The California employment law attorneys at Bisnar Chase have been fighting and winning cases for over 46 years. Our law firm boasts a 99% success rate and a well-established reputation for professionalism, compassion, expertise, and skill.
The complex field of employment law encompasses many legal issues in the workplace. California law protects employees’ rights regarding workplace treatment, fair wages, meal and rest breaks, and overtime payment.
Our paralegals, mediators, experts, negotiators, lawyers, and other legal staff work tirelessly to change people’s situations, find them justice, and rebuild their lives.
Why Choose Bisnar Chase?
We believe in going the extra mile for our clients, providing care and support throughout the resolution of their cases. But results are important, and we offer superior legal representation.
- Bisnar Chase has a dedicated team working exclusively on employment cases and class actions.
- We have a 99% success rate.
- More than $1 billion won for our clients.
- An award-winning team handling cases across California.
- Offering a free consultation with a no win, no fee promise.
Bisnar Chase’s California Employment Law team represents employees whose worker rights have been violated, who have not been paid for the work they have completed, and who are not given appropriate rights regarding breaks. If you need an employment lawyer for any workplace issues, contact us for a free consultation at (800) 561-4887.
Employment Lawyers for California Workers
Can I Sue My Employer in California?
Yes, there are many instances when a worker can file a legal action against their employer. At Bisnar Chase, we handle a wide range of cases covering workplace conduct and employer actions.
For example, even though most employees in California are “at-will” (meaning they can be fired at any time without a reason), you can still sue your employer if they fire you for engaging in legally protected activities, such as reporting workplace harassment or discrimination.
If you are compelled to leave your job due to unsatisfactory working circumstances, this is known as “constructive termination,” and you have the right to sue your employer. However, it is crucial to remember that your employer’s actions must typically be illegal to file a lawsuit for constructive termination.
The best way to maximize your legal claim is to work with the best employment lawyers in your area. Contact Bisnar Chase today to find out if you have a case.
How Much Does an Employment Lawyer Cost in California?
Many employment lawyers in California work on a contingency fee basis, meaning they only get paid if they win your case. In this case, they typically charge around 33% of your total compensation. The attorney’s fees will come out of the settlement or verdict.
At Bisnar Chase, we advance the costs required to win your case. This allows you to avoid out-of-pocket legal expenses and ensures that our services are available to everyone.
What Will an Employment Law Attorney Do for Me?
Having a labor law attorney on your side will help you avoid missteps that could affect the outcome of your claim. Our attorneys typically work on various employment issues, including litigating wage and hour lawsuits, reviewing compliance procedures and finding violations, negotiating employee contracts, and other labor-related issues.
Workplace investigations require a qualified employment lawyer to uncover violations and pursue justice for the employee(s). Whether it’s wrongful termination, retaliation, harassment, or a wage and hour dispute, we will fully investigate the alleged violations of your rights as a California worker.
What Should I Look For When Hiring a Law Firm?
- The cost of hiring the lawyer.
- Legal experience and longevity.
- Ease of connecting with the attorney and paralegals.
- Reputation in the legal community.
- A track record of winning cases, specifically involving employment law.
- The ability to communicate effectively.
- Licensed and bonded with a clean CA. Bar record.
What Can I Do to Assist My Attorney?
Your cooperation is critical to a successful outcome. Ensure you follow all your attorney’s instructions, including all necessary paperwork, court documents, and evidence. Many times, a labor law case falls apart because the plaintiff loses interest and stops cooperating with the attorneys.
Bring all your pertinent documentation, grievances, and evidence to your consultation with the attorney. Always be upfront with the lawyer; hiding critical facts in your case can be detrimental later on.
What Are Some Examples of Violations or Unfair Treatment?
Discrimination:
- Being denied a promotion because of your age: If you’re qualified for a promotion but passed over in favor of a younger employee with less experience, that could be age discrimination.
- Being fired after disclosing your pregnancy: It’s illegal to fire someone because they are pregnant or might become pregnant.
- Being paid less than your colleagues for the same work because of your race or gender is a fundamental right. Equal pay for equal work is a basic right.
Harassment:
- Offensive jokes or comments about your religion or ethnicity: A hostile work environment created by offensive jokes or comments can be a form of harassment.
- Unwanted sexual advances or touching from a coworker or supervisor: This type of behavior is illegal and can create a hostile work environment.
Retaliation:
- Being demoted after reporting safety violations: It’s illegal for an employer to retaliate against you for reporting workplace safety concerns.
- Being fired after filing a wage and hour complaint: If you’re fired for complaining about unpaid wages or overtime, that could be retaliation.
Other Illegal Conduct:
- Being denied necessary family or medical leave: You can take leave for certain family and medical reasons.
- A worker being forced to work in unsafe conditions: Your employer must provide a safe work environment.
- Being denied wages that are legally owed to you includes minimum wage, overtime pay, and other earned wages.
Top 5 Most Common Employment and Workplace Violations
Every day, small businesses and large corporations worldwide engage in many misconceptions, justifications, and outright wrongdoing. It’s up to you to know when an employer’s conduct is unacceptable or when any actions in the workplace are illegal.
Many companies employ HR departments to ensure they are legally compliant. However, mistakes are often made that impact workers’ rights.
Here is a list of the top 5 most common employment and workplace violations that workers should know about:
- Not Paying Overtime: It is not up to your employer whether you are eligible for overtime pay. If you are non-exempt, your employer must pay you time and a half for all hours you work after 40 hours in a specified week, according to federal law, or anything over 8 hours in a day, per California state law.
- Misclassification of Workers: Many companies try to sneak under the radar and get away with sneaky justifications and stretching regulations. Some treat independent contractors like employees and allow them to fill out a 1099 form at the end of the year.
- Working Off the Clock with No Pay: All non-exempt workers must be compensated for their time working, taking calls, and/or other business matters when off the clock, at night, on the weekends, at home, or away from their desks.
- Disciplining for Social Media: The National Labor Relations Act protects employees’ ability to communicate and discuss how much they make with each other. This gives a legal opportunity to correct information being shared in a unionizing event or any other circumstance.
- Meal Periods and Rest Breaks: All non-exempt employees in California are entitled to a lunch break of at least 30 minutes for every five hours worked. They must also get an additional 10-minute paid break for every four hours worked. These breaks should be uninterrupted. Failure to provide proper meal and rest breaks is one of the most common workplace violations we see.
These are just a few examples of common employment claims, but we deal with these and many others across California. For example, people with jobs involving manual labor, such as farm workers and factory workers, are often subject to poor working conditions. Even if these people are undocumented workers, they can file a lawsuit against their employer.
The violations, issues, and concerns of what many businesses and corporations are getting away with are devastating, making the importance of knowing, understanding, and standing up for you, your co-workers, and your family’s rights even stronger.
You may not be the only one experiencing these violations and deceptions. They could be silently or unknowingly happening to your friends, family, and coworkers. We encourage you to use this information to recognize workplace issues and take action.
Trust Bisnar Chase with your case. We have helped over 14,000 clients, fighting for justice and recovering over $1 billion.
California Employment Law Trial Attorneys
We are well-versed in California workplaces’ laws and will inform you if your case against your employer is eligible for compensation.
Our law firm has an outstanding team of legal professionals who work every case down to the last detail. Our California employment attorneys are also skilled trial lawyers and regularly take cases to trial.
Having superior legal representation when taking legal action against your employer is the smartest thing you can do. The lawyers at Bisnar Chase have more than four decades of experience winning employment rights and employment law cases.
Experiencing a violation from your employer can not only be highly frustrating and financially devastating, but it can also cause depression, PTSD, and emotional and interpersonal communication problems. These significant impacts on your personal life can be utterly traumatic and can rip families apart.
Don’t settle for a labor and employee rights lawyer who refuses to try your case, or simply settle with your employer.
Wage and Hour Law Violations
Wage and hour cases are seen most frequently out of all the types of cases in employment law because these cases are easily the most documented cases of employment law violations. Wage violation occurs in the following situations:
- Employer fails to provide pay stubs with the required information.
- Employees are classified as “exempt” and are not given overtime pay, meal periods, or rest breaks.
- An employer does not provide employees with 10-minute breaks for every four hours of work.
- Employers do not provide employees with full 30-minute meal breaks within the first five hours of work.
- Employer fails to provide paid time for tasks required to properly prepare for work.
- Employer fails to ensure employees are meeting minimum wage requirements.
- Employer fails to provide second meal breaks for shifts longer than 10 hours.
Learn more about the specific California laws regarding wage and hour violations:
Harassment and Hostile Work Environment
Harassment on the job and unfair wages and discrimination are the realities of millions of American workers and apply when an employee of a company legitimately fears going to their workplace due to the hostile environment they encounter there. Filing a lawsuit in these situations is difficult, but not impossible. Visit our hostile workplace environment page to see if you have a case.
Wrongful Termination
California is an “at-will” employment state, meaning an employer may terminate an employee at any time, with or without cause. However, there are exceptions to this law. For example, it is illegal to terminate someone because of a protected category, such as the worker’s age, religion, or disability.
If the reason for a termination does not involve a protected category, it can be very difficult to bring a case against a company for wrongful termination. But Bisnar Chase investigates evidence of wrongdoing within the termination process and other aspects of the employer’s treatment of its workers to ensure justice is done.
Should I Consult With a Lawyer After I Am Fired?
There are many reasons why you might be fired. But before you start panicking, it is important to know that there are some things that you can do to protect yourself.
If the employer has not given you a reason for the termination, it is essential to determine whether they have violated your rights. For example, if they have discriminated against you or violated your contract by terminating your employment without notice or giving a reason.
If this is the case and the employer does not comply with their legal obligations, you should consult a California employment law lawyer before accepting any settlement offer from them. At-will termination can apply in certain states.
Important Employment Laws for California Workers to Know
The California Labor Code is the most important resource for workers in California. This is a collection of statutes that govern employer actions and protect the welfare and employment prospects of workers in our state.
Some of the most critical areas of the California Labor Code in legal actions over employment violations include:
- Labor Code Section 510 – Overtime Pay
- Labor Code Section 512 – Meal Periods and Rest Breaks
- Labor Code Section 2802 – Expense Reimbursements
These are just a snapshot of the California-specific legislation that we see violated most often by employers. Click here to view the full California Labor Code, broken down into divisions.
In most cases, state laws supersede federal employment laws. However, some of the key federal employment laws to keep in mind include:
2025 Top Labor Employment Law Attorneys
Our top-rated California employment law attorneys have defended workers’ rights for decades. Many companies take advantage of their workers. But when they cross the line and violate labor laws, Bisnar Chase is here to fight for you.
We have the experience and resources to take on major companies on some of the most challenging cases in the state of California. Our skill and attention to detail allow us to maximize compensation and win cases that other firms don’t even want to take.
At Bisnar Chase, we will win your case, or you won’t pay anything. Our team has the ability and resources to win your case, and we have five locations to serve clients throughout the state of California
Contact our expert California employment lawyers at Bisnar Chase today for a free consultation. Call (800) 561-4887, use our email submission form, or use our 24/7 website live chat. We are here to help and look forward to hearing from you.
Ian Silvers
Ian Silvers is a partner and trial lawyer at Bisnar Chase, specializing in wage and hour violations and workplace violation class actions. He is dedicated to supporting workers and fighting for employee rights in California.
Serving California Since 1978
Bisnar Chase is a top-rated personal injury law firm with a national reputation. The firm has been in business since 1978 and has represented thousands of clients. Based in Newport Beach and with offices across California, Bisnar Chase has recovered over $1 billion in settlements and verdicts, emphasizing superior client representation above all.
