Current Employment-Law Issues for Lawyers (and other businesses)

Small businesses are covered by many laws they often don't even know about. This includes lawyers and law firms, who may focus on clients without making time for their own business practices. Our March 24 presentation to the Napa County Bar Association addresses some recent developments in employment law relevant to most law firms - and equally applicable to other businesses as well. Some issues include:

• California Family Rights Act

• Leaves for a "Designated Person"

• Mandatory Bereavement Leave

• Employee "Emergency Condition" Rights

• State-mandated Retirement Benefit Options

• Pay Scale Disclosures

• Settlement and Severance Agreements

• Non-Compete and Non-Disclosure Agreements

View a copy of the March 24 presentation via this link.

2023 Employment Law Update

Our initial 2023 Employment Law Update is on January 10, 2023, in Napa, California. The presentation will cover new laws from the past year as well as recent court cases and administrative developments. Some topics include:

• Minimum wage and other wage-payment changes

• Pay data reporting and pay scale disclosure

• Leaves of absence and sick pay use

• Reproductive health decisionmaking

• Emergency condition protection

• COVID-19 exposure notification, workplace standards, Cal-OSHA regulation

• Employee and consumer privacy issues

• Specific industry regulation such as hotel, agricultural, and call-center employers

• State and federal agency changes

• Federal NLRB policies affecting non-union employers

• Recent caselaw affecting rounding, penalties, arbitration agreements and confidentiality

View a copy of the 2023 update via this link.

Lawyers as Employers: Navigating Part-Time Employees and Contractors

Contractors and part-time employees present many (or most) of the same labor-law issues as their full-time colleagues. Our July 29 presentation to the Napa County Bar Association addresses some of these issues, viewed from a lawyer-as-employer perspective. Some issues include:

• independent contractors

• workers compensation

• Equal Employment Opportunity law

• salary vs. hourly employees

• meal and rest periods

• overtime, split-shift, and other pay issues

• vacation and sick leave

• employee benefits

View a copy of the July 29 presentation via this link.