Los Angeles Employment Lawyer

Los Angeles Employment Law Attorney

Have an Employment Dispute in Los Angeles, CA?

Employment law focuses on the legal relationships between employers and their employees and the respective rights and responsibilities of each. Virtually every working relationship in California falls within the purview of federal labor laws, and the state also enforces various laws that apply strictly to work within the state. Every employer is legally required to not only meet all applicable federal employment regulations but also adhere to state labor laws, and when they violate any federal or state employment laws, affected employees have the right to seek legal recourse.

Experienced Legal Counsel for Los Angeles Employment Law Disputes

If your employer has not paid you correctly, discriminated against you in any way for your personal traits, or you experienced any form of harassment in your workplace, do not assume that you are powerless to hold an employer accountable. While employment law can be very complex, the right Los Angeles employment attorney can assist you in determining the best available solutions to the current legal issues you face with your employer. Legal representation you can trust is the most valuable asset you have when it comes to holding an employer accountable for any mistreatment you have experienced in their workplace.

The Shirazi Law Firm, PC, offers client-focused employment law counsel in the Los Angeles area. Our team has helped many employees overcome illegal mistreatment of all kinds from their employers, often uncovering recovery options they did not know were available to them at first. It can be difficult for the average person with no legal experience to understand federal and state employment laws and industry-specific regulations, or discern whether a recent experience with a Los Angeles employer constitutes harassment or discrimination. We can help you determine your best options for legal recourse against an employer in the Los Angeles area, providing ongoing support and guidance through every stage of your case.

Why Should I Hire a Los Angeles Employment Attorney?

There is no law requiring you to hire an attorney if you intend to file any sort of employment-related claim in Los Angeles, but having the right legal team behind you will make every aspect of your claim easier to manage and more likely to generate the results you hope to see. The average person is likely to struggle to understand the federal and state laws that may pertain to their case. Even if they know they can prove the truth behind their experiences, they may be unaware of their rights to compensation and/or their options for ensuring accountability.

When you hire a Los Angeles employment attorney to represent you, you will have an experienced legal advocate who understands the employment laws that apply to your case. They will be able to guide you through the various stages of a Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) claim, a civil suit against an employer, or any other type of legal case that falls within the purview of California employment law. Not only are you more likely to succeed with your claim when you choose the Shirazi Law Firm, PC, to represent you, but you are also more likely to maximize any compensation you obtain from the case.

Workplace Discrimination

Workplace discrimination occurs whenever an employer treats an employee unfairly due to their personal qualities. This can also occur in reverse when an employer demonstrates preferential treatment to an employee or a group of employees on the basis of their personal qualities. Anti-discrimination laws are enforced at the federal level by the EEOC, and the EEOC is also responsible for investigating reports of unlawful workplace discrimination.

Discrimination takes many forms, including adverse treatment of employees on the basis of their race, skin color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, medical status, disability, pregnancy, military/veteran status, or other protected personal qualities. Unfortunately, many workers in all industries in the United States experience various forms of discrimination without realizing they have been subjected to illegal mistreatment. Others know they are being mistreated but endure it because they are afraid of the financial repercussions of quitting. Many employees subjected to all forms of illegal discrimination ultimately require the assistance of experienced employment attorneys to help them understand their legal rights.

The Shirazi Law Firm, PC, can provide comprehensive and compassionate legal representation if you have been subjected to discrimination of any kind in your workplace. It may seem difficult to prove the true nature of your recent experiences at work, but your attorney can help you gather evidence of the pattern and practice of your employer’s discriminatory behavior. They can also secure circumstantial and direct evidence on your behalf, helping to substantiate your claim.

Wrongful Termination Claims in Los Angeles

California enforces an at-will employment law, meaning both an employer and their employee have the right to end their work relationship at any time. While it is customary and considered common courtesy to provide two weeks’ notice if you plan to leave a job, this is not a strict requirement. You have the right to quit your job for any reason or no reason, with or without any prior notice. However, your employer also has the right to terminate your position at any time with no requirement to warn you in advance.

Many people decry the at-will employment law as unfairly biased toward preserving the interests of employers over employees. It’s commonly assumed that at-will employment laws effectively allow employers to get away with firing employees whenever they wish, but they may not fire them for illegal, discriminatory reasons. Wrongful termination claims may be difficult to prove, but your Los Angeles employment attorney can assist you in determining the best methods for proving the truth behind a recent illegal firing.

Wage and Hour Disputes

All employers are required to adhere to state laws in terms of employees’ wages, overtime pay, and double-time pay for eligible workers. The state enforces a higher minimum wage than the federal minimum wage requirement that all employers must respect. Unfortunately, some employers do not fulfill these obligations and attempt to take advantage of their employees in various ways. As your Los Angeles employment attorneys, the team at the Shirazi Law Firm, PC, can help you resolve wage and hour disputes, including:

• Misclassifying employees as salaried or an “exempt” employee when legally they are non-exempt and entitled to hourly pay, overtime, breaks, and other benefits.
• State minimum wage violations, which include any failure or refusal to meet the state’s minimum wage.
• Overtime law violations. Failure to properly pay overtime. Some employers will alter employees’ work records to avoid paying overtime, and some employees are entitled to double-time pay based on how much they work.
• Pay stub violations, such as failing to provide accurate paystubs showing all deductions.
• Illegal paycheck deductions.

If you have experienced any violation of state wage and hour laws due to your employer’s illegal conduct, we can help you hold them accountable and secure compensation for the wages and benefits you haven’t been paid.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is the most commonly reported form of workplace harassment in the United States, and this can occur in many ways. Some employers engage in “quid pro quo” sexual harassment, which essentially describes any proposed transaction of sexual favors in exchange for job-related benefits. An employer may offer job perks in exchange for sex, or they may threaten penalties if the employee does not agree to their demands.

The term “sexual harassment” does not only apply to sexually suggestive and/or aggressive misconduct but also the mistreatment of employees on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, and other personal qualities pertaining to the employee’s sex. If you believe you have experienced any type of sexual harassment, it is crucial to speak with a Los Angeles workplace discrimination attorney as soon as possible to determine your best options for responding to this behavior.

If you succeed with a sexual harassment claim against a Los Angeles employer, you could potentially secure far more compensation than you initially expected with the right attorney handling your case. No one should experience sexual harassment, and any such incident can easily cause a host of economic losses and emotional distress to the victim. Whatever your case entails, you can expect respectful and compassionate guidance from our team through all stages of your case.

Damages you can recover in your employment/wrongful termination case:

Your Los Angeles employment attorney will help you determine the scope of damages you
can seek from the defendant’s employer. Depending on the nature of your claim, you may be
entitled to recover:

• Back pay for any wages you lost because you lost your job.
• Front pay for any wages you will lose in the future because you lost your job.
• Compensation for benefits the employer denied you.
• Economic damages related to losing your income, for example, the cost of job searching, transportation, and other expenses resulting from the defendant’s actions.
• Compensation for medical expenses that your employer-provided health care insurance should have covered. For example, if you were wrongfully terminated because of pregnancy discrimination and left without health insurance for the remainder of your pregnancy, you could potentially hold the defendant accountable for these costs.
• Compensation for your emotional distress. There is no upper limit to the amount you can seek for this, and your Los Angeles employment attorney will know what to seek in your civil claim.
• Compensation for any wage and hour violations.
• Attorneys’ fees and costs reimbursement.
• Punitive damages to punish the employer’s bad conduct and incentivize them to stop such actions.

The average person may be unaware of the full scope of damages they can seek from an employer, and they may not realize they have any room for legal recourse at all. If you are unsure how to respond to recent adverse treatment you experienced from your employer, it is vital to connect with a Los Angeles employment attorney as soon as possible.

What to Expect From Your Los Angeles Employment Lawyer

When you choose the Shirazi Law Firm, PC, to represent you in any employment case, you will have a responsive legal advocate ready to address your concerns and answer your questions as they arise throughout your case proceedings. We can assist you in determining whether you have a solid foundation for an employment case and explain how your case is likely to unfold. You can rely on our team to help you put together the strongest claim with all the supporting evidence you will need to prove the truth of your experience.

Our firm excels at complex employment litigation, and we are often able to identify avenues of legal recourse our clients cannot identify on their own. The Shirazi Law Firm, PC, has helped many clients in the Los Angeles area approach their cases with greater confidence. We know how daunting it can be for the average person to think of taking serious legal action against an employer, especially if that employer is a large corporation with an in-house legal department and substantial resources.

Regardless of whether you must take legal action against a large corporate employer or a local small business owner, if they have violated your rights under federal or state employment laws, we can help. Contact the Shirazi Law Firm, PC, today and schedule a free consultation with an experienced Los Angeles employment attorney.