Each year, 15 million new civil cases are filed in the United States. We have your back, should you ever find yourself in a dispute that has devolved into litigation. We have the skill, experience and vitality to achieve the results you desire. And because we are a smaller law firm staffed by industry-savvy professionals, you may rest assured that we will chart an efficient path with your goals in mind. We routinely handle the following types of disputes:

• Wage & Hour
  • Tip Pooling
  • Meal & Rest Breaks
  • Over Time
  • Wages & Salaries
  • Alternative Workweek
  • Misclassification
  • “California-centric” Issues and Claims
  • Collective and Class Actions
• Workplace Harassment
• Retaliation & Favoritism
• Discrimination
  • Interactive Process
  • Reasonable Accommodations
  • Title VII
  • ADA
  • FMLA
  • Whistleblower

As Benjamin Franklin said, “an ounce of prevention is a worth a pound of cure.” We understand our primary job is to prevent problems before they happen. Rather than stoking the flames of conflict, we proactively seek to eliminate risk. We search for and continually develop the “best practices” within the ever-evolving world of legal compliance, with one end in mind: to help you create an employment culture that delivers guest service second to none. We are pioneers in the underserved preventive law arena, and we have a keen focus on the customization of everything we do. We are the first lawyers to apply a holistic approach to auditing hotels by using our 360-degree Lawdit® process. We encourage you to speak with us about:

• Lawdit®/audit
• Employee Handbooks/Manuals
• Employee Policies and Procedures
• Contract Drafting – Including contracts to help minimize liability under the Joint Employer Doctrine
• Training – Sexual Harassment; Discrimination; Employee Relations; Abusive Conduct/Bullying; Union Organizing
• Operations counseling
• Real-time updates on the evolving laws affecting your property.

Whether it is an unannounced onsite audit by one or several state agencies, a charge filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or an inquiry by any other state or federal agency, we are there to help. We will partner with you to accomplish the following:

• Interact with EEOC, DOL, NLRB, OFCCP, OSHA, DOR and other government agencies
• Responses to Agency Charges
• Defense against Agency Actions
• Counseling and compliance efforts for audits and investigations

We are proud to have earned national acclaim as preeminent labor lawyers. Over the last 40 years, our firm has represented hotels and institutional food service providers across the county with a variety of union issues and all aspects of labor-related proceedings. Our wealth of experience enables us to fulfill all of your labor law needs, including:

• A positive approach to union avoidance
• Collective bargaining advice and leadership at the bargaining table
• Litigation before the National Labor Relations Board
• Union Elections
• Union Grievance & Arbitration Matters
• Unfair Labor Practices
• Labor Management Relations Act
• Interest Arbitration
• Labor Harmony Agreements
• Peace Agreements
• Card Check Neutrality

Because we are attuned to the external and internal forces influencing your industry, we are adept at conducting workplace investigations. We routinely apply essential leadership and skill to confidentially uncover and identify the root causes of a dispute or condition. We regularly lead or provide our clients with impartial and efficient investigations aimed to help them make informed, fair and smart decisions. Because the hospitality industry does not work 9 to 5, neither do we. Our investigations are conducted on-site whenever and wherever you may need us. We frequently conduct investigations for our clients to address claims of:

• Discrimination
• Harassment
• Retaliation
• Favoritism
• Workplace Violence
• Workplace Abusive Conduct/Bullying

Federal contractors have to comply with a slew of federal regulations. To make matters worse, federal regulations regularly change without much notice or publicity. We stay apprised of all changes in the Federal Contractor Compliance landscape and partner with our clients to make the most of the federal requirements. We help ensure Affirmative Action Plans are used as a powerful management tool so that you get the most out of your Affirmative Action Program.

• Preparing Affirmative Action Plans
• Implementations of Affirmative Action Programs
• OFCCP Proceedings
• “Fair Pay & Safe Workplace” executive order (2014)

The hospitality industry is not always champagne flutes and mints on the pillow. When the need arises for white gloves to be replaced with boxing gloves, we are ready. We handle a variety of hospitality-related business disputes, including the following:

• Franchise Disputes
• Non-competition Agreements
• Booking Contracts
• Management Agreements
• Executive and Other Employment Agreements