Mary Allain

Senior Counsel

Direct: (619) 374-0208

Mary Allain is an experienced employment litigator who now focuses her practice exclusively on providing strategic advice and counsel to the firm’s clients. Mary advises employers on a wide range of workplace issues, including performance management, disability accommodations and leaves of absence, separations and reductions in force, and wage and hour compliance. Mary enjoys partnering with clients to identify and address emerging workplace issues and evolving regulatory trends. She is particularly adept at implementing arbitration programs, conducting comprehensive employment practice audits, developing pay plans, and navigating workforce reductions. Mary also conducts workplace investigations, develops written policies and standard operating procedures, and updates employee handbooks for employers across a wide range of industries.

Prior to focusing her practice on counseling work, Mary successfully defended employers in a wide range of single-plaintiff cases, representative matters, and class actions involving wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wage and hour disputes, and PAGA claims. Mary now leverages her significant PAGA expertise to conduct early evaluations of potential representative matters and develop strategies to successfully defend against these matters.

Mary also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego School of Law, where she enjoys mentoring future attorneys.

Education

University of San Diego School of Law, J.D. (2018, summa cum laude)

Whitman College, B.A. (2012, Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude)

Admissions

All California state courts

United States District Court for the Southern and Central District of California

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Experience

Ames Karanjia LLPSenior Counsel: June 2025 – PresentAssociate: July 2020 – June 2025

University of San Diego School of LawAdjunct Professor: January 2020 – present

Paul, Plevin, Sullivan & Connaughton LLPAssociate: September 2018 – July 2020; Summer Associate 2017

University of San Diego School of LawAcademic Success Fellow: August 2016 – December 2017

Honorable Thomas J. Whelan, United States District Court for the Southern District of CaliforniaJudicial Extern: Summer 2016

Professional Activities

State Bar of California, Labor and Employment Law SectionMember

San Diego County Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law SectionMember