Florence Z. Mao

About

Flo provides employment litigation and counseling services to employers of all sizes.  Flo values proactive risk management to promote a healthy workplace that grows the enterprise, retains top talent, and minimizes the chance of litigation in the first place.  She collaborates with her clients to understand their business and works diligently to achieve the best possible result.

Flo advises employers on all aspects of the employment relationship, including hiring, performance management, workplace investigations, EEO issues, leaves and accommodations under the FMLA, ADA, and state laws, meal and rest breaks, and separations.  She is well-versed on issues that often arise for fast-paced companies with multi-state workforces, such as independent contractors, remote work, and the enforcement of restrictive covenants and arbitration agreements.  Flo works with her clients to develop employee handbooks and personnel policies that not only comply with ever-evolving employment laws, but also promote a positive space where workers can thrive and innovate.  She also counsels employers on crucial training for front-line supervisors to ensure that policies and practices align during day-to-day operations.  Flo understands that, at the end of the day, positive employee relations correlate with business success, and she strives to help her clients succeed.

As a litigator, Flo vigorously defends her clients in federal and state courts on the West Coast against claims of discrimination, retaliation, harassment, failure to accommodate, wage and hour violations, trade secret misappropriation, and breach of employment agreements.  She handles all phases of litigation, including document preservation, fact investigations, written and electronic discovery, depositions, and successfully drafting and arguing motions in court.  To serve her clients efficiently and effectively, Flo gets ahead early in litigation to evaluate objectively the risks of liability and potential exposure.  She recognizes the importance of minimizing litigation costs and disruptions so her clients can focus on growing their business; however, when early resolution is not possible, Flo is fully prepared to defend her clients’ interests in court.

Before joining Ogletree, Flo practiced employment law at two national firms defending local, regional, and national clients in Oregon and Washington. During law school, Flo counseled and represented employees at unemployment insurance appeal hearings.  She interned with the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Oregon and the Eastern District of New York, where she prosecuted and defended against civil rights claims, and externed with Honorable Paul J. Papak (retired) of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon.