S&F
California and federal laws on how and when to pay employees (and what to tell employees about their pay) may seem straightforward, but actually are complicated and full of risk, even for the most savvy employer. And what we know is that companies across the U.S., and particularly in California, are inundated with wage and hour claims. And unfortunately even the smallest of errors quickly can escalate into expensive litigation. Schor Vogelzang & Chung wants to protect our clients from this risk. In response to the astronomical increase in these claims, our Firm created a multi-pronged legal services program to address wage and hour practices holistically, from the beginning of the employment relationship to the end. Our experienced lawyers, who have both counseled and litigated these claims for decades,
We start by learning our clients' needs and the goals of their business models, and then assist our clients in complying with the law and with crafting strategies to defend against wage and hour cases in a manner that is consistent with our clients' business ethos. We have honed the defense plan by creating a comprehensive defense strategy for each stage of each class action, and often utilize attorneys' particular skill sets for each stage. For example, our team has skilled attorneys who focus on discovery and keenly understand the discovery phase of complex litigation. These practitioners craft a discovery plan that highlights the clients' strengths in support of class discovery. Our legal writers are gifted at defeating conditional and final certification of collective, representative and class actions via thoughtful, efficient motion writing. We also have in-house talent who creates class member and damages models that are used in defense of the litigation.
California employers have experienced a marked rise of Private Attorney General Act (PAGA) claims brought by plaintiffs' firms. Our team is adept at handling this unique law, and, like with the class/collective action model, we have created a strategy aimed at defeating or severely minimizing PAGA claims. The federal and state governments have significantly increased their attention on these issues, and many agencies now actively investigate and enforcing companies' compliance with federal and state wage and hour laws. Our team is experienced with defending such actions, and we have in place a streamlined response plan that is utilized when the government knocks at our clients' doors. We provide training on the front end in an effort to button up companies' practices and policies, and so that our clients are armed with knowledge on what to do if the government shows up at their doorstep.
Once the government formally initiates an investigation, our team steps in to guide the process in responding to a government agency that seeks to gather information and conduct witness interviews in their assessment of compliance with wage and hour laws. We partner with businesses in defending against these claims, and have worked with the government countless times to reach resolution for our clients.
The team provides meaningful tools and resources to clients who want to address wage and hour issues proactively. Participation in this program will not only enhance a company's compliance with wage and hour laws, but can be used as a defense in any litigation where the company is accused of "ignoring" or "purposely" violating wage and hour laws. There are three parts to the program:
In addition to the counseling services provided as part of the wage and hour compliance program, we provide comprehensive day to day counseling services to clients on understanding the wage and hour laws, and applying them mindfully.
2170 Fourth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101
P: 619.906.2400 F: 619.906.2401
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