Chantal McCoy Payton, Esq.
Managing Shareholder
An engaged, aggressive litigator, Chantal McCoy Payton, the Founding Shareholder of Payton Employment Law, PC, has a passion for the field of employment law and helping employees obtain compensation and achieve justice when they are subjected to illegal conduct in the workplace. Chantal truly understands the difficulties employees face when they are being harassed, discriminated or retaliated against, or not paid in accordance with the law and has it her mission to combat such conduct.
Throughout her career, Chantal has represented employees in single-plaintiff, multi-plaintiff, and class action and Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) matters. Her clients have included business executives and owners, attorneys, paralegals, doctors, nurses, schoolteachers, other professionals, and workers at various levels within the healthcare, retail, service, construction, manufacturing, housekeeping, hospitality, and other industries. Throughout her career, Chantal has obtained numerous six-figure settlements, including both class action, single-plaintiff, and multi-plaintiff settlements, as well as multiple favorable judgments for her clients.
Chantal has committed her career to being a voice for employees whose rights have been violated and works tirelessly to obtain compensation on behalf of her clients. Described by her clients as “knowledgeable,” “smart,” “helpful,” “informative,” “reliable,” “driven,” “thorough,” “understanding,” “diligent,” “patient,” “kind,” “talented,” “dedicated,” “professional,” “an absolutely amazing attorney,” and “a great lawyer and human being,” Chantal strives to provide excellent service to each of her employee clients with her focus always centered on achieving her clients’ goals.
Chantal was selected to the Superlawyers Southern California Rising Stars list for four consecutive years, from 2019 through 2022, an honor reserved for those lawyers who exhibit excellence in their practice. Only 2.5% of attorneys in Southern California receive this distinction. Ms. Payton was also named to two of the Super Lawyers' Top Attorney "Best of the Best" Lists for Southern California. She received the honor of being named as a Top Attorney on the Up-and-Coming 50 List of 2022 Women Southern California Rising Stars. Ms. Payton also received the honor of being named as a Top Attorney on the Up-and-Coming 100 List of the 2022 Southern California Rising Stars.
Prior to founding Payton Employment Law, PC (formerly Payton Employment Law), Chantal was a managing partner and attorney of Knight Employment Law for over three years where she managed the firm and represented hundreds of employees in various professions in navigating workplace disputes and aggressively advocating for financial compensation when employers failed to follow the law. Before joining the partnership of Knight Employment Law, Chantal worked as an associate with a boutique employment law firm in Los Angeles, where she also advocated for the rights of employees who had been subjected to unlawful conduct in the workplace.
Chantal began to develop a passion for employment law following her first year of law school, when she held an internship in the legal department of Sony Electronics, Inc. and assisted the Company with employment litigation and advice. Subsequently, she held a prestigious clerkship at the California Attorney General’s Office--in the Employment and Administrative Mandate section--where she helped defend the State of California in employment disputes brought by state employees. During law school she also held a law clerk position at a well-respected employment law firm in San Diego where she focused on employment litigation and an externship with the Honorable Judge John A. Houston, of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.
Chantal is a graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law, where she received various academic awards and accolades, including winning the Best Respondent Brief award in a national moot court competition.
Chantal enjoys giving back to her community, with a particular focus on charitable and pro bono activities dedicated to helping our State’s youth. She has participated in High School Outreach Events and Law School Admissions Workshops, volunteered as a judge in Mock Trial Competitions, and spoken to various student groups about the legal field in effort to encourage and inspire students to achieve their higher education goals. She received a Certificate of Merit in Recognition of Service from University of San Diego School of Law for volunteering over 100 hours with various organizations while she was a law student.
Contact Information
(424) 334-3194 Ex. 700 or (661) 434-1144 Ex. 700