We provide day-to-day employment counsel and strategic guidance to California colleges and universities.
Services include:
- Employment agreements and executive contracts
- Faculty appointment, promotion, tenure, and post-tenure review
- Academic Freedom
- Performance management and progressive discipline
- Employee privacy compliance, including medical confidentiality, background checks, drug and alcohol testing, personnel records, and data protection under California and federal law
- Harassment, discrimination, and retaliation (FEHA & federal law)
- Disability accommodation and interactive process compliance
- Leaves of absence (FMLA, CFRA, PDL, military leave)
- Wage and hour compliance (California Labor Code & FLSA)
- Regulatory compliance and representation before the EEOC, U.S. Department of Labor, and the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), including defense of administrative charges and proceedings
- Peace officer management, including internal affairs investigations, administrative, leave, officer discipline proceedings, and Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act (POBR), “Pitchess” record confidentiality, and SB 2 compliance.”
- Employment forms, faculty and staff handbooks, personnel policies, and compliance audits, including drafting, revisions, and risk assessments to ensure alignment with California and federal law
- Benefits advice, including ACA, 403b, 457, executive compensation
- Payroll compliance and correction of payroll errors
- Reductions in force (RIFs), including workforce planning, seniority analysis, notice requirements, bumping and reemployment rights, and litigation risk mitigation
- Employment litigation including wrongful termination, retaliation, wage and hour, discrimination, and civil rights matters in state and federal courts
- Administrative hearings and agency proceedings, including matters before the Office of Administrative Hearings, PERB, and other state and federal bodies, as well as related writs and appeals
