California Employment News: California Wage Compliance – Avoiding Legal Pitfalls
California Employment News: CA Local Minimum Wage Updates
(Podcast) California Employment News: CA Local Minimum Wage Updates
Adaptive Reuse: From Desks to Doorways
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 514: Listen and Learn -- Discovery (Civ Pro)
A Counterintuitive Approach to Winning Without Litigation: One-on-One with Haley Morrison
(Podcast) California Employment News: Creating the Report for a Workplace Investigation – Part 4 (Featured)
California Employment News: Creating the Report for a Workplace Investigation – Part 4 (Featured)
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 511: Listen and Learn -- Landlord/Tenant Law (Part 1)
From Permits to Penalties: A Deep Dive Into Coastal Development Law
California Employment News: Synthesizing Evidence in a Workplace Investigation – Part 3 (Featured)
Doc Fees Decoded: The Price of Paperwork in Auto Sales — Moving the Metal: The Auto Finance Podcast
(Podcast) California Employment News: Gathering Information in a Workplace Investigation – Part 2 (Featured)
California Employment News: Gathering Information in a Workplace Investigation – Part 2 (Featured)
Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 314: Listen and Learn -- False Imprisonment and Shopkeeper’s Privilege (Torts)
(Podcast) California Employment News: Starting a Workplace Investigation – Part 1 (Featured)
California Employment News: Starting a Workplace Investigation – Part 1 (Featured)
Feeling the Heat: Strategies to Keep Cool Under California's Consumers Legal Remedies Act — The Consumer Finance Podcast
The JustPod: Prosecutor-Initiated Resentencing: A Discussion with Hillary Blout
I have some good news for California employers seeking to enforce arbitration agreements. The California Supreme Court just held that non-payment of arbitration fees does not automatically waive the right to arbitrate....more
Background: The Thirty-Day Arbitration Fee Rule - In 2019, the California legislature amended the California Arbitration Act (CAA) to require the party who drafts an arbitration agreement to pay all required arbitration...more
In a favorable decision for California employers, the Court of Appeal in Bradsbery et al. v. Vicar Operating, Inc., 110 Cal.App.5th 899, affirmed that employers and employees can enter into prospective, written, and revocable...more
On May 14, 2025, the California Court of Appeal issued a decision in Rose v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., addressing whether the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) can be held liable for an employer’s...more
In a significant win for employers, the California Court of Appeal recently affirmed that prospective, revocable meal period waivers for shifts between five and six hours are lawful under both the Labor Code and applicable...more
In a move that could reshape day-to-day people-management practices across the state, the California Legislature is advancing Assembly Bill 1221 (“AB 1221”), a sweeping proposal that would regulate how employers deploy...more
At first, it sounds like a dream: hiring your cousin to help with marketing, bringing your sister on as a partner, or giving your son-in-law a “small stake” in the business. It feels easy, natural, and trust-based. But...more
On April 21, 2025, a California Court of Appeal held employees working six hours or less in a single workday can prospectively waive their mandatory meal periods. The ruling provided clarification on a long-standing question:...more
On April 21, 2025, the California Court of Appeals held that prospective written meal period waivers for shifts between five and six hours are lawful, rejecting the argument that meal period waivers must be signed for each...more
The transition to in-person work after years of permitting and promoting remote work presents unique challenges for nonprofit organizations. While returning to the office (RTO) can enhance collaboration and workplace culture,...more
In a surprisingly employer-friendly decision, the California Court of Appeal recently held that voluntary, prospective written meal waivers for shorter shifts, i.e., those that are more than five but no more than six hours in...more
On April 21, 2025, the California Court of Appeal issued an opinion validating written, prospective meal period waivers for non-exempt employees. The decision in La Kimba Bradsbery v. Vicar Operating, Inc. provides employers...more
The California Court of Appeal recently issued a significant decision affirming that employers and employees may mutually agree, in writing, to prospectively waive the employee’s meal period for shifts between five and six...more
In Bradsbery v. Vicar Operating, Inc., a California Court of Appeal answered a question that many California employers may not have known even needed to be answered—whether California employees can prospectively waive their...more
Employers in California often offer employees the ability to sign “meal period waivers,” usually at onboarding. These written waivers reflect the employee’s agreement, on a going-forward basis, to waive their first meal...more
In a significant ruling for employers, the California Court of Appeal has validated the use of “prospective” meal period waivers, allowing workers to voluntarily waive their meal breaks in advance, under certain conditions....more
A California court of appeal recently upheld a trial court’s ruling that rejected a sanitation company’s effort to compel arbitration of individual claims under California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), where the...more
While California employers may be generally aware of the nine requirements for wage statements, a careful review of the nuances of each of those requirements is necessary to ensure compliance under Labor Code section 226....more
In the October edition of The Essentials, we summarize key provisions of California employment laws that took effect in 2024 and those that will take effect in 2025. Where our team previously published alerts on a particular...more
The California Labor & Workforce Development Agency (“LWDA”) recently published Frequently Asked Questions pertaining to the Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) and the recent amendments that impact PAGA claims after June...more
California employers can finally breathe a sigh of relief. The long-awaited and much-needed Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) reform has arrived. While the reform falls well short of the ballot initiative efforts to...more
Ruling on a lingering legal issue from the COVID-19 pandemic, the California Supreme Court held that an employer is not liable for cases of “take-home” COVID-19 — that is, where a household member allegedly caught the virus...more
2021 was another important year for California employers. From decisions by the California Supreme Court regarding employees’ rights to premium pay for missed meal and rest breaks, to legislation expanding the scope of...more