Clara Acosta

ASSOCIATE

Clara S. Acosta graduated cum laude in 2015 from the University of Texas at El Paso, with a B.A. in English and a minor in Legal Reasoning. While in college, Clara received a certificate from the Law School Preparation Institute, was a member of the National Honor Society, and participated in the Lincoln-Douglas Debate team. Clara graduated in May of 2019 from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. During law school, she completed internships for the Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission, Judge John Tuchi at the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, and the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project. During her last year of law school, Clara externed with Lubin & Enoch, learning extensively about labor and employment law. While with us, she gained experience drafting complaints, discovery requests, drafting responsive pleadings, and interfacing with clients.

During law school, Clara also honed her advocacy skills by extensively participating in internal and external moot court competitions, including Spritzer, Earle Zehmer’s Workers’ Compensation, National Moot Court, and the Hispanic National Bar Association Moot Court. In Spritzer, she was a 2017 finalist and won third place in 2018. In Earle Zehmer, she and her partner won second place best written appellate brief. During her time in law school, she also volunteered extensive pro bono work for legal and local groups, including Mi Familia Vota, Puente, CourtWorks, Phoenix Legal Action Network, the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, the Immigrant Initiative, and as a shelter director for volunteers at East Valley Men’s Center. As a result, Clara received the highest distinction for her pro bono work.

Clara now practices complex labor and employment matters, with a focus on wage and hour issues, discrimination cases, and employment agreements. She also represents employees in administrative proceedings, including teaching certificate, disciplinary issues, and federal EEO disputes. Clara has also represented also represents unions and employees in ratemaking, grievances, arbitrations, and unfair labor practice cases.

Education

• Sandra Day O’Connor College of law, Arizona State University (J.D., 2019)
• University of Texas at El Paso (B.A. in English literature, minor in legal reasoning, cum laude)
• El Paso Community College, Associate of Arts (with honors, 2012)

Professional Recognitions, Honors, and Awards

• Named Top Local Lawyer by PHOENIX Magazine, 2022
• Super Lawyers’ 2023 Southwest Rising Stars, 2023
• Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” 2023
• Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” 2022
• Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, Pro Bono Attorney of the Year 2021
• Highest Pro Bono Distinction for completion of more than 150 hours of pro bono service during law school (2019)
• Los Abogados Merit Scholarship (2016)
• Recipient of scholarship from Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project
• Recipient of Chicano Latino Law Student Association book scholarship
• Spritzer Moot Court 2017 Finalist and 2018 Third Place Winner
• Earle Zehmer Worker’s Compensation Moot Court, Second Place Written Appellate Brief

Presentations and Publications

• Co-Presented “Best Practices for Submitting and Effectively Articulating Discovery Disputes to Judges in State and Federal Court,” Arizona Employment Lawyers Association’s Annual Conference, 2023
• Presented “Spoliation of Evidence in State and Federal Court,” Arizona Employment Lawyers Association’s Annual Conference, 2022
• Co-Presented, “Tips on Working With Members Who Aren’t Working Well with You,” Arizona Education Association Annual Convention, 2022
• Co-Host, “Dreamers & Immigration,” Peggy Browning Fund’s Workers’ Rights Conference, 2021 & 2022
• Published statements in Law360 Daniela Porat’s “Minimum Wage Fight Is At An Inflection Point” (2022) and “Employers May Wield 10th Circ. Ruling To Push For Arbitration” (2021)
• Presented “Immigrant Rights are Worker Rights” CLE, Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, 2021
• Co-Drafted, “Reviewing Your NEW MEXICO Job Offer,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology, (2021)
• Co-Presented, “What Conduct Rises to the Level of an Actionable Adverse Employment Action?” Arizona Employment Lawyers Association’s Annual Convention, 2021
• Presented Immigrant Rights, Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project, 2021
• Presented “Marijuana Business Operations,” National Business Institute, 2020

Professional and Community Involvement

• Board Member, Arizona Employment Lawyers Association, 2023–Present
• Board Member, Phoenix Legal Action Network, 2022–Present
  • Member of Financial Committee: 2023
  • Member of Fundraising Event Planning: 2023
  • Member of Governance Committee: 2022–Present
• CLE Committee, State Bar of Arizona’s Employment and Labor Section, 2021–Present
  • Committee Member to Organize Lunch CLEs: 2021–2022
  • Committee Member to Organize Employment & Labor Section Seminar at Annual Arizona State Bar Convention: 2022–2023
• Member, Diversity and Racial Justice Committee, Union Lawyers Association, 2020-2023
• Member of Public, Batson Challenge Jury Selection Work Group, 2020

Bar Admissions:

• Texas (2019)

• Arizona (2020)

• New Mexico (2021)

Languages

• Fluent speaking, reading, and writing Spanish