Find Lawyers in California, United States for Employment Law - Management
Practice Area Overview
Employment law is the practice area of lawyers who advise employers about workplace related issues.
Regulations governing the way employees are hired, managed, disciplined, and terminated are complex and constantly evolving. These laws affect companies differently depending on size, industry, and workforce makeup. Businesses must ensure that employment policies, training program, and everyday practices are in compliance – or risk crippling lawsuits. Employment law practices emphasize preventive counseling to minimize liability and potential business interruption for employers. Employment law audits are frequently utilized to expose problem areas before they become legal nightmares.
Despite the best efforts of conscientious employers to comply with the law and to treat employees fairly, lawsuits can occur. Such suits present problems both obvious – large verdicts, for example – and more insidious – such as the waste of management’s time and resources which can interfere with productive, efficient business operation. This ever-increasing scope of employment litigation intersects with virtually all types of business litigation including class actions, products liability, premises liability, traditional torts, and business contract disputes of all types. The employment litigation practice continues to expand with each new right or legal obligation enacted by federal and state legislators or recognized by the courts.
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Cities
Leslie Abbott is a partner in the Los Angeles Employment Law Department of Paul Hastings LLP, where she has practiced since 1991. She previously served as Global Employment Law Department Vice Chair-West Coast, and Chair of the Los Angeles Employment Law Department. Her practice includes the representation of employers in all aspects of employment law. Ms. Abbott is Chair of the firm’s PAGA Practice Group. She focuses her practice on defending complex class, collective and representativ...
Elena Baca is the Global Chair of the Paul Hastings Employment Law Department and leads a diverse group of more than 80 lawyers in 10 offices around the world. Ms. Baca is a first-chair litigator who regularly navigates high-stakes litigation, conducts sensitive investigations and advises C-suite executives and corporate boards on compliance and regulatory issues involving human capital. In her role as practice Chair, Paul Hastings’ Employment Department has anticipated and led the resp...
Ken is a founding partner of the firm. He has dedicated his legal career to labor and employment law matters primarily involving union-management relations. He is considered one of the country’s preeminent management attorneys in the hospitality industry and has lectured throughout the country on preventive labor relations and other employment-related issues. Although Ken is a strong management advocate and a result driven negotiator, he maintains unique working relationships both with ...
Evan D. Beecher is a principal in the Sacramento, California, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He represents management in all types of employment disputes including harassment, discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination cases in both state and federal court as well as in arbitration and administrative hearings. Evan also defends employers in wage and hour matters, including class and representative action lawsuits. In addition, Evan provides advice and counsel to clients on a variety o...
Sue M. Bendavid is a California employment defense attorney. She is a Shareholder and the Chair of Lewitt Hackman’s Employment Practice Group. Working exclusively with employers and management, Ms. Bendavid handles individual and class action litigation, arbitrations, mediations, claims prevention, and management training. She has been a guest on KPCC (NPR news affiliate for Southern California) and has been quoted in the Los Angeles Time s, the San Francisco Chronicle , the Daily Journ...
Raymond Bertrand is Chair of the San Diego Office and San Diego Employment Law Department. Mr. Bertrand is one of the nation’s premier litigators. A skilled trial attorney with more than 20 defense verdicts, he has represented numerous Fortune 500 companies in their most challenging, high-profile employment cases. Mr. Bertrand is equally adept at helping his clients navigate the court of public opinion, helping protect their interests and reputations by working closely with media and co...
Ivy Kagan Bierman’s practice includes the representation of entertainment and related companies in labor, production, distribution, technology and other business matters. She handles both transactional and litigation matters for clients. Ivy is one of a select few entertainment industry labor lawyers looked to for representation in guild and union matters by film and television production companies, digital companies and networks, cable networks, public broadcasting companies, distribut...
Charles S. Birenbaum serves as the firm’s Chair of Northern California. Chuck is an experienced labor and employment attorney who focuses his practice on traditional labor and employment law matters, and has wide-ranging experience litigating in state and federal courts as well as various administrative agencies. He has testified on proposed legislation impacting entire industries before state legislative committees, and has interfaced and negotiated with labor organizations, politician...
Carolina Bravo-Karimi is a member of the firm's Employment Law group. Her practice is focused on representing employers in a variety of employment disputes, including wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation and wage and hour litigation. Representing both public and private entities, Carolina is an expert in handling complex matters and balancing the needs of several high-profile stakeholders. Carolina also serves as Practice Chair of our recently launched Diversity, Equi...
Ellen Bronchetti represents a range of employers in both employment matters and traditional labor disputes. She litigates on behalf of employers in wage and hour matters, trade secret misappropriation cases, and matters involving whistleblowers, statutory leave, breach of contract claims, and accusations of wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. Ellen’s litigation practice spans both state and federal courts, including complex class actions and representative...
Koray J. Bulut, a partner in Goodwin’s Employment practice and a leader of the firm’s Trade Secrets, Employee Mobility + Non-Competes group, focuses his practice on employment law, with an emphasis on litigation matters. He is experienced litigating cases in both state and federal courts, as well as before administrative agencies, in a wide variety of disputes, including employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, unfair competition, enforcement of non-competes and other r...
Carolyn G. Burnette is office managing principal of the Sacramento, California, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. In addition to more than 20 years of litigation experience, Carolyn also brings to the firm a significant workplace investigation background. Her litigation and investigation cases have involved a spectrum of high-level employment law issues, including conduct alleged against executives, elected officials, attorneys and other senior personnel. Carolyn also has a robust advice and couns...
James P. Carter is a principal in the Orange County, California, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He counsels and defends employers in all aspects of employment law, including discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation, wage and hour claims, non-compete and trade-secret issues and claims, class action cases, breach of contract claims, disability accommodation, leave of absence, and workers' compensation issues. James represents clients in many industries including financial, bi...
Ryan Derry’s practice includes various aspects of employment litigation and counseling, including employment discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and wage and hour issues. He has represented employers in multiple jurisdictions in state and federal courts as well as in administrative proceedings against individual and class claims across industries, including retail, transportation, finance, healthcare, and technology fields. A talented litigator, Mr. Derry is adept at handling compl...
Marie DiSante is the Firm Managing Partner at CDF Labor Law LLP (CDF), a California focused labor, employment and immigration defense law firm with five offices throughout the state. An employment litigation attorney whose dual role as a California business owner and entrepreneur allows her to understand her clients’ workplace challenges firsthand, Marie DiSante has been resolving and preventing disputes for employers for 28 years. Her active leadership in the business community shapes ...
David Durham concentrates his practice on representation and advice to businesses in all matters involving labor unions. He works in many sectors, including technology, real estate, retail, higher education, construction, marine terminal operations, rideshare, health care, alcoholic beverage producers, food service, hotel, newspapers, radio, television and live entertainment. Read full biography: https://www.mwe.com/people/durham-david/
Haeggquist & Eck partner and trial attorney Amber Eck is a tenacious advocate for employees, consumers, and shareholders, and has been for the past 28 years. Amber has taken cases to trial in both state and federal court as lead trial attorney and has recovered millions of dollars for her clients in settlements, including multiple six- and seven-figure settlements. Amber doesn’t shy away from high-profile defendants — a fact well-illustrated by her role as co-lead counsel in t...
Mia Farber is a principal in the Los Angeles, California, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. and a former member of the firm's Board of Directors. She is co-leader of the Class Actions and Complex Litigation practice group and has extensive experience in all facets of employment litigation. Mia has represented employers in all types of employment litigation, including sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination. She also has vast experience in the area of wage and hour ...
Louise Ann “Luzann” Fernandez is co-chair of the Labor and Employment practice group, with more than 30 years of experience. Luzann is a fierce litigator who is hired by corporations, hospitals, and celebrities for high profile and exposure cases. Luzann does not back down from challenges facing her clients and comes up with out of the box and novel theories. Luzann is also active as an independent investigator. Using her litigation experience, Luzann investigates claims of discri...
Cameron W. Fox is the Chair of the Los Angeles Office and Chair of the firm’s Traditional Labor Practice Group. She works in the firm’s Los Angeles and San Francisco offices. Ms. Fox represents employers in all aspects of employment law and labor relations, with a particular emphasis in the technology industry. Employment Law. Ms. Fox has successfully defended employers in numerous jury trials and bench trials, in arbitration, and on appeal against claims of discrimination, harass...
Tim Freudenberger is a Founding Partner at CDF Labor Law LLP (CDF), a California focused labor, employment and immigration defense law firm with five offices throughout the state. Freudenberger represents California and national employers in all aspects of labor and employment law and related litigation, with a special emphasis on defending class action wage and hour lawsuits, class action employment discrimination lawsuits, and other complex employment litigation matters. He heads CDF’...
Yesenia M. Gallegos focuses her labor and employment practice on a wide range of matters, including restrictive covenants, wage and hour law, discrimination and harassment claims, executive employment agreements, leaves of absence, employee terminations and reductions in force. Yesenia represents employers in employment litigation—including class actions—pending in both state and federal court. She also represents employers in actions against former employees in trade-secret and e...
Lonnie Giamela is a partner in both the Los Angeles and Irvine offices. He represents a broad range of clients, from small businesses to national companies, in all sectors of manufacturing, retail, wholesale distribution, hospitality, education and the automotive industries. Lonnie has handled a full range of labor and employment matters, from single-plaintiff to multi-plaintiff, in both federal and state courts in California, the California Court of Appeals, the California Supreme Court and ...
Brent Giddens is a Partner at CDF Labor Law LLP (CDF), a California focused labor, employment and immigration defense law firm with five offices throughout the state. A labor and employment attorney experienced in litigation, strategic and operational issues, Giddens helps California employers advance their business goals, representing clients in all facets of the employer/employee relationship. He has extensive background and experience in defending class actions, as well as individual actio...
John has been practicing labor and employment law for over 40 years. Even in college, John was focused on labor-management relations matters, having written his senior honors thesis (later published) on the role of central labor bodies within the AFL-CIO hierarchy. His published article gained national attention, such that he was hired as an expert witness while still in law school to testify in a National Labor Relations Board trial on whether a central labor council violated the National La...
Matthew B. Golper serves as a trusted advisor, litigator, and business partner to employers of all sizes, ranging from startups to Fortune 500 businesses, in all aspects of employment law and related litigation. Matt’s litigation practice is focused on providing employers with aggressive, but goal-oriented, representation in complex wage-hour matters, including class, collective, and PAGA representative actions. He also regularly defends employers in discrimination, harassment, retaliat...
Paul Grossman is a partner in the Employment Law practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Los Angeles office. Mr. Grossman represents major private employers in all aspects of employment law, including class action, wage and hour, wrongful discharge, discrimination, sexual harassment, and whistleblower cases. He is the general counsel of the California Employment Law Council (CELC), an organization of approximately 70 of California’s largest employers. Its mission is t...
Stephen Harris is a partner in the Tax Department of Paul Hastings, and co-chair of the firm’s Global Compensation, Benefits, and ERISA practice. Steve is a recognized leader in compensation, benefits, and ERISA law. He has been ranked by Chambers USA as one of the top employee benefits and executive compensation lawyers in California and Chambers has noted that he “maintains an impressively broad practice that includes IRS, HIPAA and COBRA compliance.” He is also recognized...
Richard N. Hill practices in all areas of labor and employment law. He appears in both state and federal courts and has argued before the United States Supreme Court. He also regularly practices before the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the California Labor Commissioner. Richard has extensive trial experience and regularly handles arbitrations involving collective bargaining and trust fu...
Chris Hoffman is the founding and managing partner of the San Diego office. He has represented hundreds of employers in matters ranging from class action litigation, to traditional labor matters and general employment advice. While litigation remains a significant portion of his practice, Chris also spends a significant amount of time counseling clients regarding day-to-day employment issues and assisting them to find practical and proactive solutions to their legal problems. Chris was select...
Samantha Hoffman serves as firm managing principal and is also a member of the board of directors. A long-trusted advisor to her clients and the firm, Samantha believes in mentoring and supporting junior lawyers to grow into leadership positions and continue helping Jackson Lewis be a leader among law firms breaking the “glass ceiling.” Samantha has worn many administrative hats at the firm, including office managing principal of the Orange County office, where she was responsible...
Ron Holland represents employers in state and federal court litigation, including wage and hour class actions, whistleblowing, wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, breach of contract, and other complex labor and employment matters. He has experience defending employers in proceedings before governmental agencies, such as the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the California Labor Commi...
Thomas S. Ingrassia is a founding member of Pettit Kohn Ingrassia Lutz & Dolin, and serves as the firm’s Chief Financial Officer. As co-chair of the firm’s Employment and Labor Department, Tom regularly assists his clients in developing and enforcing appropriate employment practices and policies, investigating claims of employee harassment/misconduct, and defending all forms of employment litigation before State and Federal courts and administrative agencies. Tom has achieved ...
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