While not California specific, a first-of-its-kind ruling in federal court establishes that a client’s use of AI-generated chat content is not protected by an attorney-client privilege or work product doctrine. You can find a...more
2/20/2026
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Attorney-Client Privilege ,
Confidential Information ,
Discovery ,
e-Discovery ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Legal Ethics ,
Legal Technology ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Privileged Communication ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Work-Product Doctrine
Hit the ground running in 2026 by reviewing our newly updated Doing Business in California guide.
You can use this guide:
• To understand the ways California employment law has changed for employers in 2026;
• To...more
1/6/2026
/ Bereavement Leave ,
California ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Compliance ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Exempt-Employees ,
FEHA ,
Harassment ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Minimum Wage ,
Over-Time ,
Paid Leave ,
Parental Leave ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act ,
Protected Class ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
It’s time to update those handbooks for 2026 and while there are numerous new laws California employers must comply with, not all of them are, what I call, “handbook worthy.” Here are three changes I’m making to this year’s...more
10/27/2025
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Automated Decision Systems (ADS) ,
California ,
Crime Victims ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
New Legislation ,
New Regulations ,
Notice Requirements ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Retaliation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tip-Pooling ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
California’s Captive Audience Ban, aka SB 399 (Labor Code § 1137) is in a temporary holding pattern. A California district court judge issued a preliminary injunction barring the government from enforcing the statute for now....more
10/3/2025
/ California ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
First Amendment ,
New Legislation ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Preemption ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unfair Labor Practices ,
Unions
The last California legislative session ended on September 13, 2025 and Governor Newsom must sign or veto bills passed during the legislative session by October 13, 2025, or they will automatically become law. Here’s a brief...more
9/29/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Automated Decision Systems (ADS) ,
California ,
Contract Terms ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Independent Contractors ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Pay Data ,
Popular ,
Posting Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State Labor Laws ,
State Legislatures ,
Wage and Hour
When employees comment on social media about controversial figures or issues, California employers face a delicate balance. Although online posts may be polarizing, disciplining employees for their speech has the potential to...more
9/15/2025
/ California ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
NLRA ,
Off-Duty Employees ,
Political Speech ,
Protected Concerted Activity ,
Retaliation ,
Social Media ,
Social Media Policy ,
Termination ,
Wrongful Termination
I’m still haunted by the call that started my morning early Thursday. A new client needed help with the termination of an executive, immediately. Now, my spidey senses perk up whenever a client calls with a same-day...more
8/18/2025
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
At-Will Employment ,
Best Practices ,
Choice-of-Law ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Contract Terms ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Contract ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Offer Letters ,
Risk Management ,
Severance Agreements
The Civil Rights Department has just released the new required notice for California’s Victim-of-Violence Leave (AB 2499) that took effect on January 1, 2025. It layers fresh obligations onto employers, especially those with...more
7/7/2025
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
California ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Domestic Violence ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Paid Leave ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Sexual Assault ,
Stalking ,
Workplace Violence
At first, it sounds like a dream: hiring your cousin to help with marketing, bringing your sister on as a partner, or giving your son-in-law a “small stake” in the business. It feels easy, natural, and trust-based. But...more
As wearable technology continues to evolve, smart glasses are becoming an increasingly popular accessory. While these devices offer numerous benefits, they also present unique legal challenges, particularly in California,...more
3/13/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Data Protection ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Policies ,
Espionage ,
OCR ,
Privacy Laws ,
Risk Management ,
Smart Devices ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
Many of you know that there is no rhyme or reason as to when California decides to update their many required postings. So, dear readers, we wanted to let you know that the Civil Rights Department has updated the California...more
1/29/2025
/ California ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Compliance ,
Discrimination ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Policies ,
Harassment ,
Labor Code ,
Posting Requirements ,
Wage and Hour ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
The allure of doing business in California is undeniable. It is the world’s fifth (and moving towards fourth) largest economy and a market of over 39 million people. For employers, however, California presents unique...more
1/10/2025
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
California ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Compliance ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Risk Management ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
It’s that time of year for my annual holiday rituals: gingerbread lattes, Black Friday sales and employee handbook updates! As we move into 2025, California’s legal landscape continues to evolve, with several important...more
The Freelance Worker Protection Act is a significant new bill currently sitting on Governor Newsom’s desk, awaiting a signature or veto. Also known as SB 988, the bill is designed to safeguard the rights of freelance workers...more
Now that California employers have their Workplace Violence Prevention Plans (WVPP) in place (as of July 1) some grey areas have come up that warrant awareness and discussion.
•Some employers have had the foresight to...more
A last-minute, emergency bill, SB-1524, was signed into law over the weekend by Governor Newsom. SB-1524 effectively modifies SB-478, the so-called junk-fee ban, which became effective today. As discussed, the exemption...more
Yesterday, Senator Bill Dodd, D-Napa, introduced Senate Bill 1524 which would keep restaurant fees legal so long as they present additional fees “clearly and conspicuously.” This bill would amend Senate Bill 478, detailed...more
New legal requirements in California and across the country will soon change the way businesses, in particular restaurants, must operate as the government seeks to eliminate the practice of “drip pricing” – i.e., advertising...more
Nearly all employers in the state of California must prepare a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (“WVPP” or “Plan”) by July 1, 2024 and Cal/OSHA just published the highly anticipated model Workplace Violence Prevention Plan...more
The allure of doing business in California is undeniable. It is the world’s fifth largest economy (moving toward fourth) and a market of more than 39 million people. For employers, however, California presents unique...more
2/12/2024
/ Bereavement Leave ,
California ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Fair Pay Act ,
Fair Workweek ,
FEHA ,
Independent Contractors ,
Lactation Accommodation ,
Minimum Wage ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Over-Time ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Leave ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Rounding ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft ,
Work Schedules ,
Workplace Safety
With 38% of companies expecting to layoff employees in 2024, the start of the new year has already seen the announcements of thousands of employee layoffs across all sectors. What’s more is that disgruntled employees have...more
It has been an eventful year for California employers, and I don’t anticipate a slowing of pace in 2024. Between higher minimum wages, increasingly complicated local ordinances (e.g. paid sick), and changing technological...more
Though you may still be on a sugar high from Halloween, the new year is fast approaching, and with it, the onset of several new California employment laws. Employers should prepare now by updating their handbooks for 2024....more
11/10/2023
/ Bereavement Leave ,
California ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employee Training ,
New Legislation ,
NLRA ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Pregnancy ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Violence
As if compiling all of the existing California employment notices wasn’t enough, a new law becoming effective January 1, 2024 imposes an additional notice to employees. AB 1076 piggybacks on SB 699, making it unlawful to...more
If there were shades of grey in the state of enforceability of employee non-solicitation provisions (to prevent attempts to and/or the hire of former colleagues), that outlook just got darker. California law has declared void...more