Practice Areas

We’re here to help you in any employment case

Wrongful Termination/Illegal Firing

North Law litigates wrongful termination claims on behalf of employees who have been fired for an illegal reason. There are many different reasons why a termination can be considered unlawful. For example, a termination is illegal if it is based on:

Sex, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or nationality
Mental or physical disability, health or medical condition, or pregnancy
Filing a workers’ compensation claim after a work injury
A complaint or report of unlawful working conditions or illegal activity by the company
Exercising your right to medical or family leave or otherwise asserting their rights under the law

Unpaid Wages, Overtime, and Other Unlawful Pay Practices

For most people, the most important part of their job is their pay. Our firm proudly represents individuals who have suffered illegal pay practices by their employers in violation of state and federal wage and hour laws. These include claims for unpaid wages and overtime, wrongful classification of employees as “exempt” or “independent contractors,” missed meal and rest breaks, unpaid reporting time, lack of suitable seating, unlawful deductions and incomplete wage statements, unpaid vacation time, and unreimbursed business expenses.

Employee Misclassification

Generally, workers are presumptively employees in California. However, sometimes companies will intentionally misclassify their employees as 1099’s or “independent contractors.” This is not legal and California has specific laws in place to prevent and address cases of misclassification. Unfortunately, some employers may misclassify employees as independent contractors in order to deny the employee rights, benefits, and protections that accompany employee status. Simply speaking, classifying an employee as an independent contractor reduces labor costs. By classifying employees as independent contractors, companies can avoid various taxes, insurance obligations, wage and hour laws, benefits, and other costs associated with hiring and employing employees.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment continues to be a problem for many workers and should not have to be tolerated by any employee, man or woman. Unlawful sexual harassment does not have to be motivated by sexual desire and may involve harassment of a person of the same gender as the harasser, regardless of either person’s sexual orientation. Sexual harassment includes many forms of offensive behaviors, such as:

Unwanted sexual moves or advances
Offering employment benefits in exchange for sexual favors
Leering; gestures; or displaying sexually suggestive objects, texts, memes, pictures, or videos
Derogatory comments, epithets, slurs, or jokes
Graphic comments, sexually degrading words, or suggestive or obscene messages or invitations
Physical touching, as well as impeding or blocking movements

If you believe you have been subject to sexual harassment, North Law is here to help you, and we will stand up for your right to work in an environment free from sexual harassment. Call us for a free consultation.

Unlawful Workplace Discrimination

Workplace discrimination is against the law. In California, the Fair Employment & Housing Act (“FEHA”) bans any type of discrimination based on various protected categories, including race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including pregnancy and related conditions), genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, age, military and veteran status, and political association. Discrimination can have a tremendous negative impact for an employee not only while they are at work but in all other aspects of their life, including their health, relationships, career, and overall well-being. If you believe you have been the victim of discrimination or harassment, request a free consultation with us to discuss your situation and your legal options.

Gender Equality

Despite recent advances, individuals are still being fired, harassed and targeted at work because they are an LGBTQ+ person. If you’ve been discriminated against because of your sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression (in hiring, firing, promotion, benefits, or work conditions), you have rights.

Examples of unlawful discrimination include:

If you have experienced discrimination or violence because you are, or are perceived to be, an LGBTQ+ person (or any other sexual orientation or gender identity), contact us for a free, confidential consultation.

Medical Leave

The California Family Rights Act (CFRA) requires employers of 5 or more employees to provide an eligible employee with job-protected leave to care for a child, spouse, domestic partner, parent, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling with a serious health condition, and for the employee’s own serious health condition. An eligible employee may also take job-protected leave to bond with a new child by birth, adoption, or foster care placement, within one year of the child’s birth, adoption, or foster placement. “Child” means a biological, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, a legal ward, or a child of an employee or the employee’s domestic partner, or a person to whom the employee stands in loco parentis. “Parent” includes a biological, foster, or adoptive parent, a parent-in-law, a stepparent, a legal guardian, or other person who stood in loco parentis to the employee when the employee was a child.

Employers of 5 or more employees must provide up to four months of disability leave for an employee who is disabled due to pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition.

Meal Periods and Rest Breaks

Companies must provide uninterrupted meal and rest breaks to employees who have worked a certain number of hours during their shift. The breaks must also be provided within a certain amount of time. If a company fails to comply with meal and rest break laws, they are liable for penalties and premium payments to employees for each missed break. Generally, hourly employees have the right to receive a 30-minute unpaid, uninterrupted, and off-duty meal period for every five hours of work, as well as a 10-minute paid uninterrupted rest period for every four hours worked, or major fraction thereof. These statutory breaks are important to workers and provide them the opportunity to eat, drink, sit, relax, and simply recover from the labor of their duties at work. Unless an employee is relieved of all duties during his or her break, the break is considered an “on-duty” break that must be compensated at the employee’s regular rate of pay.

Pregnancy Rights

Despite the blessings a new child brings to the world, pregnant employees face many challenges in today’s workplace, including negative treatment by their employers and supervisors who may consider pregnancy and a woman’s parental obligations a burden to their operations. Pregnancy discrimination is illegal in any form. Under the Pregnancy Disability Leave Law, employers must provide employees who are unable to work due to pregnancy, childbirth, or a related condition up to four months of pregnancy disability leave with continuation of health coverage and other reasonable accommodations. This includes accommodating an employee’s need for time off for medical appointments, prenatal and postnatal care, morning sickness and other pregnancy-related conditions, recovery from childbirth, and loss or end of pregnancy. The California Family Rights Act offers additional leave to employees incapacitated due to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.

If you believe you have been the victim of pregnancy discrimination, or if your employer has denied the legal protections available to you, request a free consultation with our attorneys to discuss the facts of your case and the legal options available to you.

Retaliation

Many employers have so-called “open door policies” that seemingly allow employees to raise concerns of unlawful conduct in the workplace, such as discrimination or harassment, unsafe working conditions, or a workplace injury. Unfortunately, some employers later turn against those employees who raise concerns regarding unlawful conduct in the workplace, or who turn to Human Resources to discuss their employment rights. This is known as retaliation. In California, an employer or supervisor may not retaliate against an employee for engaging in protected activity, such as reporting unlawful conduct, a workplace injury, or for seeking to exercise their leave rights. While retaliation claims can be difficult to prove, an experienced employment attorney can use the legal process to get all of the facts and hold employers accountable for their unlawful actions.

Equal Pay

As a female founded firm, North Law is committed to ensuring equal pay in the workplace. California’s equal pay laws prohibit lower pay to an employee because of the employee’s sex or gender. Among other things, these laws require that men and women be given equal pay for equal work. Although equal pay laws have been in existence for years, many employees still suffer an unfair and unequal pay gap.

PAGA Litigation

Due to the government’s limited resources to enforce California’s comprehensive wage and hour laws, the Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 (“PAGA”) empowers aggrieved employees to act as the proxy of the State’s labor law enforcement agency. PAGA allows employees whose wage rights have been violated due to an employer’s unlawful business practices to take legal action to recover losses and civil penalties on behalf of themselves, other employees, and the State. This includes claims for unpaid minimum wages and overtime, missed meal and rest breaks, work that is “off-the-clock,” wrongful classification of employees as “exempt” or “independent contractors,” incomplete wage statements, and unreimbursed business expenses.

We Champion Worker Rights to Secure Justice.

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