Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe, LLP

What Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe, LLP does

Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe, LLP (REZL) is a San Francisco-based plaintiff-side employment law firm founded in 1989 by Mark Rudy and Steven Zieff. The firm represents individual employees, executives, founders, and class action plaintiff groups against employers across California and on federal matters nationally, with a practice spanning discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, wage and hour violations, equal pay, executive severance and equity disputes, whistleblower protection, and breach of contract. REZL has been responsible for several precedent-setting employment cases, including Bell v. Farmers Insurance Exchange (over $200 million recovery, the largest overtime judgment in US legal history), Jewett v. Oracle ($25 million Equal Pay Act class action), Brougher v. Pinterest ($22.5 million, described as the largest publicly announced individual gender discrimination settlement in US history), and Ellen Pao v. Kleiner Perkins. The firm is led by seven current partners including Managing Partner David A. Lowe, with a total of approximately 14-16 attorneys; founding partners Mark Rudy, Alan Exelrod, and Steven Zieff have transitioned to retired partner, of counsel, and mediator roles as part of a planned generational succession that has included the 2023 elevation of Erin Pulaski and Michelle Lee and the 2025 addition of William McElhinny as partner and Sam Leff as associate.

The firm's core "product" is legal representation rather than a technology platform. Service delivery relies on direct client consultations, courtroom and arbitration advocacy, mediation, and co-counsel collaboration with peer plaintiff-side firms such as Altshuler Berzon (Oracle) and Jhaveri-Weeks (Tesla). The practice is supported by standard legal technology — case management software, document management systems, video conferencing, and legal research platforms — rather than proprietary technology or AI/ML capabilities. Marketing is predominantly reputation-driven, leveraging Tier 1 Best Law Firms rankings, consistent Lawdragon 500 and Super Lawyers recognition across all partners, earned media coverage in Fortune, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, and speaking roles at bar association and PLI programs.

REZL's revenue model is professional services-based, combining hourly billing and flat fees for individual representation with contingency arrangements for class actions and select individual matters. Fee revenue is materially driven by a relatively small number of high-value class actions and individual settlements, creating episodic but large fee events rather than recurring subscription-style revenue. To diversify, the firm has launched a Mediation Services practice that monetizes partners' neutral credentials. The firm does not have external investors, a parent company, or subsidiaries; it operates from a single San Francisco office at 351 California Street, Suite 700, and is organized as a California Limited Liability Partnership controlled by its partners.

Name

Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe, LLP

Legal name

Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe, LLP

Website

https://rezlaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

San Francisco-based plaintiff-side employment law firm with seven partners and approximately 14-16 attorneys, representing employees, executives, and class action plaintiff groups in discrimination, wage and hour, retaliation, and severance matters across California and nationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Individual Representation: Fee arrangements for individual client representation may include hourly billing, flat fees for specific services, or contingency arrangements depending on case type and client circumstances.
2. Class Action Litigation: Class action cases typically handled on contingency or collective fee arrangements, with the firm investing resources upfront in exchange for a percentage of recovery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

REZL is a plaintiff-side employment law firm representing individual employees, executives, and class action plaintiffs in workplace disputes including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, unpaid wages, overtime, commissions, equal pay, executive severance, and breach of contract. The firm also provides neutral third-party mediation services for employment law disputes and handles large-scale class action litigation, having recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for clients across California and nationally.

Product overview

Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe, LLP is a plaintiff-side employment law firm offering a comprehensive suite of legal services. The firm provides individual and class action representation across multiple practice areas including discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment, wage and hour violations, equal pay, executive compensation, and breach of contract. The firm also offers mediation services through experienced employment law mediators. The practice spans from individual client advocacy to large-scale class action litigation, representing employees and executives throughout California against employers in technology, finance, entertainment, and other industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Discrimination Legal Services

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Altshuler Berzon LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel relationship with Altshuler Berzon in Jewett v. Oracle equal pay class action representing approximately 4,000 women employees. Altshuler Berzon served as co-counsel achieving $25 million settlement for class members.
• Jhaveri-Weeks Firm, P.C.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-counsel relationship in Tesla sexual harassment class action representing Jessica Barraza and other factory workers. Jhaveri-Weeks attorneys William Jhaveri-Weeks, Ally Girouard, and Sarah Abraham worked alongside REZL attorneys David Lowe, Michelle Lee, and Zoe DeGeer.
• Legal Aid Society - Employment Law CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple attorneys serve on the board of Legal Aid Society - Employment Law Center, a nonprofit providing free legal services to workers. Firm also provides supervising attorneys for Legal Aid at Work's Workers' Rights Clinic.
• Bar Association of San FranciscominorOthersAttorneys serve on executive committees and present at bar association conferences and continuing legal education programs including the annual Yosemite conference.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Altshuler Berzon LLP: San Francisco-based plaintiff-side employment and class action boutique with deep expertise in wage-and-hour and Equal Pay Act class actions. REZL partnered with Altshuler Berzon as co-counsel on Jewett v. Oracle ($25M settlement).
• Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP: National plaintiff-side firm with a substantial employment discrimination and civil rights practice representing executives and employees. REZL partner Chaya Mandelbaum previously served as Senior Litigation Counsel at Sanford Heisler.
• Hadsell Stormer & Renaker LLP: California plaintiff-side employment law boutique representing employees and executives in discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage cases statewide. Closely comparable boutique scale and practice mix to REZL.
• Outten & Golden LLP: National plaintiff-side employment law firm representing individuals and executives in discrimination, retaliation, and wage matters; directly comparable to REZL in mission, clientele, and case mix. Senior Litigation Counsel Zoë DeGeer previously practiced at Outten & Golden before joining REZL.
• Bryan Schwartz Law: Oakland-based plaintiff-side employment law firm representing workers in discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower, and wage matters. Comparable boutique scope and California plaintiff-side mandate to REZL.
• Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein: Prominent San Francisco plaintiff-side firm with an active employment and civil rights practice representing employees in wage-and-hour, discrimination, and class actions. Overlapping case types and California plaintiff-side orientation make it a direct comparator.
• Jhaveri-Weeks Firm, P.C. California plaintiff-side employment boutique representing workers in sexual harassment, discrimination, and wage matters. Co-counseled with REZL on Tesla sexual harassment class action.
• Phillips, Erlewine, Given & Carlin LLP: San Francisco plaintiff-side employment and civil rights boutique handling discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage matters; comparable boutique scale, plaintiff-side focus, and Bay Area geography to REZL.
• Rukin Hyland & Riggs LLP: San Francisco plaintiff-side employment, civil rights, and consumer protection firm representing employees and executives in discrimination, harassment, and wage cases. Direct overlap in plaintiff-side boutique model and Bay Area market.
• The Liu Law Firm, APLC: California plaintiff-side employment boutique focused on wage-and-hour, discrimination, and retaliation claims; comparable boutique scale and plaintiff-side orientation in the same California market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/rezlawllp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rudy-exelrod-zieff-lowe-llp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe, LLP