Category: Firm News

Essentially, a demotion is when an employer reassigns an employee to a lower position than he or she had worked previously. The new position often has less responsibility, lower pay or fewer hours than the previous position. During the coronavirus pandemic, for example, many California businesses have cut costs to survive. Unfortunately, these cuts often include…

It is common for employers to ask their employees to fill out engagement surveys. In general, these surveys may shed light on the workplace or a service related to the business. Employees are given the opportunity to weigh in on these topics, giving valuable insight to the employer. Often, employers will bill an employee engagement…

According to the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), almost 47 percent of workers in the nation are women. Many of these women will become pregnant at least once during their working years.  Historically, pregnant women have been subjected to unwarranted harassment and discrimination by their employers.  Fortunately, both federal and state laws exist to help pregnant employees…

The Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) aims to help employees balance their work and family lives. To do this, the act grants certain kinds of workers unpaid leave for family or medical reasons. Eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of this job-protected leave per year. During this time, an employee retains any…

As the coronavirus spreads across California and the United States, we have evaluated its impact on your workplace. Here are some of the things employees need to know in order to protect themselves, their coworkers and their legal rights. Can an Employee Take Sick Time if He or She Is Experiencing Any Symptoms of the…

Experiencing sexual harassment at work is always unpleasant and can lead to ongoing problems at work. Frequently, employees face the dilemma of reporting sexual harassment and facing retaliation, or saying nothing and continuing to endure unwanted sexual conduct. Often, employees choose to say nothing and hope that the harassing conduct will cease. However, generally that…

In 1978, Congress expanded the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA). This expansion was a response to two unfavorable Supreme Court rulings in the 1960s. Now, our attorneys continue this fight for the rights of pregnant workers. If you are experiencing signs of pregnancy discrimination in the workplace, then a…

There is a fine line between a regular object that is used for practical purposes and one that has its own artistic value with copyrightable properties. One would generally expect there to be a large buffer zone between a chair and a chair with copyrightable designs such as a specific floral pattern. Unfortunately, this is not…

Federal and state laws protect disabled workers. The goal of these laws is to increase the employment of people with disabilities. Yet, even with these protections, only 17.9 percent of adults with disabilities have a job. Furthermore, disabled workers often face unnecessary hurdles and obstacles in the workforce. One of these hurdles is disability discrimination in the…

The first example of copyright law in the United States was the Copyright Clause of the U.S. Constitution. It stated that all authors would be granted exclusive rights to their respective writings in order to promote the expansion of general knowledge. As time progressed, other works of art were added to copyright law. This included paintings, designs, music…