Alreen Haeggquist | San Diego Business Lawyer

Main Office

225 Broadway
Suite 2050
San Diego, CA 92101

Office Hours

Monday - Friday8:30 AM - 5:30 PM

Other Locations

Proudly serving the surrounding area of San Diego, CA.

Top Local Lawyers

About Alreen

Alreen Haeggquist is dedicated to representing employees who have been wrongfully terminated, harassed, and discriminated against at work. Over the past 19 years, she has recovered millions of dollars for her clients in cases involving wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and wage theft. She founded Haeggquist & Eck in 2008 and serves as the firm’s managing partner.

Alreen’s passion for representing employees started at a very early age.  Her parents immigrated to the United States to create a better life for their family, and watching them work tirelessly to provide her with every opportunity informed her unwavering commitment to advancing human rights and giving a voice to the underrepresented. Today, the overwhelming majority of Alreen’s clients are women who have suffered egregious wrongs at the hands of their employers. No defendant is too large or powerful for her to tackle: she has recently represented plaintiffs in employment claims against such major corporations as Trader Joe’s, Sharp Healthcare, Wyndham, Kaiser Permanente, and the Grand Del Mar.  In 2017, her jury trial verdict in a disability discrimination case against Kaiser Permanente was awarded one of the Top 50 Employment Verdicts in California.

In 2018 alone, Alreen represented a female scientist in a well-publicized gender discrimination case against The Salk Institute, which ended with a confidential settlement shortly before trial.  That same year, she also secured a confidential settlement on behalf of an employee of Jollibee, a national fast-food chain, in a case involving claims of sexual harassment, which after the motion for fees, totaled over $1.2 million.

Alreen also served as class counsel in the high-profile consumer fraud litigation against presidential contender Donald Trump and Trump University, which settled in November 2016 for $25 million.  The settlement was deemed one of California’s Top 50 Class Action Settlements in 2016. For their seven years of work in the case, Alreen and her partners took no fees or costs.

Alreen’s commitment to equality, respect, and giving a voice to all, despite race, religion, gender, or disability drives her every day to do her very best for each person who entrusts her with that opportunity. She comes from a very large family and treats each one of her clients as an extension of her own, and believes each of her clients should have the same quality of representation that she would want for her loved ones.  When Alreen is not fighting for equality, she loves spending time outdoors with her husband, Michael, and their daughter, Maya.

Reach out to us today for a free case evaluation if you think taking legal action is the right way forward.

Experience

Managing Partner

Haeggquist & Eck, LLP

Present

San Diego, CA

Admission

Verified California

2002

Education

University of California at San Diego

Bachelors (Political Science)

1999

Recognitions & Achievements

Associations
  • Consumer Attorneys of San Diego Board Member
    2012 - Present
  • Consumer Attorneys of California Member
    2012 - Present
  • California Employment Lawyers Association Member
    2010 - Present
  • Girls Think Tank Founding Member, Advisory Board
    2006 - Present
  • San Diego County Bar Association Member
    2003 - Present
  • State Bar of California Member
    2002 - Present
Honors / Awards
  • Best Lawyers in America
    2020-2022
  • The National Trial Lawyers Top 100
  • San Diego Super Lawyer
    2016-2022
  • Top 25 Women Super Lawyers
    2020-2022
  • Top 50 San Diego Super Lawyers
    2020-2022
  • Consumer Attorneys of San Diego President’s Award winner
    2017
  • 40 Under 40, SD Metro Magazine
    2016
  • National Association of Women Business Owners’ Women’s Advocate of the Year nominee
    2016
  • Top Labor/Employment Attorney, San Diego Daily Transcript
  • California Innocence Project’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipient
  • Women Who Change The Game’s “Mover & Shaker” Award recipient
  • Martindale Hubbell AV Preeminent rated

Notable Work

Cases

Notable Cases

$60,000 trial verdict in sexual harassment case against the County of San Diego Confidential settlement in sexual harassment case against The Grand Del Mar $401,000 Arbitration Award in a disability discrimination case against Lantern Crest Confidential settlement, plus $1.2 million in attorney’s fees, in sexual harassment case against a national fast-food chain Confidential settlement in gender discrimination case against The Salk Institute $492,000 trial verdict in disability discrimination case against Kaiser Permanente (ranked among top Top 50 Employment Verdicts in California in 2017) $25 million for class members in high-profile consumer fraud litigation against then-presidential contender Donald Trump and Trump University (one of California’s Top 50 Class Action Settlements in 2016)

Publications

California Litigation Review Discovery

2009


California Litigation Review Discovery

2008


California Litigation Review Discovery

2007


California Litigation Review Developments in Class-Action Law

2006


California Litigation Review Developments in Class-Action Law

2005


California Western Law Review The Growing Debate on Medical Marijuana: Federal Power vs States Rights

2001

Questions & Answers

Please describe a case in the last year or two where you made a big difference.

We represented a scientist from the Salk Institute in a gender discrimination and retaliation case. She was not given adequate staffing as compared to other scientists and being excluded from opportunities to present her work in front of potential funders based due to gender discrimination. When she spoke up, she was retaliated against. It wasn't an isolated incident, several other plaintiff's filed lawsuits. The lawsuits led to the resignation of one its most accomplished scientist accused of sexual harassment. The case sent a clear message to the scientific community that gender discrimination and sexual harassment will not be tolerated. Our client felt validated and was happy with the settlement.

How did you build a successful practice?

I built a successful practice by focusing on the client experience from the moment they call our office until they receive their money after they have one our case. Having partners and hiring attorneys who share the same passion is key to building a team. We have processes in place to make sure cases progress in a timely manner and nothing is missed. Maintaining a small caseload per attorney is key for clients and cases to get the time and attention they deserve. I maintain solid relationships in the legal community and am often referred clients by other attorneys.

What should clients look for in a lawyer?

You should look for a lawyer that is trauma-informed and will communicate with you frequently. You should look for a lawyer that truly listens to you and empathizes. You should look for a lawyer that has the experience and full legal support staff to support you throughout your case. You should look for an attorney that maintains a small caseload and can give your case the time and attention it deserves to progress and resolve.

How important is local knowledge to the success of your cases?

Knowledge of the local and state laws is important for lawyers to be successful.

What information do you need in a free phone consultation?

For a free phone consultation we prefer a timeline of events, details of how you were harmed, names of offenders and witnesses and if you have any type of evidence. You do not have to have every single detail or the exact dates for the phone consultation but every piece of information helps.

What differentiates you from other lawyers in your community?

What makes our law firm different is that we are women-owned law firm that is trauma-informed with a full-time credentialed survivor advocate that is an added layer of support for our clients. We maintain a caseload of only 15 cases per attorney which is very rare.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

The most rewarding aspect of my job is standing up with my clients by giving them the opportunity to be heard and have their experience validated then redistributing the wealth from the wrongdoers to my clients so they can move forward and heal.

What are your other interests in addition to law?

Cooking a meal from my garden and sharing it with family and friends.

Are you involved in your community?

I was one of the original founding members of Think Dignity, formerly known as Girls Think Tank. I continue to support that cause annually. I served as President of the San Diego County Bar Foundation that fundraisers and gives grants to local community non-profits that provide services to the underserved.

Founded 2008

Haeggquist & Eck, LLP Highlights

Business, Corporate, Business Organization, Class Action, Employee Rights

Firm Size: 15
Firm Locations: 1
Languages: English, Urdu