MARKSON PICO - Key Persons

Brett Markson received his Law Degree from Hastings College of the Law in 1991 and his Bachelors Degree from University of California, San Diego in 1987. Having started as a prosecutor with the San Diego City Attorney's office, Mr. Markson remains ready and willing to try his cases to a jury. Currently, Mr. Markson focuses on helping workers and employees pursue claims against their employers, including: wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wage claims, etc. Mr. Markson does not shy away from tough, challenging cases. For example, in 2012, Mr. Markson argued and convinced the California appellate court to recognize a new legal claim to protect his client, who otherwise had no legal remedy under California law. The new legal claim is now known as Intentional Interference with Expected Inheritance (IIEI) and the published opinion may be found at Beckwith v. Dahl (2012) 205 Cal.App.4th 1039. Before forming Markson Pico LLP in 2005, Mr. Markson practiced as a litigator for the national law firm of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi LLP and (the now-defunct) Bronson, Bronson & McKinnon LLP. He has represented numerous large, national and Fortune 500 companies in cases involving complex issues of state and federal law. While at the big firms, Mr. Markson handled a wide-range of business litigation, including real estate matters, insurance, employment, wage & hour class actions, product liability, intellectual property litigation, celebrity right-of-publicity matters, partnership disputes and more. Mr. Markson started his own firm in 2001 before joining forces with Tim Pico (another former Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi colleague) to form Markson Pico LLP. Mr. Markson is licensed to practice before all California state and federal courts. He is a member of the California Employment Lawyers Association, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, Consumer Attorneys of California, the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, the Santa Clarita Valley Bar Association, the American Bar Association , and the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Mr. Markson was selected for inclusion in 2010 Southern California Super Lawyers, and received a perfect score "10.0" under AVVO--both indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement.

Job Titles:

• Employment Law
• Member of the California Bar

That drive has kept Mr. Pico fighting for workers for decades. Mr. Pico received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1990 and his Juris Doctorate from Pepperdine University School of Law, located in Malibu, California, in 1995. After learning the ropes working for large law firms defending multi-national corporate employers, Mr. Pico turned the tables and now only represents employees and workers. Mr. Pico's practice focuses on employment litigation, where for more than a decade, he has represented employees in sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, and wage and hour/workers' rights class actions against their employers. Mr. Pico provides advice and counsel to employees who are negotiating severance and compensation agreements. Mr. Pico also represents individual (and occasionally business) clients in complex business, serious personal injury, product liability matters. Before forming Markson Pico LLP in 2005, Mr. Pico practiced in the litigation department of Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold, and then for Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, LLP and Jackson Lewis, LLP, where he handled all types of employment litigation, including sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination. He also has extensive experience in complex business litigation including products liability, intellectual property and personal injury. Mr. Pico is a member of the California Bar and practices before state and federal courts and state and federal agencies. He is a member of several bar associations, including the California Employment Lawyers' Association, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice. Mr. Pico also serves as a pro bono publico prosecutor volunteering his time to serve as a trial attorney with the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office. In his free time, Mr. Pico enjoys playing guitar, surfing, traveling, cooking, gardening, and spending time with his family. Mr. Pico also speaks conversational Spanish.