Professional Background and Accomplishments

Ms. Booth is an experienced litigator, advisor, and manager who successfully represents clients in jury trials, court trials, administrative hearings, arbitrations, and business transactions. 

Ms. Booth is an experienced and talented trial lawyer.   She recently obtained a defense jury verdict for a trucking company and its driver in tractor-trailer v. bicycle wrongful death case.  Ms. Booth has continually tried cases since 1987, when she won her first trial involving a contract dispute.  As examples, Ms. Booth’s manufacturer client prevailed in a federal court trial after its goods had been improperly released by a freight-forwarder, she obtained a trial judgment from the Labor Commissioner finding that her motor carrier client’s independent contractors were in fact independent and not misclassified employees, and Ms. Booth successfully defended an employer accused of sexual harassment, and thereafter obtained an attorneys’ fee recovery for the client by establishing the claims were frivolous.

As a litigator, Ms. Booth handles cases from inception through trial throughout California, Her varied experience includes cases involving lost or damaged freight, commercial vehicle accidents, employment related harassment and discrimination, wage and hour disputes, safety and regulatory violations, employment misclassification allegations, negligence and other tort claims, commercial tenancy issues, business contract disputes, and business dissolutions.   Ms. Booth also has broad experience in litigating disputes over complex financial agreements, particularly those used in the logistics and entertainment industries.  

Ms. Booth is also an experienced appellate attorney handling post-trial appeals as well as appeals challenging summary judgments and other trial court orders.

As an advisor, Ms. Booth works with clients in contract negotiations and prepares agreements including those used by shippers, brokers, and motor carriers for freight transportation, equipment lease agreements and related financing agreements, partnership and share buy-out agreements, warehouse agreements, and service agreements used in multiple industries.  

Ms. Booth advises clients on employment practices and prepares employment related documents, including handbooks, policy manuals, employment and severance agreements, and pre-litigation settlements. Recently, she advised clients on COVID-19 related issues in employment, including state and federal leave policies, CDC recommendations, and the unique problems encountered in individual workplaces.  

As a manager, Ms. Booth provides management related advice to clients in numerous business sectors, particularly in the logistics industry, and she serves as the Managing partner of BOOTH LLP.  She provides guidance to clients seeking to expand or re-organize their business structures, in evaluating internal operational structures, and in choosing what form of business is most appropriate for the services provided.  Ms. Booth assists clients in evaluating insurance options, and other methods of business risk reduction.  

Ms. Booth began her legal career with the international law firm of Bryan Cave, LLP, where she gained experience in a wide range of business litigation matters. Thereafter, she was a founding member of Gardner & Booth, a litigation firm which represented clients in business related disputes, focusing primarily on the transportation and entertainment industries.  Prior to founding Booth LLP, Ms. Booth was a partner in Dongell Lawrence Finney LLP.

Publications and Speaking Engagements

• “What to do With Your Law Firm Amidst the Pandemic: Employment and Operational Considerations” Speaker, Southwestern Alumni Association, August 2020

• “From Golden Handcuffs to Non-Competes: Understanding Employment Contracts & Restrictions” Speaker, Transportation Intermediary Associations, Lunch & Learn Webinar, May 2020

• “What do you do when, despite all your best preparation, you’re thrown a curveball at trial?” Speaker, Transportation Lawyers Association Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, May 2018

• Case Summary presentation for the Committee on Labor and Human Resources at the Transportation Lawyers Association Annual Conference, Santa Fe, NM, April 2017

• Mock Trial Presentation, Motor Carriers Insurance Education Foundation Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, March 2017

• Mock Trial Presentation, Transportation Lawyers Association Annual Conference, Destin, FL, April 2016

• "How Effective Implementation and Management of Internal Corporate Policies Can Eliminate Claims and Make Lawsuits Defensible" Speaker, Transportation Lawyers Association Annual Conference, Scottsdale, AZ, April 2015

• "Law of the Land, Law of the Jungle" Speaker, Transportation & Logistics Council, Orlando, FL, March 2015

• "Cargo Claims: What Carriers, Freight Brokers, and Shippers Can Learn From the Latest Developments" Speaker, American Conference Institute, Trucking Litigation seminar, Chicago, IL, March 2014

• "Law of the Land, Law of the Jungle" Speaker, Transportation & Logistics Council 40th Annual Conference held in Nashville, TN, March 2014

• "Independent Contractors and Employee Drivers: Your Greatest Assets and Your Greatest Risks" Speaker, California Trucking Association 2014 Annual Membership Conference in Newport Beach, CA

• "Liars, Lawyers, and the Ethics of Deception" Speaker, Canadian Transportation Lawyers Association, Annual Conference, September 2012

• "Defense Litigation Strategies for Handling Claims Based on Safety Regulations, Including CSA and Hours of Service" Moderator, The 44th Transportation Law Institute, Washington, D.C., November 2011

• "Sailing through the Himalayas: Charting the Course of Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, LTD. v. Regal-Beloit Corp. and Cases Following in its Wake" Speaker, The 44th Transportation Law Institute, Washington, D.C., November 2011

• "Employees: Your Greatest Asset and Greatest Risk" Speaker, California Trucking Association, San Bernardino/Riverside Unit, November 2011

• "Employee Classification Workshop" Speaker, California Trucking Association, Oakland, CA, September 2011

• "Incorporating New Developments by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration into Your Litigation Strategy" Speaker, American Conference Institute, March 2011

• "Should I Stay or Should I Go? Understanding and Managing Ethical Conflicts that Arise in a Transportation Practice" Moderator, Transportation Lawyers Association, Chicago Regional Seminar, January 2011

• "The Riddle of the Broker: How Brokers' Expanding Roles Expand Their Liability" Article, published in The Transportation Lawyer, 2010

• "Safety and Security Regulation and its Impact Upon Casualty and Freight Loss Litigation" Speaker, Transportation Lawyers Association Annual Conference, May 2009

• "Transportation Attorney Panel" Speaker, Transportation Loss Prevention & Security Association Annual Conference, April 2009

• "There Goes the Neighborhood: Potential Tort Liability for Diesel Emissions" Article, published in The Transportation Lawyer, 2009

• "Boats, Trucks, Trains, and Air: Regulating Diesel Impacts Associated with the Shift Toward Off-Shore Manufacturing" Speaker, California Bar Association, Environmental Committee Annual Conference, August 2008

• "Regulating Environmental Correctness: The Transportation Industry is the Next Target" Speaker, Transportation Lawyers Association Annual Conference, May 2008