Jones Bell represents its clients in all aspects of labor and employment matters. The firm routinely handles litigation involving age, race, gender, national origin, and disability discrimination and harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, wrongful termination, privacy rights, the Private Attorney General Act of 2004 (“PAGA”), and various wage and hour claims, including class actions.
In addition to traditional litigation services, Jones Bell provides its client with counseling and transactional services. This practice includes drafting policy manuals, handbooks, and employment or independent contractor agreements, as well as conducting exhaustive wage and hour and labor code audits. The firm is well equipped to provide employment law audits, reviewing each and every policy of employers to ascertain its legality and potential class action exposure. This is especially important in light of the recent and ongoing changes in California labor laws.
Jones Bell attorneys understand the exigency of providing clear, concise, and practical advice and counseling on employment law matters. The firm understands that clients need fast and effective counseling on employment issues and stands ready to provide such counseling. The firm prides itself in offering proactive strategies which are designed to ensure compliance and manage litigation risks, while still keeping in mind its clients’ goals, market place and regulatory environment.
The firm regularly assists employers of varied sizes in evaluating whether their managers understand their obligations under the relevant laws and the employer’s policies, and whether non-exempt employees understand their obligations to record working time accurately. The firm also assists employers in classifying their employees to ensure that those who are not paid minimum wage or overtime actually satisfy the test for exemptions from federal and state wage/hour requirements, which are constantly changing.
As a result of the firm’s counseling and audit services, Jones Bell clients have experienced a reduction in their exposure to liability for litigation and have enjoyed greater consistency in their labor practices.