Practice Areas

Workplace Rights Lawyers Helping California Residents

In most cases, an employer has far greater resources than an employee. If you are asserting your employment rights, your employer and its lawyers may try to take advantage of your unfamiliarity with legal protections. You should retain an experienced California employment lawyer to represent you in a dispute with your employer and protect your rights. At The Nourmand Law Firm, we exclusively represent employees. We handle matters such as employment discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation, and wage and hour violations. We represent clients in employment class action lawsuits as well. We have more than 20 years of experience.

Employment Law

Your relationship to your employer is governed by federal, state, and local laws. Any dispute with an employer may involve the complex, nuanced intersection of these laws. A dispute with your employer may place your job or career at stake. Accordingly, it is wise to retain an attorney to help you assert your rights and seek any damages to which you are entitled.

Employment Discrimination

Employment discrimination occurs when an employee is treated unfavorably due to his or her membership in a protected class. In most cases, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) provides greater protection for employees than federal law does. FEHA protects a broad range of classes and also applies to small employers with just five employees. For instance, FEHA prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, gender, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability, among other classes. Our employment attorneys can assist California workers in any of these groups. Harassment based on membership in a protected class is a form of discrimination, and it is prohibited in workplaces of any size in California.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is prohibited under both FEHA and Title VII. It can involve any kind of unwelcome advance or conduct of a sexual nature. It may involve quid pro quo harassment or hostile work environment harassment. The former occurs when the benefits of employment depend upon an employee’s submission to an authority figure’s sexual propositions, demands, or conduct. Hostile work environment harassment occurs when a workplace is made abusive by severe or pervasive harassment by coworkers, clients, customers, or management.

Wrongful Termination

California employees are typically at will. This means that they can be terminated for any reason or no reason at all. However, some employment agreements specify that an employee can only be let go for good cause or for cause. Additionally, your employer cannot terminate you in violation of law or public policy. If you are terminated because you belong to a class protected by FEHA, for example, you may be able to recover damages.

Retaliation

Your employer should not retaliate against you for reporting the employer’s legal violations, opposing employment discrimination or harassment, asking for reasonable accommodations for your religious practices or disability, or pursuing a qui tam lawsuit. If your employer responds to your engagement in a protected activity by making the workplace so intolerable that you must quit, a California employment attorney can help you bring a claim for constructive termination.

Wage and Hour Law

Employers must abide by wage and hour laws when paying their employees. These laws govern minimum wage, overtime, meal and rest breaks, tipping, and more. In most cases, California laws provide greater protection to employees than do federal laws. For instance, California’s minimum wage is greater than the federal minimum wage.

Class Actions

Class action lawsuits can be a useful tool to fight employer misconduct, particularly in matters involving wage and hour violations. Sometimes claims in wage and hour and other areas of employment law are tiny compared to the cost of litigating the matter. Employers may take advantage of that to deny workers their rights with regard to tipping, overtime, or meal breaks. Banding together in a class with fellow employees who are experiencing the same or similar violations can make the likelihood of prevailing against your employer or securing a settlement greater.

Defamation

To sue for defamation in California, you will need to establish that a false statement of fact was made about you and published to a third party, the defendant published the false statement negligently or with greater fault than negligence, and your reputation was harmed as a result. Defamation includes both libel, or written false statements, and slander, or oral false statements.

Consult a Seasoned Employment Lawyer in California

If you were mistreated at work, you should talk to the attorneys at The Nourmand Law Firm. Our attorneys will work with you to understand how the wrong that you suffered has adversely affected your life. We analyze the facts of each case with rigor and depth. Our goal is to give each client the personalized attention needed to put him or her in a favorable position. We represent clients in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties, as well as Oakland and Sacramento, among other areas. Complete our online form or call us at 310-553-3600.