Farella Braun + Martel's employment law attorneys specialize in providing employment litigation and counseling services to employers. We work with employers to find the most effective ways of achieving their goals while minimizing litigation risks. Our advice is informed by an appreciation for our clients' business structure and priorities, as well as lessons learned over decades of litigation practice. Our lawyers regularly train employee groups and professional organizations regarding legal compliance and contemporary workplace best practices in order to minimize litigation and maximize productivity.
When litigation is necessary, our representation is informed by decades of trial and motion experience on topics such as disability accommodation, sexual harassment, wrongful or discriminatory discharge, refusal to hire or promote, and wage & hour compliance. We defend employers against both individual and collective actions. From the start of any litigation, we partner with our clients to find cost-effective resolution methods consistent with the employer's goals and business needs. Our experience includes trials before juries, judges and arbitrators, as well as appeals before state and federal panels. We also regularly appear before governmental agencies in hearings regarding employment matters, including wages, hours, commissions, bonuses and working conditions. Our employment litigators possess the skills and experience needed to resolve even the most complex, high-stakes employment disputes.
Our clients range from leaders in the beverage and vineyard industries to major and emerging Bay Area technology companies and professional services firms, and from small, private employers to publicly traded corporations. We frequently work with the firm's Business Transactions, Intellectual Property, Tax, Insurance Coverage and other practice groups to take an interdisciplinary approach to learning about our clients' employment issues, their context within the workplace, and the companies' business priorities, leading to timely, thoughtful and practical advice.
Our employment law attorneys counsel businesses on a full range of employment law matters:
- Effective and lawful hiring processes, including interviews and background checks;
- Preparation and implementation of personnel manuals and policies;
- Training of both management and non-management employees concerning harassment, performance management, hiring, diversity, disability accommodation, wage & hour compliance, and leaves of absence.
- Overtime classification, breaks, hours worked, wage payment and other compliance with California and federal wage and hour laws;
- Labor union relations, including collective bargaining agreement negotiations;
- Protection of trade secrets as employees depart, and avoidance of litigation when hiring employees from competitors;
- Investigation and remedy of illegal harassment allegations;
- Legal obligations to grant leaves of absence and otherwise accommodate disabilities, balanced against the employer's ability to regulate attendance and performance;
- Proper selection and processing of workforce reductions;
- Discipline, discharge and severance;
- Investigations of workplace violence and establishment of appropriate protective measures;
- Employee privacy protections; and
- Insurance coverage for various employment-related disputes.