Jennifer Liu, Senior Counsel at Katz Banks Kumin, joined the firm in 2023 and works from the firm’s California Office.
Ms. Liu is a nationally recognized litigator in employment discrimination and wage and hour class actions. She also represents individuals in litigation and negotiations in all areas of employment law. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Ms. Liu frequently represents executives and other professionals in the technology, financial services, and healthcare industries.
Ms. Liu has been named one of the Best Lawyers in America by Best Lawyers in America in 2020, 2021, and 2022. She has also been named a Benchmark Litigation Labor and Employment Star, a ranking of the preeminent labor and employment litigation practitioners in the U.S. She has also been recognized by the Daily Journal as one of the Top 75 Labor and Employment Lawyers in California Lawyers in 2019, 2020, and since 2022, and a Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Employment Lawyer from 2020 through 2025. She has also been named a Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers Magazine from 2021 to 2025, and was previously named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers from 2017 to 2020.
Ms. Liu is an active member of the legal community and frequently speaks and publishes on employment law issues. She is a Board Member for the Center for WorkLife Law, an advocacy and research organization that seeks to advance racial, gender, and class equity. She has held numerous leadership positions with the ABA Section of Labor & Employment Law, including serving as Employee Co-Chair of the Committee on Equal Employment Law and Employee Vice Chair for the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession Committee, and Employee Co-Chair for the Flash e-Newsletter Committee. She has also served as an editor for numerous publications and treatises, including the treatise Employment Discrimination Law (Lindemann, Grossman, & Weirich), and Zero Tolerance: Best Practices for Combating Sex-Based Harassment in the Legal Profession (ABA Commission on Women in the Profession).
Prior to joining Katz Banks Kumin, Ms. Liu was the founding partner of The Liu Law Firm, P.C., which she founded in 2015, and Liu Peterson-Fisher LLP, which she co-founded in 2021. Ms. Liu also served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable John G. Koeltl of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. She received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Harvard University, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa, and she earned her J.D./M.B.A. from Stanford Law School and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Before attending law and business school, Ms. Liu worked as an equity research analyst for Janus Capital Group, an investment management firm. She has successfully completed Levels I, II, and III of the Chartered Financial Analyst program.
Ms. Liu is admitted to practice in the states of California and New York, the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the Northern, Eastern, Central, and Southern Districts of California, and the Eastern District of Michigan.
Publications
Jennifer Liu, “Caregiver Discrimination: Laws you can use to protect the rights of parents and caregivers in the workplace,” Advocate Magazine (May 2021).
Jahan Sagafi and Jennifer Liu, “Class Actions: A Path Through The Darkness?,” Plaintiff Magazine (January 2014)
Employment Discrimination Law (Lindemann, Grossman, & Weirich) [served as an editor]
Zero Tolerance: Best Practices for Combating Sex-Based Harassment in the Legal Profession (ABA Commission on Women in the Profession) [served as an editor]
Professional Affiliations
American Bar Association, Section of Labor and Employment Law
National Employment Lawyers Association
California Employment Lawyers Association
Speaking Engagements
Federal Bar Association Class Action Symposium
November 16, 2022
At a class action symposium hosted by the Federal Bar Association, Katz Banks Kumin partner Jennifer Liu spoke alongside Judge Donato and Rohit Singla of Munger, Tolles & Olsen on the topic of class action settlements.
American Bar Association, Section of Labor and Employment Law Section, 16th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference
November 11, 2022
“The Post-COVID-19 Workforce and Reconciling Caregiver Responsibilities”
Jennifer Liu spoke at the ABA’s annual Labor and Employment Law Conference on current developments in caregiver discrimination law.
Bar Association of San Francisco
September 14, 2022
“Civility Matters”
Jennifer Liu joined a panel of practitioners, hosted by the Bar Association of San Francisco, to discuss how attorneys can promote civility in the legal profession.
California Lawyers Association, 12th Annual Advanced Wage and Hour Conference
September 9, 2022
“The Ethics of Settling Wage & Hour Litigation”
On this panel sponsored by the California Lawyers Association, Jennifer Liu spoke on ethical issues that arise when settling wage and hour class actions.
The Rutter Group
May 16, 2022
“Employment Law Issues at the Cutting Edge: Remote Work Arrangements”
Jennifer Liu spoke on this informational webinar, hosted by The Rutter Group, on emerging legal issues arising out of remote work arrangements.
American Bar Association, Section of Labor and Employment Law, 2022 National Conference on Equal Employment Opportunity Law
March 31, 2022
“Race in the Workplace”
Jennifer Liu spoke on race and political speech issues in the workplace at the American Bar Association’s annual National Conference on Equal Employment Opportunity Law.
American Bar Association, Section of Labor and Employment Law, Fair Labor Standards Law Committee
February 18, 2022
“When Can An Employer Strike Back Against A Whistleblower”
Jennifer Liu participated in this interactive panel on whistleblower protections in the workplace at the ABA’s annual Fair Labor Standards Law Mid-Winter Meeting.
California Employment Lawyers Association, 34th Annual Employment Law Conference
October 29, 2021
“Annual Wage & Hour Review 2021”
Jennifer Liu co-delivered CELA’s Annual Wage & Hour Review, an annual review of notable wage and hour cases issued within the previous year.
Practicing Law Institute
June 10, 2021
“EEO Class Actions and Systemic Discrimination Cases”
Jennifer Liu participated in this webinar hosted by the Practicing Law Institute, speaking on current developments in the law of equal employment class actions and systemic discrimination cases.
Pacific Coast Labor and Employment Law Conference
May 7, 2021
“Jeopardy: Issues That Make Settlements Fall Apart”
Jennifer Liu participated in this interactive panel of practitioners on the many issues that can lead settlements of employment law disputes to fall apart.
American Bar Association, Section of Labor & Employment Law, 2021 National Conference on Equal Employment Opportunity Law
April 8, 2021
“Caregiver Discrimination During COVID Times”
Jennifer Liu spoke on caregiver discrimination during the COVID era at the American Bar Association’s annual National Conference on Equal Employment Opportunity Law
Time’s Up
January 12, 2021
Sexual Harassment
Jennifer Liu participated in this panel of thought leaders on sexual harassment law, convened by Time’s Up, to discuss cutting-edge strategies for litigating sexual harassment cases.
American Bar Association, Section of Labor and Employment Law, 14th Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference
November 5, 2020
“Emerging Legal Theories in Retaliation Law”
Jennifer Liu spoke alongside management and in-house lawyers about emerging legal theories in retaliation law at the ABA’s annual Labor and Employment Law Conference.
California Employment Lawyers Association, 33rd Annual Employment Law Conference
October 9, 2020
“Annual Wage & Hour Review 2020”
Jennifer Liu co-delivered CELA’s Annual Wage & Hour Review, an annual review of notable wage and hour cases issued within the previous year.