FAQs

I only have a few employees; why do I need your services?

In the state of California, employers are subject to multiple laws, even if they only have 1 employee. Before you subject your company to unnecessary risk, we can evaluate your business practices and ensure that you are in compliance with the laws that apply to your size business.

Why would I hire lawyers before I get sued?

Many of our clients come to us after they have received an administrative or civil complaint from an employee. At that point, we are often doing damage control because mistakes have been made. From a cost perspective, it is advisable to spend a little money to ensure that labor and employment laws are being followed and that your practices are defensible.

What does an employment lawsuit cost?

While verdict values vary greatly, there have been studies about the cost of defending employment lawsuits. One such study by Hiscox, Inc. analyzed employment related lawsuits in the United States. Highlights from the study include:

• Average cost of defending a lawsuit – $125,000
• Average duration of employment claim – 275 days
• 19% of claims resulted in a monetary settlement with the complaining party
  The study also identified three of the most common employer “Myths”:

  - “Our employees are like family, they would never sue us.”
  - “Our business is small, no one would come after us for money.”
  - “My company would certainly prevail at trial”

And here is the kicker...employees in California are 40% more likely to file a claim against their employer than the average US employee.

How often should my managers have sexual harassment training?

In the state of California, employers with 50 or more employees are required to provide their managers with training every other year, and within six months of promoting someone to a management position. We provide AB 1825 compliant live trainings (better than a boring video!) where we discuss factual scenarios, and best practices for handling investigations and ensuring a harassment-free workplace culture.

While the law mandates training for a company with 50 or more employees every other year, in light of the current culture we are living in, we recommend all companies, regardless of size, to have regular sexual harassment training. It only takes one employee to make a sexual harassment complaint.

We need policies drafted for our company that are industry specific; do you handle that?

Yes, not only do we draft customized employee handbooks, but we can draft any specific policy you need, from maternity leaves, confidentiality, non-disclosure agreements, social media policies and more. We take the time to understand the concerns of your individual business and draft policies that are both compliant with the law and fitting of your individual work culture.

Will you charge me for every time I pick up the phone with a quick question?

Though our time is our product, we do not want our clients to be afraid to pick up the phone for fear of unmanageable legal fees. For this reason, we created flat fee packages where our clients get the services they need and they know exactly how much they are paying. If a package is not right for you, we offer a la carte services at our hourly rate and bill in one-tenth increments.

Do you offer free consultations?

Yes, we offer free consultations. We will evaluate your legal options and provide you with a course of action, whether that involves using our services or seeking advice elsewhere.