Senior Associate
New York
Lauren M. Goldsmith is a Senior Associate in Orrick's Employment Law and Litigation Group. Admitted in both New York and California, she represents leading technology and financial services companies in employment class actions, government investigations, and enforcement actions. Clients turn to her when the stakes are high, the facts are messy, and a conventional playbook won't do.
Lauren defends employers in high-stakes employment class actions and has defeated class certification in several recent cases involving claims of systemic discrimination. Her practice includes matters involving emerging issues such as the use of AI in hiring, performance, and termination, as well as claims of discrimination against American workers. Her practice focuses on disputes involving novel legal theories, significant business risk, and parallel litigation and government enforcement challenges. Drawing on experience in both employment and complex commercial litigation, she helps clients navigate difficult problems where legal, business, and practical considerations are all moving at once. She brings the same perspective to her counseling work, advising clients on day-to-day employment issues to help manage risk before disputes arise.
Lauren regularly represents employers in systemic government investigations, enforcement actions, and administrative proceedings. Her agency work includes investigations by the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Department of Justice (DOJ), and state attorneys general, as well as DOJ charges and complaints before the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer (OCAHO).
A frequent writer and speaker, Lauren addresses emerging issues in employment class actions, class action defense strategy, and DEI. In 2025, she completed the ABA Labor and Employment Law Section's Leadership Development Program.
Before joining Orrick, Lauren spent more than seven years at Sullivan & Cromwell litigating complex commercial and employment disputes and clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She holds a Ph.D. in Jurisprudence and Social Policy from UC Berkeley and has maintained an active pro bono practice focused on reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights and immigration matters.
