Littler Mendelson is opening an office in Lexington, Ky., the latest example of aggressive expansion by labor and employment firms at a time when most large general practice firms are maintaining or shrinking their domestic footprints. Shareholder Susan Sears will head the new office, the firm’s first in Kentucky

Littler Mendelson, a national firm whose Web site proclaims it as a source for “Employment and Labor Law Solutions Worldwide,” is having its mettle tested in a suit by former employee Emma Preston. The threshold question is whether the firm can compel arbitration based on agreements it says bind all employees suing the firm. Preston’s lawyer says Littler’s expertise in employment law resulted in a greater disparity in bargaining position and a “heightened responsibility” to ensure that any waiver of rights is fair.

Littler Mendelson, a national firm whose Web site proclaims it as a source for “Employment and Labor Law Solutions Worldwide,” is having its mettle tested in a suit by former employee Emma Preston. The threshold question is whether the firm can compel arbitration based on agreements it says bind all employees suing the firm