Mark S. Askanas

Mark S. Askanas is a Principal in the San Francisco, California, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He joined the firm in 1988 and is a senior employment law litigator who has served as lead counsel for cases in state and federal courts, as well as arbitration forums, throughout the western United States.

Mr. Askanas practices all forms of complex litigation, including class actions and cases involving trade secrets and confidential information. He also counsels employers on all facets of employment law including, but not limited to, wage and hour issues and best preventive employment practices. He regularly speaks throughout the United States to employer groups and trade associations on these and other topics.

Mr. Askanas also has substantial in-house experience having served as General Counsel of a Fortune 500 company where he worked closely with the board of directors, audit committee, and senior management managing risk and advising on legal developments and issues, including Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, corporate governance, transactional matters, and preventive nationwide litigation and class action avoidance strategies.

Honors and Recognitions

•Who's Who Legal (2006-2007)

Published Works

•“Retailers Beware: Statements May Not Be Protected,” Employment Law 360 (April 19, 2010)
• Strict Liability in Sexual Harassment: Too Strict a Standard, California Employment Law Journal .12 (December 1997, Assisted in Updating Chapters)
• Sexual Harassment in the Physician Workplace, California Physician (April 1991)

Mark S. Askanas Publications

newsletter

Retail Industry Workplace Law Update - Winter 2020

January 2, 2020

newsletter

Retail Industry Workplace Law Update - Fall 2019

October 1, 2019

newsletter

Retail Industry Workplace Law Update - Summer 2019

June 28, 2019

Mark S. Askanas Blog Posts

California Workplace Law

What California Retail Employers Need to Know About Accommodating Pregnancy

January 29, 2016
California Workplace Law

U.S. Supreme Court Rejects California Limitation on Arbitration Agreements with Class Action Waivers

December 29, 2015
California Workplace Law

California Court Holds Arbitrator Decides Class Arbitrability Where Agreement Specifies AAA Rules

August 26, 2015