Employment

Los Angeles Employment Attorney

Dedicated Legal Representation Helping Employees and Employers in California Employment Law Cases

Are you facing employment law issues related to your job performance, fair labor standards, allegations of workplace harassment or discrimination, wage and hour claims, or other legal matters under state or federal employment law? Experienced employment lawyers from several California law firms are available to assist you in defending your legal rights in the pursuit of fair treatment and, if applicable, financial recovery. Our employment law firm, led by attorney Matias Castro, provides compassionate and knowledgeable legal representation to clients with complicated employment law cases.

Employment law is the practice area related to understanding employee rights and the responsibilities employers have in working relationships. Employment and labor law covers pay scales, minimum wage, hiring, training, firing, employment contracts, work hours, discrimination claims, and all other aspects of the workplace. Local employment lawyers can assist you in filing your claims with the appropriate government agency to pursue unpaid wages, anti-discrimination measures, and more.

State and federal laws protect employees in the workplace from harassment, discrimination, stolen wages, and other illegal practices committed by management and executives. Our Los Angeles employment lawyer is well-versed in California’s wage and hour laws, retaliation laws, and all apps relevant to employment litigation and legal action. To learn more about how state and federal law protect your rights and how an employment law attorney can help workers and job applicants with complex legal issues, please contact our Los Angeles law firm to schedule your initial consultation with our legal team today. We have satellite offices throughout Southern California to aid you with your legal matters.

What Types of Employment Law Cases Do Los Angeles Employment Lawyers Represent?

Los Angeles attorneys in employment law represent clients in a wide variety of legal matters related to employment, hostile work environments, labor law compliance, and more.

Our employment law firm represents clients in the following practice areas:

  • Breach of employment contracts
  • Class action lawsuits
  • Collective bargaining agreements
  • Employment discrimination
  • Family and Medical Leave Act violations
  • Fraud
  • Injunctive relief
  • Leave of absence cases
  • Severance agreements and negotiations
  • Sexual harassment accusations
  • Unpaid wage claims
  • Wage and hour disputes
  • Whistleblower retaliation cases
  • Wrongful termination claims
  • And more

Employment and labor attorneys, such as our own Matias Castro, are here to help you understand the various state and federal laws that protect your rights in pursuit of justice and financial compensation for any legal troubles you have been forced to contend with. To learn more about how we may be valuable legal guidance to you during this difficult ordeal, please contact our Los Angeles law office to schedule your case review today.

Do State and Federal Employment Laws Protect Employee Rights?

Various state and federal laws protect employee rights and establish the responsibilities between employees and their employers in the working relationship.

Laws that protect workers in California include the following:

  • Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
  • California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR)
  • California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)
  • California Family Rights Act (CFRA)
  • Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
  • Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
  • Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
  • National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)
  • Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
  • Title VII for workplace discrimination
  • Wage and hour laws
  • Whistleblower and retaliation laws
  • Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN)

These laws protect employee rights and different characteristics of California workers. Trying to keep track of the various laws that protect your rights and determine whether your rights have been infringed upon can be overwhelming. For this reason, it is strongly recommended that you work with a local employment attorney for legal guidance. Please contact our Los Angeles law firm to schedule your case evaluation with our legal team today.

What Constitutes Workplace Discrimination Under California Employment Laws?

Employment discrimination is when an employer, supervisor, or manager treats an employee unfairly based on their protected characteristics. Essentially, if an employer takes action against an individual and their employment, based not on their qualifications or actions but rather on their protected class, this would be illegal. Examples of actions that may be considered discriminatory include harassment, choosing not to hire job applicants, retaliation, denying reasonable accommodation, termination, preferential treatment, or unfair treatment of those with protected characteristics.

California’s anti-discrimination laws protect anyone within a protected class. If you have a protected characteristic under California law, it is unlawful for an employer to discriminate against you based on that characteristic.

Examples include the following:

  • Age discrimination
  • Ancestry and national origin are protected characteristics
  • Disability discrimination, including discrimination based on a worker’s mental or physical disabilities
  • Discrimination based on marital status
  • It is unlawful to discriminate against a worker based on their sex, gender, or gender identity
  • Military or veteran status is protected
  • Race or ethnicity are protected characteristics
  • Religious beliefs are protected characteristics
  • Under California law, it is illegal to discriminate against a worker based on their sexual orientation

If you are facing pregnancy, disability, racial, religious, sexual orientation, national origin, or other types of discrimination, you may have a valid workplace discrimination lawsuit. In your workplace discrimination case, you must demonstrate that you’ve been discriminated against based on your protected character class. By filing a lawsuit, you can hope to end the discriminatory practices, gain personal vindication, potentially obtain financial compensation, and protect others in the future from the same sort of discrimination in the workplace.

What is Considered Sexual Harassment or a Hostile Work Environment?

California’s sexual harassment laws protect workers from illegal sexual harassment and misconduct based on their gender or gender identity. The laws protect workers from employers, coworkers, customers, and vendors.

Examples of what constitutes sexual harassment in the workplace include the following:

  • Unwanted sexual advances or invitations
  • Threatening reprisals after a negative response to sexual advances
  • Offering employment benefits in exchange for sexual favors
  • Demanding submission to sexual advances in return for job security
  • Unwanted touching, fondling, kissing, or other physical contact
  • Verbal misconduct, such as making lewd remarks, sexually explicit jokes, degrading comments, or commenting on an employee’s body or sexual activity
  • Visual misconduct, such as making sexual gestures, inappropriately staring at the employee, or displaying sexually provocative imagery in a workplace

State laws protect individuals who are the targets of sexual harassment, who witness sexual harassment taking place, and those who offer support to sexual harassment victims.

A hostile work environment develops when an employee is subjected to unwanted or offensive sexual behavior that is so pervasive that any reasonable person would call the workplace hostile or toxic. Examples of conduct that could create a hostile work environment include the use of gender or sexual orientation-based slurs, spreading sexual rumors, physically blocking another person’s movement, catcalling, unwanted kissing or hugging, graphic discussions of sex lives, lewd comments, displaying pornography at work, sexting, and sexually based commentary or jokes.

Victims of sexual harassment often suffer hardship, mental anguish, and sometimes employment difficulties. By filing a sexual harassment lawsuit, you can hope to hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions, obtain justice for victims, prevent employers from victimizing others in the future, and potentially secure financial compensation.

Do You Have a Valid Wrongful Termination Claim?

California is an at-will employment state, which provides employers with broad discretion to terminate an employee with or without cause. However, not all terminations are legal, as certain firings may violate one of California’s public policies.

A wrongful termination occurs when a California worker is fired, dismissed, or forced to quit their employment because this action violates law or public policy. A wrongful termination may also occur if the employer has violated an existing employment agreement with the employee.

California employees who have been wrongfully terminated can seek justice and financial compensation with the help of employment lawyers. A successful wrongful termination case can recover past and future lost wages, emotional distress damages, lost benefits, and potentially other economic or noneconomic damages.

Wrongful termination can also occur for retaliatory or discriminatory reasons. To ensure that you have a valid wrongful termination claim, we advise you to contact our LA law office to schedule your no-obligation case evaluation with our legal team today.

What Are Wage and Hour Violations?

California workers are protected by wage and hour laws. A wage or hour violation relates to unlawful behavior by employers directed at their employees, usually either by mistake or intentionally denying workers their fair wages. While the hour and wage laws primarily protect workers from denied wages, they also provide a certain level of legal protection from employers who don’t pay the minimum wage, refuse to pay overtime wages, deny lunch or rest breaks, and intentionally misclassify employees to avoid paying them various benefits or having to offer health insurance.

If you have been the victim of illegal wage and hour violations, you must seek the professional legal representation of an experienced employment law attorney. Our California law firm proudly serves clients in the Los Angeles area, as well as San Diego and Beverly Hills, from our North Hollywood law office. We also have satellite offices ready to serve you in San Bernardino County, Orange County, and LA County.

You could win a sizable settlement for your wage and hour claim depending on the strength of your evidence, any financial or emotional losses, and your employer’s history of workplace violations. To learn more about how to file a claim against the at-fault parties in your case, please contact our Los Angeles attorney to discuss your employment law case in more detail today.

Have You Suffered from Retaliation After Whistleblowing or Reporting Dangers to Occupational Safety?

When workers engage in protected activities, such as reporting workplace discrimination, harassment, safety violations, illegal practices, or participating in an investigation, they are protected from retaliation by their employers. Examples of workplace retaliation include demotion, reduced hours, termination, and other forms of mistreatment.

It can take a lot of courage to speak out and speak up about wrongdoings occurring in your place of work. Those who blow the whistle on companies and corporations do so, knowing they risk their income, career, and reputation. You may be considered a whistleblower if you have reported your company’s wrongdoings or legal violations to the proper government authorities or enforcement agencies. Examples of common wrongdoing include violating state or federal employment laws, fraud, failing to abide by health and safety regulations, and failing to comply with public policy or local regulations.

If you have faced retaliation for engaging in a protected legal practice as a California worker, please contact our law firm to discuss your claim with the attorney. Employment lawyer Matias Castro has extensive experience representing clients in complex employment law cases, including those who have faced retaliatory measures based on them reporting illegal activity, being a whistleblower, or being discriminated against.

What Remedies Could Potentially Be Sought for Your Employment Law Claim?

With a successful employment law case, we can cover many remedies and compensation for workplace harassment, wrongful termination, wage violations, or other illegal acts that have harmed you.

Examples of potential remedies may include the following:

  • Anti-retaliation injunctions
  • Attorney legal fees and court fees
  • Injunctions for wage and hour violations
  • Injunctions to prevent discrimination or harassment
  • Lost wages and benefits
  • Non-economic damages for emotional distress, grief, loss of enjoyment of life, anxiety, humiliation, and other forms of mental anguish
  • Penalties for Labor Code violations
  • Reinstatement
  • Unpaid wages, including unpaid overtime
  • And in some cases, punitive damages

The type of damages you may receive will depend upon the specifics of your employment case. Please consult a Los Angeles employment law lawyer for legal guidance in understanding the value and validity of your employment law claim.

Schedule an In-Depth Case Evaluation with an Experienced Employment Attorney in Los Angeles, CA, Today

As a California worker, you have legal rights protected by state and federal laws. If those rights are threatened, you must seek professional legal counsel from an experienced California employment law attorney.

Our Los Angeles legal team has years of experience representing the rights of employees across Southern California. As your legal representative, California employment law lawyer Irina Lemberg will work tirelessly to evaluate your claim, gather useful evidence, and represent your legal rights in and out of the courtroom in pursuit of the most optimal outcome for your case.

To learn more about our legal services and how we may assist you during this difficult legal matter, please contact our Los Angeles firm to schedule your initial consultation with our employment law attorney today. You can reach us at 310-750-2580.