STRIVING TO BRING A VOICE TO THOSE WHO ARE AND FEEL UNHEARD.
Alana Karbal is an associate in the firm’s Employment Law and Unpaid Wages & Overtime practice groups, representing clients in workplace disputes and fair compensation matters.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Michigan, Alana earned a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School. While in law school, she excelled both in and out of the classroom, winning academic awards, serving on the Wayne Law Review as Note & Comment Editor and Assistant Editor, and participating in the Transactional Law Competition.
To supplement her legal studies and gain real-world insight, Alana interned with the Michigan Court of Appeals and the Oakland County Circuit Court, and clerked for a busy Detroit-area probate practice. During her final year of law school, Alana clerked for a well-respected plaintiff-side employment and civil rights firm and later joined that practice as an associate after graduating and passing the bar exam. Alana started with Sommers Schwartz in November 2020.
Alana is adept at investigation, discovery, research, and drafting. She meticulously manages case files, ensures critical deadlines are met, and plays an active role on the litigation team.
Outside the office, Alana enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, exercising and being outdoors, baking, and volunteering.
Accomplishments
- $5.125 million class action settlement for onsite and remote call center agents forced to work off the clock without wages or overtime pay.
- $1 million dollars in confidential settlements for unpaid wages and overtime on behalf of 134 cannabis cultivation and processing workers.
- $50,000 wage and hour settlement for an individual employee whose employer misclassified him as an independent contractor to avoid payment overtime and for failing to compensate him for work-related expenses
Memberships
- State Bar of Michigan
- Labor & Employment and Young Lawyers Sections
- American Bar Association
- Michigan Association for Justice
- Oakland County Bar Association
- Jewish Bar Association of Michigan
- Yad Ezra
- Volunteer
- Jewish Family Service
- Volunteer, Fall Fix Up
Testimonials
Thank you for being so on top of things!
Alana, thank you for your work on my case. Your communication and fight for my rights were amazing!
Alana Karbal and Jesse Young did an excellent job fighting a giant for my wages. They pushed me to get what they needed from me and were amazing at communicating with me at all times. I won my arbitration and was so excited when I got more than what I expected. Sommers Schwartz has obviously great attorneys and a great reputation. Thank you, Alana and Jesse, for being great attorneys and for handling my case and winning!
- Wayne State University Law School, Juris Doctor, 2018
- Note & Comment Editor and Assistant Editor, Wayne Law Review
- Women’s Law Caucus
- Jewish Law Students Association
- Patrick J. Burkett Memorial Endowed Scholarship
- University of Michigan, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, 2015
- President, Conference on the Holocaust
- Jewish Awareness Chair, Sigma Delta Tau
- Michigan
- Employment Law
- Unpaid Wages & Overtime