Governor Brown recently signed a bill to provide paid sick time to California workers. The bill grants covered employees up to 24 hours paid sick time per year to care for themselves or their family members. Most California employees are covered under the new law with some exceptions for flight…

Employment cases usually involve some type of “bad behavior” by the employer. But what happens when the employee has done something on the job – unknown to her employer at the time – that would have justified her termination? Some employers argue that an employee’s own misconduct (such as lying…

Employees who have been wrongfully terminated may pursue a legal claim for lost wages caused by the termination. However, those individuals also have a responsibility to “mitigate” those lost wages by making reasonable efforts to seek new employment. The amount that the employee earns from his or her new employment,…

On February 17, 2014, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee signed an ordinance limiting the use of criminal background checks on employment applications for jobs within San Francisco. The new law prohibits employers from asking about an applicant’s criminal record until after the applicant has had a “live” interview, such as…