Monte Lake

Partner

PRACTICE AREAS Labor and Employment Immigration Law Litigation Public Policy

EDUCATION University of Pacific (B.A. with honors) University of Pacific, McGeorge School of Law (J.D.)

CONTACT INFORMATION 1010 Wisconsin Ave. NW # 530 Washington, DC 20007 Ph: (202) 457-7770 Direct: (202) 457-7754 Fax: (202) 457-7776 mbl@scllaw.com

 Monte B. Lake is a partner in the law firm of Siff & Lake. For over 30 years, Mr. Lake's national practice has encompassed employment and business immigration law. Mr. Lake has successfully litigated a wide range of matters in federal court throughout the United States involving individual and class claims. Illustrative of recent successful results he has obtained in class and individual actions are: Eloy Renteria-Marin v. Ag-Mart Produce, Inc., 537 F.3d 1321 (11th Cir. 2008) (Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act); (Hernandez v. Balakian, No. 06-cv-1383 (OWW) (E.D. CA 2008) (civil RICO class action); and De la Cruz v. Gill Corn Farms, Inc., 2005 WL 5419057 (N.D.N.Y. 2005) (Fair Labor Standards Act class action).

Mr. Lake also is involved in the development of public policy before the Congress and federal agencies, where he has obtained successful legislative results on immigration, labor, environmental, agricultural and health care issues, among others. Throughout successive shifts in the balance of power in Washington, D.C., Mr. Lake has successfully represented national coalitions and individual clients in obtaining amendments to federal immigration law, the federal Migrant Act, federal farm bills, and other laws. Clients value Mr. Lake's capacity to combine knowledge of legal issues with a deep understanding of the practical operation of the Congress and government agencies that interpret and enforce the law.

Mr. Lake serves as counsel to several national and regional associations of agricultural employers. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Lake was a senior partner in a prominent Washington, DC labor and employment firm for over 20 years. He previously served as a Deputy District Attorney and Deputy Attorney General in Sacramento, California. Mr. Lake is a member of the District of Columbia and California bars, and has been admitted to practice before numerous federal district and appellate courts throughout the U.S., as well as the U.S. Supreme Court.

In the 1980s, Mr. Lake was appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture to serve as a representative on the USDA's User's Advisory Committee and has served as a co-chair of the District of Columbia Bar's EEO Subcommittee. Mr. Lake has authored and contributed to a number of books and articles on employment and immigration topics and provides legal compliance training to clients throughout the U.S.