Eileen Leman

Eileen’s counseling practice includes contractor and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) classification, international workforce expansion, complex employment agreements and policies, restrictive covenants, employment terminations and reductions in force, wage and hour law, and unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims.

Eileen has extensive experience in transactional employment matters, advising on employment issues in buy-side and sell-side mergers & acquisitions, divestitures, spinoffs, asset purchases, venture capital financings, and initial public offerings (IPOs). She also is a thought leader on pay equity and frequently conducts pay equity audits, advising on public disclosure of the results, board and union reporting, and best practices for incorporating pay equity into diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) initiatives and environmental, social and governance (ESG) programs.

Eileen’s recent representative experience includes:

• Advising biopharmaceutical companies, including RayzeBio in its acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb and Gracell Biotechnologies in its acquisition by AstraZeneca, for $4.1 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively
• Advising One Medical, a human-centered, technology-powered national primary care organization, on its sale to Amazon for $3.9 billion
• Representing companies, including Sweetgreen, LegalZoom, Acelyrin and The Honest Company, in their IPOs

Eileen also frequently presents and writes on employment topics and issues, including these presentations and publications:

• Presenter, “HR & ESG: Legal and Human Capital Considerations,” Cooley’s 2023 HR Network series, October 19, 2023
• Presenter, “Setting Up Pay Equity and Transparency Programs for Scale,” Assemble compensation management webinar, September 14, 2023
• Presenter, “ESG: Prioritizing the Social Component for Organizational Success,” WorldatWork webinar with Trusaic and Aon, September 12, 2023
• Presenter, “Going Global: Considerations for International Hiring,” Cooley’s 2022 HR Network series, November 3, 2022
• Co-author, “California’s Broad Pay Transparency Law Takes Effect Next Year,” Cooley client alert, October 5, 2022
• Co-author, “California Senate Introduces Historic Pay Equity Bill,” Daily Journal, April 8, 2022
• Presenter, “Pay Equity: Legal Developments and Considerations for Conducting Audits,” Cooley’s 2021 HR Network series, October 28, 2021

Eileen dedicates part of her practice to providing pro bono services to indigent clients. She also serves on the associate board of directors for KIPP SoCal Public Schools and is a former governing member of the board of directors of CORA (Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse).