Private law firms that take on unpaid interns and externs need to be careful. Many industries are seeing an uptick in lawsuits by former interns and externs claiming they should have been paid, should have been provided with a required meal and rest periods and otherwise treated as employees, not the volunteers they were touted […]
Articles
So You Don’t Want Your Employer to be Your Friend?
Social media has become, in a few short years, part of the fabric of our society. Seven years ago, less than ten-percent of Americans were part of a social media site. Today, 69% of all adults with on-line access are part of a social media site, and over 90% of those between the ages of […]
Maximizing Settlement Potential in Mediation From a Non-Mediator’s Perspective
I deeply respect a great number of those persons who have applied their experience and knowledge to become mediators. A trained and skilled mediator is worth every penny of his or her fee when they keep parties struggling down the path toward a meeting of the minds when all those parties want to do is […]
Attorney Fee Awards in FEHA Claims: The Lodestar Analysis
An employee subjected to workplace harassment, retaliation or discrimination is rarely able to adjudicate his or her rights by hiring an attorney to prosecute a case on an hourly basis, especially if that wrongdoing has resulted in termination or loss of substantial income. Recognizing that the inability to enforce a right is tantamount to not […]
Staying Competitive for the Solo and Small Firm: The Paperless Law Office
With some exceptions, it is the solo and small firm practitioner who is taking on corporate America in the fight for the rights of individuals and small business. The vast majority of personal injury, employee rights and insured rights attorneys in the State work in solo and small firm businesses. These small firms regularly take […]
The Attorney as Employer: The Law Regarding Employee Privacy in Social Media
The attorney employer has a legitimate interest in hiring the best employees possible, and in monitoring the employees’ compliance with both internal rules and policies regarding the use of social media and the overall firm duties to its clients and to the Rules of Professional Conduct. To that end, review and monitoring of employee and […]
FEHA Red Flags: Common Employer Violations of California’s Disability Discrimination Laws
Employees of a vast majority of California employers who have an injury or condition that affects one or more of their major life activities are members of a protected class of persons. The Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) requires that protected class disabled persons be treated in certain defined ways. A failure to follow […]
