Gilda "Jill" Hernandez
Jill joined Martin & Jones in 2008. She received her undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago and graduated from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, California in 2004. While Jill was born and raised in Chicago, her parents are from Mexico, and she is fluent in Spanish.
Prior to joining the firm, Jill worked for the United States Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, from 1997 to 2008, enforcing federal labor laws such as the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Migrant and Seasonal Protection Act (MSPA), Davis Bacon Act (DBA), Service Contracts Act (SCA), and provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). During this time, she investigated and educated employers with respect to wage and hour laws; advising them on correcting violations and maintaining compliance. She also conducted outreach presentations to low-income communities and regularly collected back wages on behalf of hundreds of employees who were either wrongfully paid or not paid according to applicable statutes.
With the experience she gained while working with the Department of Labor, Jill's practice focuses on wage and hour class actions, representing employees who have experienced violations due to minimum wage, overtime, and non-payment of hours worked; misclassification of employees as exempt from overtime; misclassification of independent contractor status; illegal deductions; meal breaks and record keeping issues.
Additionally, Jill has been interviewed for and appeared on television, radio, and in print media discussing relevant wage and hour issues affecting employees in various industries subject to both the FLSA and the North Carolina Wage and Hour Act (NCWHA).
In her spare time, Jill enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and two daughters.
