Littler announced on May 4 that RyAnn Hooper has joined the firm as of counsel in its New York City office. Hooper brings nearly twenty years of experience in labor relations, employment law, and workforce strategy from both public and private sectors, including a decade at the National Labor Relations Board.
Hooper’s appointment is significant for organizations navigating an evolving labor landscape. Her expertise is expected to help clients address complex workforce challenges related to new technologies and regulatory changes.
Jonathan Levine, Brooke Niedecken, and Brendan Fitzgerald, co-chairs of Littler’s Labor Management Relations Practice Group, said in a joint statement: “With labor law increasingly woven into every aspect of management’s workforce decisions, organizations need strategic business partners who can take a proactive, holistic approach to labor relations planning, as well as employee engagement strategies that can not only help manage risk—but improve businesses’ bottom lines. RyAnn’s extensive in-house leadership experience, coupled with her deep firsthand knowledge of how the NLRB operates, make her a vital asset to our team.”
While at New York Life Insurance Company as Head of Employment Law, Hooper led global employment law functions and advised on workplace risks and corporate governance issues. She also helped design artificial intelligence tools with attention to legal defensibility and fairness. At the NLRB she served as Board Counsel and Senior Trial Attorney on several precedent-setting cases before moving into private practice advising employers on collective bargaining negotiations and union organizing campaigns.
“As AI, evolving regulatory frameworks and economic volatility continue to reshape the modern workforce, I’m excited to join a firm that understands the need for integrated labor, employment and broader workforce strategies. I look forward to supporting clients across a wide range of labor, workforce management, and emerging technology issues,” said Hooper. “I am excited to join Littler and take this next step with its industry-leading team of attorneys.”
Hooper holds a J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and a B.A. from the University of Michigan.
