Recent Blog Posts
When Your Employer Uses a Non-Compete or “At-Will” Disclaimer: What California Workers Need to Know
Many California employees are handed offer letters, employee handbooks, or standalone agreements containing two common provisions: an “at-will employment” disclaimer and some form of non-compete or post-employment restriction. Employers often rely on these clauses to suggest broad discretion over hiring, firing, and restricting competition. However, California employment law places significant limits on both. Understanding… Read More »
Understanding Harassment and Hostile Work Environment Claims Under FEHA (and Title VII)
Workplace conflict is not uncommon, but California law draws a clear line between ordinary workplace friction and unlawful harassment. Employees frequently ask whether offensive comments, unfair treatment, or ongoing tension at work rise to the level of a legally actionable hostile work environment. Employers, meanwhile, must understand when conduct triggers legal duties to investigate… Read More »
California Employment Law: 2025 Year in Review (and What’s in Store for 2026)
As 2025 closes and 2026 gears up, California’s employment law landscape continues to evolve rapidly. Over the past year, the state legislature and regulatory authorities enacted a wide range of changes affecting wage & hour compliance, pay equity, leave rights, personnel records, enforcement penalties, employer notice obligations, and more. Understanding these developments and the… Read More »
Pregnancy, Parenthood and Job Security Under California’s Leave and Accommodation Laws
Pregnancy and the transition to parenthood can be joyful, stressful, and overwhelming all at once. California law recognizes this and provides some of the strongest protections in the country to ensure that employees can progress through pregnancy, childbirth, and bonding with a new child without sacrificing their careers. These protections come from several overlapping… Read More »
Age Discrimination Beyond 40: Recognizing Subtle Bias in Hiring, Promotions and Layoffs
In today’s workforce, experience and institutional knowledge are invaluable. Yet too often, older employees and job applicants find themselves overlooked or marginalized because of stereotypical assumptions about age. Age discrimination remains one of the most pervasive yet least discussed forms of workplace bias. Both California and federal law prohibit discrimination against workers aged 40… Read More »
Employee Drug Testing for Marijuana After AB 2188: What California Employers and Workers Need to Know
California’s Assembly Bill 2188 reshaped the rules employers must follow when testing applicants and employees for marijuana. The law, effective January 1, 2024, protects employees’ off-duty cannabis use by limiting the kinds of tests employers may rely on and carving out important exemptions where testing remains permissible. Below is a practical guide explaining when… Read More »
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act: A New Era of Protections for Pregnant Employees
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) marks a significant step forward in workplace protections for pregnant employees in the United States. Although several existing federal and state laws already prohibit discrimination based on pregnancy, the PWFA fills critical gaps by affirmatively requiring reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers. The law took effect on June 27,… Read More »
Supreme Court Unanimously Rules in Favor of Plaintiff in Landmark “Reverse Discrimination” Case
The United States Supreme Court issued a major ruling last month that has the potential to increase employment discrimination claims and litigation in workplaces across the country. While this watershed ruling in one sense ensures a level playing field for all plaintiffs in discrimination claims, it upends long-standing precedent in federal courts when evaluating… Read More »
Baby Bonding: How California and Federal Laws Give You Critical Time to Spend With Your Child After Birth or Adoption
Welcoming a new child into the family is one of life’s most transformative moments. Whether through birth, adoption, or foster care placement, this early period of connection is crucial for both the child and the parents. Medical experts widely agree that bonding time helps newborns develop secure attachments, promotes emotional well-being, and allows parents… Read More »
California’s 2024 PAGA Reforms: Key Changes Wrought in AB 2288, SB 92, and AB 1034
In late June 2024, California’s legislature approved landmark reforms to the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) that both strengthen worker protections and curb overly broad lawsuits. PAGA is a state law that allows employees to sue employers on behalf of the state in sort of a “mini-class action” for wage and hour labor law… Read More »
