You may recall from your college business law class of the “American rule” regarding attorney’s 
fees: generally in the United States each side is responsible to their own attorney’s fees, and unlike other countries, the loser does not have to pay the other party’s attorney’s fees. Employers can basically ignore this general rule
Five pointers to know before attending a Labor Commissioner hearing
This Friday’s Five is a bit early this week, but I have to post today as my blog is going through some upgrades and I will not be able to post this tomorrow (Friday). I’ve previously written about what Labor Commissioner hearings are (also known as Berman Hearings here in California) and the various steps
Statistical Analysis of Labor Commissioner Rulings Shows Inconsistencies
When faced with a hearing before the California Labor Commissi
oner in a Berman hearing, employers and employees alike expect to get a fair, consistent hearing to settle wage disputes. However, as Brian Sumers of the Daily Journal points out this is not always the case. His article (subscription required) provides an analysis of the
All California Employers Have New Employee Notice Requirements Beginning January 1, 2012
The new law affecting every employer in California is
the Wage Theft Protection Act of 2011. It takes effect on January 1, 2012 and adds additional notice and record keeping requirements that employers must comply with. The new law added Labor Code section 2810.5, which requires private employers to provide all new employees with
How To Prepare For a Berman Hearing
My las
t post provided an overview of the Berman hearing process when an employee begins a claim for unpaid wages with the Labor Commissioner. If the parties do not settle the claim at the settlement hearing, then the matter will be set for a Berman hearing pursuant to Labor Code 98(a). The Berman hearing
Overview Of Berman Hearings Before The Labor Commissioner
I’ve had a lot of interest from clients lately about the details of the administrative hearing process that employees can pursue before the California Labor Commissioner. With this interest, and just having represented a client at a Berman hearing this week, I wanted to explain the process in a series of posts.
An employee seeking