Employment, General Litigation
Orange County, CA
Mara Brandes received a Bachelor of Arts degree in law and society from the University of California at Santa Barbara. She graduated cum laude and Order of the Coif from Loyola Law School in 2008, where she ranked in the top 10% of her class and was a member of the St. Thomas More Law Honor Society. While in law school, Mara also received the Dean’s Service Award for her work mentoring other students and teaching supplemental courses for first year law students.
Mara earned several First Honors Awards for receiving the highest grade in five courses, including Contracts, Copyright Law, Ethical Lawyering, Family Law, and Labor Law. Mara also published an article in the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Student Journal “Is There A Right To Die” (October 2007).
After law school, Mara clerked for the Honorable Carolyn Kuhl in the Complex Division of the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Mara then joined Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. in Los Angeles, where she specialized in labor and employment litigation. At Ogletree Deakins, Mara represented and counseled employers in all aspects of employment law, including matters in both state and federal court involving discrimination, harassment, wage-and-hour issues, and unfair business practices. Mara drafted and argued motions, conducted investigations and witness interviews, performed a wide variety of legal research, took and defended depositions, and prepared for several trials.
Mara joined Montage Legal Group as a freelance attorney in 2012. Mara is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Central, Southern and Eastern Districts of California.