About
Medina McKelvey

The Best Strategy in the State

“Medina McKelvey is one of the most strategic firms handling wage and hour defense in California. Their mediation briefs are some of the best and most creative I have seen. They know how to get cases resolved efficiently and are a pleasure to work with.”

- PROMINENT CALIFORNIA CLASS AND PAGA MEDIATOR

Here for You

Our team of dynamic attorneys has a “culture first” mindset. We understand the unique challenges of the law and are experts at advocating for our clients, minimizing risk, and resolving conflict.

Whether navigating employment litigation or investigating a workplace complaint, our high-caliber team and wide range of experience allow us to handle any challenge or opportunity, regardless of the scale or complexity. We partner with our clients to resolve their issues quickly and prevent problems from arising in the future. Our history speaks for itself, and we continue to find new ways to deliver excellence and positive legal outcomes.

Diverse and
High Caliber

Our team is comprised of business owners, entrepreneurs, military veterans, executive leaders, and former Big Law partners who have served, trained, and represented thousands of businesses.

Meet the Team

Techniques for Success

Creative problem-solving leads to the best results. Here are a few techniques and aspects we focus on in our work with clients.

Our firm has the lowest billable hour requirements of any litigation firm we know. Why would we do this? The answer is simple: So that we have more quality time for each of our clients and the time and space to think strategically and creatively and to provide the best client experience.
We think of ourselves as outside investors in your business. We want to see your organization grow and thrive, and we’re willing to put in the time and attention to make your business better, even if it means no immediate return on investment.
By leveraging our experience in hundreds of employment lawsuits, we can clearly evaluate litigation options and outcomes and present those to your business in an easy-to-understand format. We have some of the best assessment tools for helping businesses make difficult decisions related to litigation. We make decision making easy for our clients with clearly communicated legal analysis that your whole team can understand.
Most businesses don’t realize that wage and hour issues are the single biggest threat to California businesses. We have developed a proactive and efficient process to quickly identify your strengths and your most dangerous vulnerabilities when it comes to complying with California’s tricky employment laws. We collaborate with your business to build a workable plan for implementing changes in a seamless way.
We have invented multiple tools and business solutions for our clients over the years. For instance, we have developed an entire training, certification, and accountability platform to improve wage and hour compliance and provide protection against lawsuits. We’re always looking for ways to simplify legal compliance through the creation of business-focused tools and solutions that are easy to use.
We are a collection of some of the best legal writers, communicators, and strategists in the employment law setting. A well-written brief or a carefully developed strategy can be the difference between a case ending quickly or years of painful and costly litigation. Our clients get steady, responsive, and clear communication and direction from our team.

Every Industry, Type, and Size

We have served organizations of all sizes and types in all industries throughout California. Here are a few examples:

ROOFING COMPANY

Defended roofing company in class action and PAGA representative action alleging unpaid wages and other Labor Code violations.

TRANSPORTATION COMPANIES

Helped resolve class and PAGA actions for several national transportation companies involving thousands of driver/owner-operators.

MANUFACTURING COMPANY

Helped manufacturing company defend and negotiate favorable individual settlements with over 50 employees to eliminate a proposed class action and PAGA action.

SECURITY COMPANIES

Represented numerous California-based security companies in wage and hour class/PAGA actions and in providing advice, counsel, and training employment issues.

MEDIA COMPANY

Helped Bay Area media company defend and reach favorable individual settlements with over 30 individual employees to extinguish proposed class and PAGA action.

MORTGAGE COMPANIES

Represented national mortgage companies in class and PAGA lawsuits involving bonus and overtime issues, delivering below-market settlements in each case.

POINT-OF-SALE TECH COMPANY

Successfully helped point-of-sale tech company obtain a dismissal in a federal court of case for unpaid wages and unreimbursed business expenses.

HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATION

Resolved contentious class and PAGA action involving hundreds of employees on meal/rest break issues for large non-profit community healthcare organization.

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

Helped several large financial institutions resolve wage and hour class and PAGA actions and implemented compliance training programs for employees.

FOOD MANUFACTURER

Defended large Central Valley food manufacturer in class action involving several hundred employees alleging unpaid on-call time and missed meal and rest breaks.

CONCRETE FAB. COMPANY

Helped large industrial concrete fabrication company reach a favorable resolution in a timely and cost-effective manner — saving the company tens of thousands of dollars.

RESTAURANTS

Worked and working with numerous restaurants on wage and hour compliance issues, resolving single-plaintiff claims, and settling class and PAGA actions.

PROMOTION COMPANY

Defended national promotional company facing penalties and liabilities involving over 1,000 independent contractors.

tIRElESS aDVOCATES

“i HAVE Conducted a number of mediations with the Medina McKelvey law firm. I have always found them to be thoroughly prepared and well versed on the case facts and applicable law, particularly in regard to wage and hour class actions, collective actions, and PAGA claims. They work tirelessly on behalf of their clients and are professional and courteous in their dealings with the mediator and opposing counsel. They are a pleasure to work with.”

- RETIRED JUDGE AND PROMINENT CLASS ACTION MEDIATOR

Giving Back

Our mission is to bring peace to our clients, but also to give back, engage with, and uplift our communities. As a firm, we are committed to sharing our profits with charitable organizations to fight hunger, poverty, and human trafficking.

Outside of work, our lawyers serve on nonprofit boards, volunteer in churches or community groups, and represent charitable organizations on a pro bono basis. Giving back isn’t just our culture—it’s who we are and how we serve best.

Our Initiative

One of our biggest passions is serving the hungry in our own backyards. In 2014, we started the Lawyers vs. Hunger campaign to address this pressing issue and make a positive impact.

Every year, we team up with other law firms to match donations and provide hundreds of thousands of meals to those in need.

Learn More at lawyersvshunger.com

THE FOOD BANKS WE SUPPORT

agape international missions

Another organization close to the firm’s heart is Agape International Missions (AIM). “Agape International Missions works holistically to end trafficking by protecting girls, rescuing the exploited, and empowering survivors.” As of today, they have rescued over 1,500 survivors, and helped to provide a home, schooling, and employment to each and every girl they rescue.

Medina McKelvey partners with AIM financially, provides pro bono legal solutions, and has traveled to Cambodia to help support their amazing work across the globe.

Learn more at aimfree.org/our-fight

PRESS & AWARDS

Recognition in the world of law.

Super Lawyers

Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. This selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.

AWARDED TO ALEX MEDINA, BRANDON MCKELVEY, TIM NELSON, DOUG LEACH, AND KYLE OWEN

BEST OF THE BAR

Best of the Bar simplifies the process of finding a great lawyer. All attorneys selected are nominated and then vetted by a panel of their peers. Best of the Bar is a reliable list of lawyers compiled by professionals who have worked extensively with — and even against — one another.

AWARDED TO ALEX MEDINA AND BRANDON MCKELVEY

Sacramento Magazine Top Lawyers list

Sacramento magazine contracted with Professional Research Services to ask area attorneys to recommend.

AWARDED TO ALEX MEDINA, BRANDON MCKELVEY, AND TIM NELSON

Sacramento Business Journal 40 Under 40

The Sacramento Business Journal honors 40 young professionals under the age of 40 each year who excel in their professions and contribute to the community.

AWARDED TO ALEX MEDINA AND BRANDON MCKELVEY

United States District Court: Eastern District of California

Alex Medina Speaks on Ethical Billing Practices at Annual Judicial Conference

Alex Medina was a featured panel speaker at the annual conference for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, addressing federal judges and lawyers on ethical and effective billing practices for attorneys.

The Knowledge Group

Brandon McKelvey Speaks at TKG’s LIVE Webcast

The Knowledge Group, the leading producer of regulatory focused webcasts, features Brandon McKelvey as a speaker on their webcast entitled Wage and Hour Class Action Settlements: Calculating Damages and Ensuring Court Approval LIVE Webcast.

Read Press Release

Sacramento Business Journal

Two lawyers make leap to form boutique litigation defense firm

As the drumbeat toward boutique law firms continues in Sacramento, lawyers at one new firm took a bigger jump than the rest. Medina McKelvey LLP is a litigation defense firm with…

Comstock’s Magazine

Juris Prudence

Alex Medina and Brandon McKelvey’s new law firm looks more like a bootstrapped tech startup than a high-end legal practice. Their payroll consists of…

Law 360

Ex-DLA Piper, Seyfarth Shaw Attys Launch Litigation Boutique

Two attorneys formerly with DLA Piper and Seyfarth Shaw LLP have departed from their Big Law roots to launch California-based Medina McKelvey LLP, a civil…

Comstock’s Magazine

The Case For New Practices

Among private law firms, a dam is about to break. According to research by two Los Angeles legal marketing experts, 96 percent of leaders at the country’s biggest 100 private practices are…

Lawyers vs. Hunger

Brandon McKelvey Interviews with Radio Station KAHI About Lawyers vs. Hunger Charity

Brandon speaks about Medina McKelvey’s passion for giving back to the community and urges other law firms to match donations and provide thousands of meals to those in need.

Listen to the Interview