News

SACRAMENTO, CA (January 12, 2015) – Weintraub Tobin announced today that its Sacramento office now holds certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The LEED green building certification program measures and rates the environmental performance of buildings and interior spaces in six categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation in design process.

In 2013, Weintraub Tobin set on a path to make their offices, located at 400 Capitol Mall in downtown Sacramento, sustainable and more energy efficient. Under the guidance of Hines, the building’s property management company, Weintraub Tobin undertook several key renovations to two floors of the building. Because the updates occurred in an existing building, the changes did not involve the destruction of habitat or natural resources. Weintraub Tobin also recycled 90 percent of its construction waste rather than sending it to landfills.

At nearly 45,000 gross square feet, Weintraub’s Sacramento office utilizes the California sunshine and makes optimum use of natural lighting. By using glass walls in its conference rooms, kitchens and several interior meeting rooms, the firm minimizes its dependence on artificial lighting. Sensors automatically switch off overhead lights in offices when they are unoccupied and other design strategies employed the use of recycled materials throughout the space. Low VOC materials such as carpet, paints and adhesives were used in an effort to improve occupant health, productivity and well-being. With the use of efficient kitchen and bathroom fixtures, the firm also reduced their water consumption by 20 percent.

“Collaborating with Weintraub Tobin and other tenants to achieve real progress in sustainable building operations is a core part of Hines’ culture and services,” said Kirk Khasigian, Hines’ commercial real estate manager. “We have adopted and will continue to take on innovative practices that improve and embrace sustainability in our buildings.”

There are plans for Weintraub Tobin to extend its sustainability efforts to its other offices in San Francisco, Beverly Hills, Newport Beach and San Diego.

About Hines
Hines is a privately owned real estate firm involved in real estate investment, development and property management worldwide. The firm’s historical and current portfolio of projects that are underway, completed, acquired and managed for third parties includes 1,317 properties representing more than 541 million square feet of office, residential, mixed-use, industrial, hotel, medical and sports facilities, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments. Currently, Hines manages 391 properties totaling 161 million square feet, which includes 89.1 million square feet for third parties. With offices in 115 cities in 18 countries, and controlled assets valued at approximately $28.2 billion, Hines is one of the largest real estate organizations in the world. Hines is also a world leader in sustainable real estate strategies, with extensive experience in LEED®, ENERGY STAR®, BREEAM, Haute Qualité Environnementale and DGNB green building rating systems. Visit www.hines.com for more information.

About Weintraub | Tobin
With offices in Sacramento, San Francisco, Beverly Hills, Newport Beach, and San Diego, the Weintraub Tobin Law Corporation combines its shared vision and pledges to be an innovative provider of sophisticated legal services to dynamic businesses and business owners, as well as non-profits and individuals with litigation and business needs. The firm continues its long-time and strong support of the communities in which its attorneys live and work. Visit weintraub.com for more information.

By Lucia Ruiz, Comstock’s Magazine

New legislation mandates California businesses to provide paid sick days to employees who do not already have access to paid time off. The Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act (Assembly Bill 1522) was signed by Gov. Brown in September, making California the second state to implement statewide paid sick leave, following Connecticut.

The law, effective July 1 of this year, will entitle employees who have worked in California for 30 days or more paid sick leave for themselves or for a family member within a year from the start of employment. Employees are entitled to one hour for every 30 hours worked, but the employer may limit the use of sick days to 24 hours. Employees can accrue paid sick days to the next year, and accrued days can be reinstated if the employee is separated from the employer and rehired within one year. AB 1522 does not provide exemptions for small businesses or government employers.

Proponents of the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act include California Work and Family Coalition, Health Officers Association of California and California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO (a co-sponsor of the bill). They highlight the positive impact and long-term wellness benefits for employees who have access to PTO, saying it will benefit the 40 percent of Californians who do not already have the benefit.

Lizbeth West, shareholder at Weintraub Tobin, says this bill will also benefit employees who already receive PTO by allowing them to take “paid sick days for reasons that employers may not otherwise have designated.”

But the food-service industry has particular concerns about the bill. Chris Jarosz, a Sacramento restaurateur and president of the California Restaurant Association’s Sacramento chapter, says restaurants, unlike other types of employers, are being forced to “double the cost of an employee’s day off, because we have to pay a replacement to cover the shift. For a restaurant, it creates a huge extra expense.

“All of us in the hospitality industry value our employees and want to take care of our people,” he says, “but in this case it makes it very hard on us.”
Other opponents of the bill include the California Chamber of Commerce and California Employment Law Council. These groups maintain an alternative to mandatory PTO should be implemented, saying the law should incentivize PTO and reduce costs for employers in other areas in order to make paid sick leave more affordable for businesses.

The bill does not cover union workers, employees in the construction industry, providers of in-home supportive services and individuals employed by an air carrier, such as a flight deck or crew member.

Click here to view the article online.

LexisNexis Releases 2014 Edition

Book Highlights

• How to navigate the complex issues surrounding family leave, military leave, worker’s compensation and personal time.
• Insightful analysis of the key employment features to keep in mind when dealing with leave laws in California.
• Determinative considerations in accounting for the many different California and federal rules through the use of case studies.
• Important cases and their implications. Cases are presented along with practical analysis for the day to day issues faced in the typical employer/employee relationship.
• California and federal model notices.
• Useful forms and checklists.

Hard copy and electronic versions of the book are available online.

SACRAMENTO, California – August 25, 2014 – Today, Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin Law Corporation (Weintraub Tobin) congratulates its eight partners who have been included in The Best Lawyers of America© 2015.

Chris Chediak, Sacramento, Corporate Law
Mike A. Kvarme, Sacramento, Real Estate Law
Dale Campbell, Sacramento, Commercial Litigation
Louis Gonzalez, Jr., Sacramento, Litigation – Real Estate
Jim Clarke, Sacramento, Tax Law & Litigation and Controversy – Tax
Charles L. Post, Sacramento, Employment Law Management & Litigation – Labor and Employment
David Adams, Sacramento, Corporate Governance Law & Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law
Dan Eng, San Francisco, Banking & Finance Law, Corporate Governance Law, Securities/Capital Market & Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law

View the full press release.

Download: Milk Producers Council Brochure_final.pdf

Milk Producers Council and Weintraub Tobin announce their strategic partnership to provide members with consultation and education services on labor and employment and environmental issues. Click PDF to see brochure.

Download: Milk Producers Council Brochure_final.pdf

Milk Producers Council and Weintraub Tobin announce their strategic partnership to provide members with consultation and education services on labor and employment and environmental issues. Click PDF to see brochure.

In a July 16th article for Super Lawyers, Larry Rosen writes about the successful law career of Weintraub Shareholder Gary Bradus, as well as his roots in the Sacramento community.

Read the full article on the Super Lawyers website, here.

Download: Press Release. Gary Rothstein.pdf

San Francisco, California – July 10, 2014 – Weintraub Tobin, a business law and litigation firm, is pleased to announce that Gary Rothstein has joined the San Francisco office.
Rothstein has extensive experience in trust, probate matters and estate planning. He handles complex estate planning for individuals and families, advising clients on advanced estate planning techniques, including revocable and irrevocable trusts, life insurance trusts, family limited partnerships and charitable giving vehicles. “Gary is an outstanding attorney with considerable experience in trusts and estates and we are thrilled to have him join us,” says Kelly Dankbar, Chair of the Firm’s Trusts and Estates Group.

To view the full press release click the link above.