Partner with in house counsel and human resources executives in providing advice and counsel to maximize employee engagement, resolve legal issues, and facilitate implementation of business decisions. Represent companies of all sizes and industries in litigation with employees and former employees relating to trade secrets misappropriation, wage & hour, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, whistleblowing, PAGA, and various other claims in state and federal courts and enforcement agencies. Provide training and webinars on numerous topics including preservation of IP, social media in the workplace, workplace bullying, wage and hour compliance issues, OFCCP compliance, ADA accommodation, managing leaves of absence, and numerous additional issues. Perform substantial pro bono work, including represent U Visa applicants with USCIS, and provide co-counsel assistance on litigation with state and county agencies concerning non-compliance with statutory obligations to recipients of public assistance.

Partnering with Senior Executives and HR to assist companies in managing risks associated with employees and contractors while achieving business goals. Advice and counsel work included drafting various employment and commercial engagement agreements, protection and preservation of intellectual property, incentive compensation plans (as part of an interdisciplinary team with tax and executive compensation partners), M&A due diligence relating to employment and integration issues, reorganizations and reductions in force, relocation, employee expatriation, managing employment issues in multiple jurisdictions for national and global companies, and acting as key strategic advisor in matters concerning employees, independent contractors, and similar engagements. Litigation work included defending companies in employment-related litigation (federal and state courts and federal and state administrative agencies), managing and conducting class actions (including consulting with clients on appropriate strategies, developing and managing budgets, managing large teams across many offices, and achieving business goals), advising and assisting in managing audits by enforcement agencies, responding to and defending companies subject to administrative complaints, and conducting numerous arbitration hearings and mediation. Conduct substantial training programs, and periodic updates to laws for clients on numerous matters including background checks, managing leaves of absence, preservation of intellectual property, accommodating disabilities, Section 7 rights, social media in the workplace, ethics in internal investigations, maintaining attorney-client privilege in connection with company investigations, conducting effective internal investigations, workplace harassment prevention, and other training.

Advised companies on all aspects of employment law and handled numerous employment and commercial litigation matters. Employment advice and counsel included the following compliance issues: wage and hour; Service Contract Act/OFCCP; leaves of absence (including FMLA, CFRA, ADA); discrimination, harassment and retaliation on any prohibited basis; employee discipline and termination; workplace investigations; trade secrets misappropriation; and numerous additional issues. Litigation matters included practice before state and federal courts as well as various administrative agencies (such as EEOC, DFEH, Labor Commissioner, DOL, and EDD), and included trial, appeals, binding arbitration and mediation. Matters included various employment and commercial matters, including wage and hour, harassment/discrimination/retaliation, whistleblower, unfair competition, worker misclassification, commercial lease, software licensing, civil RICO, commercial contract, payroll tax asssessments/petitions for refund, and many additional issues.

Attorney and Shareholder: Advised companies on all aspects of employment law and defended companies of various types and sizes in employment disputes (discrimination, harassment, wage and hour, and other employment disputes). Also represented businesses in various business litigation, including licensing disputes, trade secret disputes, and dissolution of business disputes.

Represented employers, both public and private, of all types in numerous kinds of disputes, including wrongful termination, unfair labor practice, dismissals of tenured teachers, reductions in force, union aribtrations, and other disputes.