November 17, 2021

Michelle H. Le Joins Payne & Fears

Michelle Le has joined Payne & Fears LLP as an associate attorney based in the firm’s Irvine office. 

Michelle attended the University of California, Los Angeles, for both her undergraduate and law school education. During law school, she earned the UCLA School of Law Faculty Scholarship Award and the UCLA School of Law Graduate Opportunity Fellowship. Michelle worked as an extern for the Honorable Margaret M. Morrow of the United States District Court, Central District Court of California. She served as Managing Editor of the Asian Pacific American Law Journal and President of the Asian Pacific Islander Law Students Association. After law school, Michelle was awarded an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Legal Fellowship.

Michelle has a wide range of experience in business, employment, and insurance litigation in both state and federal courts. Her practice concentrates on single-plaintiff lawsuits and class action matters involving discrimination, wrongful termination, wage-and-hour, retaliation, misclassification, sexual harassment, and Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) claims, among others.

Before joining Payne & Fears, Michelle handled an extensive variety of matters on behalf of corporate, insurance, and individual clients, while working as an associate at a reputable civil defense firm founded in Southern California. Earlier in her legal career, Michelle gained a diverse background of experience in plaintiff-side civil rights and employment law matters involving police misconduct, discrimination, wrongful termination, wage-and-hour disputes, sexual harassment, and complex litigation class actions, among other issues. She has worked with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, private sector law firms, and other public sector entities. Clients appreciate Michelle’s responsiveness, her ability to effectuate favorable settlements and case resolutions, and her creative responses to difficult circumstances involving opposing counsel, the Courts, and/or other parties.   

Get to know Michelle . . .

What activities do you enjoy outside of work?

Outside of work, you can find me taking my two rescue dogs on adventures, singing karaoke (especially hip-hop/rap/R&B), or beating my friends at Dave & Buster’s arcade games.

Why did you join Payne & Fears LLP?

During my transition from civil defense insurance litigation, I sought to return my practice to the labor and employment arena. I joined Payne & Fears LLP because of its robust labor and employment practice, highly-esteemed attorneys, and well-regarded reputation in the industry as I strive to work among and learn from the best in the field.

People would be surprised if they knew . . .

My first job in high school was as an In-N-Out Burger associate.  Those who know me well often refer to me as a “human jukebox.”