Employment Counseling

As the landscape of federal and state employment law continues to develop, the workplace becomes more dynamic and legal compliance becomes more difficult. The Labor and Employment attorneys at Weintraub Tobin have years of experience providing up-to-date, practical legal advice to help employers maintain a productive and compliant workplace.

Our attorneys partner with clients to understand their unique industry and workplace to ensure that the advice and counsel is tailored and practical. Our attorneys provide day-to-day advise on a wide spectrum of workplace issues such as hiring, performance management, disciplinary actions, terminations and layoffs, employment and severance agreements, covenants not to compete, employee policies and handbooks, and compliance with federal and state laws concerning wage and hour, leaves of absence, reasonable accommodations, health and safety, contracts and policies, and the prevention of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation.

Our team has extensive experience in the following related services:

  • Worker Classification
  • Employment Contracts and Policies
  • Leaves of Absence and Disability Accommodations
  • Wage and Hour Compliance
  • Confidentiality, Restrictive Covenants, and Trade Secret Protection
  • Performance Management, Discipline, and Discharge
  • Preventing and Responding to Harassment, Discrimination, and Retaliation
  • Litigation Prevention and Risk Management Strategies
  • Workplace Health and Safety

Sands Through the Hour Glass: Wage and Hour Update

Summary of Program Unfortunately, both single-plaintiff and class-action wage and hour lawsuits continue to plague California employers. Often employers are sued because of technical violations that occur simply because the employer is unaware of its legal obligations. In addition, the ever increasing number of claims filed with the Department of…

  • When: Apr 14, 2016
  • Where: Weintraub Tobin

Even Keanu Can’t Figure It Out: The Leave Law Matrix

Summary of Program Administering leaves of absence and disability accommodations in California can be very challenging.  California has a paid sick leave law and numerous other leave laws and wage replacement benefits that interact with one another. To properly administer leaves and accommodate employees, employers need to understand the various…

  • When: Mar 17, 2016
  • Where: Webinar

Weintraub Tobin Labor and Employment Group to Speak at AB 1513 Seminar

Weintraub Tobin will be joining a panel of speakers on February 4, 2016 at the AB 1513 Seminar on Critical Piece Rate Pay Legislation Affecting the Construction Industry. The panel will summarize AB 1513 and discuss how it will affect the construction industry. Visit the California Professional Association of Specialty Contractors (CALPASC) website for more information…

  • When: Feb 4, 2016

Guardians at the Gate: Properly Trained Managers are Your First Line of Defense

Summary of Program Most employers know that it is crucial to have well trained supervisors to help ensure that rank and file employees perform their jobs effectively and efficiently. However, many employers don’t realize how important it is that supervisors be trained to understand the many employment laws that govern…

  • When: Feb 18, 2016
  • Where: Weintraub Tobin

Conducting Effective Workplace Investigations

Join the attorneys from Weintraub Tobin’s Workplace Investigations Unit (Vida Thomas and Lizbeth West) for this one-day, in-depth training on conducting effective workplace investigations: The legal duty to investigate Selecting the right investigator Recognizing your own biases Conducting effective witness interviews Writing the investigation report Seminar Program8:30 am – 9:00…

  • When: Mar 3, 2016
  • Where: Weintraub Tobin

Mandatory AB 1825 Sexual Harassment Prevention Training

Summary of Program The regulations regarding California’s Mandatory Sexual Harassment Prevention Training for supervisors require that certain employers provide training to their supervisors every two years. The Labor and Employment Group at Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin is offering a two hour in-person training session that will comply with all…

  • When: Dec 10, 2015
  • Where: Weintraub Tobin

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Documentation in the Workplace

Summary of Program The Labor and Employment Group at Weintraub Tobin is pleased to offer this very informative training session that will help business owners, human resource professionals, and managers to both comply with legal record keeping requirements and also prepare and maintain effective defensive documentation. Program Highlights Postings, notices,…

  • When: Oct 15, 2015
  • Where: Weintraub Tobin

Tips and Traps When Hiring and Firing Employees

Summary of Program The Labor and Employment Group at Weintraub Tobin is pleased to offer this informative seminar that will discuss recent cases to help business owners, human resource professionals, and managers avoid liability and effectively hire employees as well as carry out disciplines and terminations. Program Highlights • Training…

  • When: Sep 17, 2015
  • Where: Weintraub Tobin

Your Greatest Asset or Worst Liability: Your Employee Handbook (San Francisco Seminar)

Summary of Program Employee handbooks are essential for employers in today’s litigious environment. A carefully prepared, up-to-date, and customized handbook can be an employer’s biggest weapon against labor and employment litigation if properly used. This informative seminar will outline the dos and don’ts in drafting an effective and well written…

  • When: Aug 19, 2015
  • Where: Weintraub Tobin

Fourth Edition of California Leave Law: A Practical Guide for Employers, co-authored by Weintraub Tobin Shareholder, Lizbeth (“Beth”) V. West

Fourth Edition of California Leave Law: A Practical Guide for Employers, co-authored by Weintraub Tobin Shareholder, Lizbeth (“Beth”) V. West, and published by Matthew Bender (LexisNexis), now available. Book Highlights: A full explanation of federal and state leave laws.Tips on how to navigate the complex issues surrounding family leave, disability accommodation…

Third Edition of California Leave Law: A Practical Guide for Employers, co-authored by Weintraub Tobin Shareholder, Lizbeth West

Third Edition of California Leave Law: A Practical Guide for Employers, co-authored by Weintraub Tobin Shareholder, Lizbeth West, and published by Matthew Bender (LexisNexis), now available. Book Highlights: Key revisions to California’s CFRA regulations explained.A summary of the requirements under California’s new mandatory sick leave law.How to navigate the complex…

Local Attorney Named Fellow of Litigation Counsel of America

By Bea Karnes (Patch Staff) A Sacramento attorney has been chosen for membership in an exclusive trial lawyer honorary society limited to 4,000 Fellows, representing less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers. Lizbeth (“Beth”) West of Weintraub Tobin has been selected as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of…

Eight Weintraub Tobin Attorneys Named to Best Lawyers In America© 2015

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 LawMike A. Kvarme, Sacramento, Real Estate LawDale Campbell, Sacramento, Commercial LitigationLouis Gonzalez, Jr., Sacramento, Litigation…

IRS Ruling On Automatic Gratuity Begins January 2014

New laws for the new year. Labor & Employment attorneys discusses the recent change to automatic gratuity charges, typically for parties eight or larger dining in a restaurant. Labor and Employment group members appear on CNBC early this year (click to watch video). For more information please visit our Labor &…

Weintraub Tobin and Waldron & Bragg Merge

Download: WTWB Merger Press Release FINAL.pdf Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin Law Corporation and Waldron & Bragg, a professional corporation, have jointly announced the merger of their business law and litigation firms. The combined firm will be named Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin and have offices in Sacramento, Calif., San…

PAGA Amendments Not the Solution Employers Need

By: Jessica Shoendeist California employers hoped for significant changes following Governor Brown’s budget proposal that called for the Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) to have more oversight of claims made under the Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 (PAGA).   The budget proposal noted that the departments tasked with investigation and…

OSHA Penalties For Health & Safety Violations Are Going Way Up Starting August 1, 2016

In November 2015, Congress enacted legislation requiring federal agencies to adjust their civil penalties to account for inflation. The Department of Labor (DOL) adjusted penalties for its agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA’s maximum penalties, which were last adjusted in 1990, will increase by 78%. Going…

The EEOC Special Task Force Issues Its Report on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace and Finds that “We Have Come Far But Still Have Far To Go”

The EEOC Special Task Force (“Task Force”) has spent the last 18 months examining the myriad and complex issues associated with harassment in the workplace. Thirty years after the U.S. Supreme Court held in the landmark case of Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson that workplace harassment was an actionable form…

Two Things You Can Do To Reduce the Likelihood That Your Company Will Be Found Liable For Conspiring Or Aiding And Abetting In An Employee’s Breach of Duty To A Former Employer

When companies sue their former employees for theft they often claim that the former employee’s new employer has conspired with the former employee to misappropriate trade secrets, or that that new employer has aided and abetted the former employee’s breach of duty he/she owed to his/her former employer. Like Woodward…

DFEH Releases New Guidance Regarding Transgender Employees

The Department of Fair Employment and Housing (“DFEH”) recently issued new guidance for employers to prevent discrimination against transgender employees, who are protected under California’s Fair Employment & Housing Act (“FEHA”). Since 2012, FEHA protection has been extended to include gender identity and gender expression categories, and defines “gender expression”…

Avoid These Three Investigation Traps!

By: Vida L. Thomas Conducting workplace investigations is not easy.  The process is filled with land mines that can trip up even the most experienced investigator.  Although there are many mistakes I’ve seen investigators make, these are the three most common. Trap #1: Failing To Define The Investigation’s Scope Before…