Tripper Ortman is a partner in the Labor and Employment Department, resident in the San Francisco office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP. Mr. Ortman is an experienced, well-respected litigator who has handled all aspects of class action and single plaintiff employment cases, from the pleading stage through trial. His experience includes the successful defense of major wage and hour, discrimination and unfair competition class actions, as well as the defense of employers in a variety of claims arising out of alleged violations of the California Labor Code and the FLSA. One of Mr. Ortman’s trials resulted in the first defense jury verdict in a wage and hour class action in California, and was selected by the Daily Journal as one of the Top Defense Verdicts in California of 2006. Mr. Ortman is an active member of Seyfarth Shaw’s National Trial Team, and is also a certified Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt -- a certification that assists him in leading client teams that deliver high-value, predictably priced legal services to meet the needs of our clients.
Mr. Ortman prides himself on developing thoughtful, creative strategies to secure “wins” for clients, and he recognizes that the definition of “win” can be an evolving one, depending on client and business needs. Mr. Ortman strives to delight his clients with responsive, innovative, and decisive recommendations on the legal and business issues they face, whether in litigation or in daily management of employment issues. In 2015, Mr. Ortman was named a “Client Service All-Star” by BTI Consulting.
Mr. Ortman often speaks to employer groups on how to avoid becoming the target of a class action lawsuit, and how to prevent and manage employment litigation. Mr. Ortman has also made presentations on class action and trial work to local bar associations and law students.
Before entering law school, Mr. Ortman was a middle school history teacher and the host of his own public access cable television show, two formative experiences that trained him to develop creative strategies to engage otherwise uninterested audiences, skills he now employs with judges and juries.
