About Marie

Marie D. DiSante is a founding partner of CDF Labor Law LLP and has served as the firm’s Managing Partner since its inception in 1994. Under her leadership, Marie has successfully navigated the firm through multiple economic cycles, including the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, all while maintaining CDF’s strong position as a go-to labor, employment, and business immigration law firm for employers across California. She brings a unique perspective as both an accomplished employment litigator and a California business owner, giving her deep insight into the real-world challenges employers face.

Marie has over 35 years of experience defending companies with workforces in California in employment law claims. As a seasoned professional, she brings a unique perspective to her practice, drawing on her dual role as a California business owner and entrepreneur. Her comprehensive understanding of workplace challenges is informed by her active leadership in the business community, allowing her to provide effective, practical, and value-driven counsel to employers of all sizes, ranging from startup ventures to Fortune 500 enterprises.

Having co-founded her firm in 1994, Marie strategically positioned her clients at the forefront of emerging class action litigation, particularly in the realm of wage and hour compliance cases. Her adeptness at incorporating a strategic business viewpoint within a legal context has consistently yielded favorable outcomes in complex employment law litigation and litigation avoidance. Notably, Marie successfully mitigated the threat of five concurrent putative class actions filed in separate counties by separate sets of plaintiffs' counsel. Her assertive representation of a national telecommunications retailer with a substantial California workforce encompassed defending claims related to meal and rest breaks, misclassification, off-the-clock work, failure to reimburse business expenses, miscalculation of overtime pay rates, and minimum wage issues.

Marie's expertise extends to a broad spectrum of legal matters, including single-plaintiff actions, EEO compliance, personnel policy implementation, performance management, and reductions-in-force counsel. Throughout her client representations, she leverages her conflict resolution skills honed in state and federal courts and alternative dispute resolution venues. Marie is committed to offering real-life, pragmatic approaches that foster safe, productive workplaces and proactively prevent employee claims. At the core of her advice and counsel is a deeply held commitment to adding value to clients’ businesses and cultivating rewarding workplaces for employees.

Marie's commitment to the legal community and her firm is marked by a steadfast dedication to advancing women in the legal field and fostering diversity. Actively championing initiatives to empower women lawyers and promote inclusivity, she plays a pivotal role in implementing equal opportunity policies, mentorship programs, and professional development initiatives within her firm. Beyond her practice, as a founding member of the Orange County Law Firm Leadership Roundtable and active participant in organizations such as ProVisors and Women Presidents’ Organization, she actively engages in conversations and strategies to advance diversity goals in the legal community. Marie's tangible efforts underscore her belief that a diverse and inclusive legal community is essential for the ethical and continued advancement of the legal profession.