Saniya Ahmed

Saniya Ahmed advises employers in the full range of labor and employment matters, from day-to-day counseling to complex litigation in state and federal courts. Her practice spans wage and hour class and collective actions, PAGA representative actions, and single-plaintiff claims involving discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Previously, Saniya served as corporate counsel for a mid-size government contractor, giving her a practical, business-side perspective that shapes her approach to managing risk and handling disputes efficiently.

Saniya defends employers in administrative hearings and investigations before agencies including the DOL, EEOC, DFEH, and DLSE. She also conducts labor and employment diligence in mergers and acquisitions, helping clients identify and assess workforce-related risks during transactions. Her advisory work covers the full-spectrum of labor and employment issues, including highly sensitive workplace investigations, leave and accommodations, performance management, terminations, new market entry, trade secret misappropriation, structuring of restrictive covenants, employee and contractor misclassification, wage and hour compliance, mass layoffs, and negotiated severances.

During her time as in-house counsel, Saniya provided strategic, high-level employment advice to internal business and human resources teams, conducted internal investigations and compliance audits, and led training for human resources teams, managers, and employees on topics including harassment prevention, meal and rest break compliance, and independent contractor and exempt status relationships. Her in-house experience focused on proactively identifying and mitigating employment law risks, assessing potential issues, and delivering practical, creative, and scalable strategies to business partners. Her experience allows her to understand the operational realities clients face.