Payne & Fears LLP announced that it elected two OCBA members Rihanna Hughes and Alejandro Ruiz as two of the firm's newest partners.

Ms. Hughes, of the firm’s Phoenix office, represents clients in Arizona and California. She defends companies in labor and employment and business litigation matters, both on an individual and class action basis, in state and federal courts and before the NLRB. Her experience includes defending companies against discrimination, wrongful termination, wage-and-hour claims, false advertising, breach of contract, consumer fraud, and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (“RICO”) Act. Rhianna also has significant experience in the prosecution and defense of trade secret and confidential information misappropriation, unfair competition, and non-compete litigation.

Mr. Ruiz, also of the Irvine office, handles both employment and business litigation matters. His practice focuses on all aspects of employment litigation, including wrongful termination, discrimination,  leave, and wage and hour class actions. In addition, Mr. Ruiz handles various types of business litigation cases involving executive separations, non-compete agreements, trademark infringement, misappropriation of trade secrets, and contract disputes. Throughout his career, Mr. Ruiz has repeatedly secured favorable outcomes for his clients, ranging from favorable settlements to complete and unqualified victories by summary judgment, jury verdict, and affirmance on appeal.