against a major health insurer.
- Has argued a number of cases before various California Courts of Appeal, the California Supreme Court, the Washington State Supreme Court, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Tried to verdict an employment class action, obtaining a complete defense verdict on behalf of a major retailer in a matter in which the potential exposure exceeded $40 million. He went on to protect the verdict on appeal.°
- Obtained broad, multijurisdictional injunctions against former employees who have misappropriated client trade secrets.°
- Negotiated numerous collective bargaining agreements on behalf of agricultural processing, energy, health care, manufacturing, transportation, and warehouse employers.°
°The above representations were handled by Mr. Long prior to his joining Greenberg Traurig, LLP.
- Instructor, Advanced Orientation in U.S.A. Law - Trial Tactics and Strategies, University of California Davis School of Law, 1997 and 2000
- Instructor, Intensive Trial Advocacy Program, University of San Francisco School of Law, 1995-1996 and 1998
Recognition & Leadership
- Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, 2022-2025
- Listed, "Lawyer of the Year," Employment Law - Management, Sacramento, 2025
- Litigation - Labor and Employment, 2022-2025
- Employment Law - Management, 2023-2025
- Listed, Chambers USA Guide, Labor & Employment, 2021-2024
- Listed, Benchmark Litigation, "Labor & Employment Star," 2022-2024
- Listed, Lawdragon, 500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers, 2024-2025
- Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, "Northern California Super Lawyers," 2004, 2008, 2010-2019, and 2022-2024
- Selected, Daily Journal, “Top Labor & Employment Lawyers in California,” 2013-2014 and 2021-2022
- Listed, The Legal 500 United States, Labor and Employment - Labor and Employment Disputes (Including Collective Actions): Defense, 2020-2021
- Listed, Sacramento Magazine, “Top Lawyer,” 2018, 2021
- Class Action/Mass Torts, 2021
- Employment & Labor, 2018, 2020, 2021
- Finalist, Los Angeles Business Journal, "Leaders in Law, Firm Attorney of the Year," 2018-2019
- Recognized, Legal Services of Northern California, “Special Pro Bono Service Award,” 2002 and 2015
- Selected, The Recorder, “Leading Employment Lawyer,” 2012
- Fellow, College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
- Advisor, Legal Services of Northern California
- Member, The College of Labor & Employment Lawyers, 2014-Present
- Panel Member, Voluntary Dispute Resolution Program (VDRP), U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, 2009-Present
- Member, The American Bar Association
- Member, Litigation and Employment Law Section
- Chair, Fair Labor Standards Legislation Subcommittee – State Laws, 2017-2023
- Member, Litigation and Employment Law Section
- Member, California State Bar
- Member, Litigation and Employment Law Section
- Member, Sacramento County Bar Association
- Member, Litigation and Employment Law Section
- Member, District of Columbia Bar Association
- Member, Washington State Bar Association
Credentials
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J.D., with great distinction, University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law
- Order of the Coif
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B.A., Stanford University
- Certificate, Francais Commercial et Economique, Institut Catholique, Paris, France, 1982
- California
- Washington
- District of Columbia