Orinda Employment Lawyers

Mark Venardi was born in 1962 in Seattle, Washington. He was raised in Peoria, IL, a Midwest blue collar town. He enlisted in the United States Coast Guard and proudly served from 1980 through 1985. He spent the first two years on a sea going tug performing search and rescue and marine law enforcement from the Grand Banks to the Windward Passage aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Tamaroa, which was the Coast Guard vessel that performed the rescue in “The Perfect Storm.”

Eric Pierson is a practical and results-oriented attorney with over twenty-five years of in-house and law firm experience and a proven track record of success as a strategic partner and trusted advisor serving for-profit and nonprofit entities. Eric has deep expertise in general corporate matters, nonprofits, employment law, commercial transactions and crisis management, with a special focus on managing union organizing drives and contract negotiations for nonprofits that respect labor rights. He offers strong experience in litigation, intellectual property, antitrust, environmental, compliance, product liability, artificial intelligence, privacy, cybersecurity and ediscovery as well. He is fluent in cross-border issues and...

Alden Knisbacher has represented clients in the Bay Area and across California since 1994. He has litigated hundreds of cases in various areas of law including employment, real estate, contract and business disputes, probate disputes, civil rights and other matters.

Mr. Knisbacher is a Georgetown Law graduate.

When not practicing law he can be found hiking, biking, running or cycling with his two children. Or, perhaps, playing with their pet bunny, Bobby.

John Hill has been representing injured individuals in the San Francisco Bay Area for over fifty years. John is a Board Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and a Board Certified Civil Pretrial Advocate by the National Board of Civil Pretrial Practice Advocacy. John's areas of practice include Personal Injury Law; Wrongful Death; Products Liability Law; Medical Malpractice; Premises Liability; Employment Litigation; Torts; General Civil Trial Practice; and Commercial Litigation. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Hill is also a member of ABOTA (The...

Vincent Tong is an award winning, community oriented lawyer. He is the founder of TONG LAW, an employment business law firm located in beautiful downtown Oakland, California. Vincent exclusively represents employees in employment litigation and businesses in business-to-business disputes. In his business transactions practice, Vincent counsels individuals on forming and growing their social ventures. Connect with Vincent online at www.tong-law.com.

Bryan Schwartz is an Oakland, California-based attorney dedicated to helping employees protect their rights in the workplace. He has fought prohibited discrimination, retaliation, and harassment, obtained reasonable accommodations for disabled employees, vindicated whistleblowers' rights, and ensured that corporations pay workers all wages they are owed. He has successfully litigated individual and class action complaints nationwide, helping to recover millions of dollars for thousands of employees, forcing corporations and Government agencies to change their practices and punish wrongdoers. Bryan Schwartz is also one of the few Bay Area-based attorneys with extensive experience representing Federal employees in their unique Merit Systems...

The Law Office of Glicel Sumagaysay handles employment matters as follows: *Federal employee, public entity employee, and private employee representation in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC"), federal court, Department of Fair Housing and Employment (“DFEH”), and state courts; *Claims include wrongful termination; retaliation; discrimination on the basis of disability, race, gender, and other protected statuses; *wage and hour matters with the Department of Labor Standards and Enforcement (“DLSE”) and courts; *small business employer compliance with California and federal law.

Mr. Light firmly believes in the power of empathy and humanity. His strength of empathy and unique personal experience with tragedy has allowed him to connect with clients who’ve suffered their own profound losses. Mr. Light is honored to represent and advocate for individuals and families suffering from the universe of challenges that inherently follow a traumatic brain injury.

Nobody expects or can anticipate what follows a brain injury, even a “mild” trauma. Growing up, Mr. Light was reminded on a daily basis of the strength, determination, love, patience and understanding necessary to endure the aftermath of a life-altering event....

Spencer practices employment, civil rights and personal injury law. He is dedicated to representing employees in employment disputes and individuals and their families in personal injury cases.

Since 2005, Spencer has litigated discrimination, wrongful termination, wage and hour, retaliation, and other employment disputes, such as contract breach and commission cases. He also litigates vehicle accidents, premises liability, wrongful death, and civil rights claims. His legal experience dates back to 1996. He has appeared in Northern District Federal Courts, California State Superior Courts, the California Fair Employment and Housing Commission, the California Department of Labor Standards Enforcement, the Merit...

As an San Francisco Bay Area labor and employment attorney at Littler Mendelson, I represent employers in all phases and types of employment litigation (e.g., wage and hour class actions, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, misclassification, wrongful termination, etc.), provide advice and counsel to employers regarding their employment practices and policies, and create and present customized workplace trainings and presentations unique to employers' goals and company culture. My professional experiences outside of the realm of law are rooted in business, management, and accounting.

Scott Cole is the founder and principal attorney at Cole & Van Note, one of California's best-known and most highly-respected employment and consumer rights class action law firms. He is a graduate of the University of San Francisco School of Law (1992), and San Francisco State University (B.A., Speech Communications; 1989). He is a member of the California State Bar and the State Bar’s Labor and Employment Law Section, is admitted to practice before all California federal courts (including the 6th and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals), has prosecuted cases in numerous states including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida,...

I am an accomplished California attorney. I represent employees and tenants in a broad range of Employment, Landlord-Tenant and Civil Rights matters.

Dedicated to exceptional advocacy, I am diligent in fighting for the rights of my clients. I am genuine, experienced, and committed to justice.

I am also active in the community, currently volunteering at both Centro Legal and the Western Service Workers Association where I provide pro bono assistance to low-wage workers.

Latika Malkani joined Siegel LeWitter Malkani in 1996, and since then has fought to preserve and enforce the rights of women and men working in a variety of professions. Latika's advocacy has included tireless representation of employees seeking justice and improved conditions in the workplace. Latika has a proven record of successful results, and has helped hundreds of employees establish better working conditions, negotiate severance and post-separation packages, as well as obtain fair and just compensation through enforcement of state and federal laws. Latika believes that no employee should be made to suffer inequality or humiliation in order to earn...

Jonathan Siegel, the founding partner of Siegel LeWitter Malkani has spent over thirty years representing employees. His experience runs the full range of cases from individual jury trials to class actions to arbitration and administrative hearings. Jonathan has enjoyed outstanding success in all forums, while building an enviable reputation as a formidable advocate, but one whose word can be trusted.

Jonathan has successfully tried individual cases to juries, judges and arbitrators. He has received substantial six and seven figure jury awards in discrimination cases related to age (Tetzchner v. Unitank - Contra Costa), pregnancy (Byer v. Haider - San Francisco) and...

I represent employees in their disputes with their employers, and victims of personal injury. I take the time to get to know the unique story of each client, and understand how termination, injury, or other unlawful conduct has affected their life. I represent women who have been terminated because of pregnancy or because they have taken time off to care for their children. I represent older workers who have been terminated after many years of loyal service. I also help clients who have been injured in motor vehicle accidents or other incidents of negligence.

A resident of Oakland, Len spent much of his legal career with prestigious, top-ranked, San Francisco law firms. Mr. Watkins brings the same level of expertise, and standard of excellence, to his practice in the East Bay. Focusing on consumer bankruptcy and business law, Mr. Watkins’ depth of experience and training include: A Masters of Business Administration, concentrating on finance, from the University of California, at Davis A stock brokerage license (inactive) from the National Association of Securities Dealers A California Real Estate Broker’s license Previous Experience Business Attorney Norris & Norris (now...

Marlon Monroe brings a background of court battles and life experiences rarely found in employment law & civil rights attorneys. Prior to practicing law, Marlon taught middle school in Los Angeles for five years and worked in the music industry. After graduating from law school in South Florida, he began his legal career and moved back to Oakland, CA, where he practiced criminal defense for 15 years and became known as “The People’s Champion” due to his zealous advocacy, successful outcomes and representation of prominent members of the local community. While cultivating his skills in the courtroom, Marlon also worked with...

Ms. Szeto-Wong completed her undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley. She obtained her law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law and has been litigating civil rights, family law, and employment cases in state and federal court since 2012. Ms. Szeto-Wong has a successful track record including favorable verdicts and awards in the millions of dollars. She is bilingual in English and Cantonese.

As a partner with San Francisco's Rukin Hyland & Riggin LLP, Peter Rukin represents Bay Area clients in a wide array of complex litigation matters, including employment, wage and hour, and business disputes. Mr. Rukin has built a reputation as a thoughtful and strong advocate for his clients, whatever their disputes may be. Mr. Rukin specializes in complex litigation, with a focus on wage and hour and equal employment opportunity claims. Since 2003, as class counsel he has recovered tens of millions of dollars on behalf of thousands of California employees and consumers. Peter also represents clients with respect...

Arthur Lazear has practiced law for more than 40 years, helping to obtain successful results for worthy clients nationwide. Mr. Lazear has prosecuted some of the biggest class actions ever litigated in employment law, but has never abandoned his level of personal attention to each client, which is the firm’s hallmark.

Mr. Lazear’s father was a janitor, an immigrant from Ukraine who worked nights in a tireless effort to provide his children the hope of a better life, that they might realize the American Dream. The example set by his father inspired Mr. Lazear’s lifelong commitment to protecting and enforcing the...

I help clients with their employment, business, and start-up needs. I also represent clients involved in civil litigation. Please contact me to find out how I can help you with your legal needs.

Robert Davis is a Workers' Compensation Attorney with over 30 years of experience. Mr. Davis has handled thousands of cases before the Workers Compensation Appeals Board with a value of over 100 million dollars. Mr. Davis has work for both applicants and defense law firms. He is an aggressive, ethical and experienced Workers' Compensation Lawyer who knows exactly how to navigate your case through the confusing and frustrating maze the insurance company creates. His experience working for the insurance companies gives him a distinct advantage over the vast majority of Workers' Compensation Lawyers, not only because he knows the opponents playbook,...

John Hyland is a partner with Rukin Hyland & Riggin LLP. He practices exclusively in the area of employment law. John was Of Counsel with Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker in the firm’s San Francisco office where he advised and represented companies in State and Federal court actions covering all areas of employment law, including wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, disability law, employee privacy, employee leaves, and wage and hour issues. John regularly conducts training seminars and presents on a wide array of employment law issues. Law & Politics Magazine selected John as one of its Northern California Super Lawyers...

Jessica is a partner at Rukin Hyland & Riggin LLP and specializes in litigating employment law cases on behalf of employees. From violations of wage and hour laws to sexual harassment and discrimination, Jessica has represented both individuals and groups of people in class actions. She also advises executives in pre-litigation matters such as severance agreements and employment agreements. If you have an employment law issue in the Bay Area, please contact her office today and set up a free consultation.

Dylan Hughes is a partner at Gibbs Law Group and of counsel to Girard Gibbs LLP specializing in the prosecution of class actions. He represents plaintiffs in cases involving defective products, telecommunications, credit cards, product liability, credit repair, employment misclassification and wage and hour disputes under state and federal laws. Mr. Hughes has extensive experience prosecuting complex automobile-defect cases and helped achieve recoveries on behalf of class members in the In Re General Motors Dex-Cool Cases (settlement of $50 to $800 cash reimbursements per class member vehicle repair) and In Re General Motors Cases, JCCP No. 4396, a certified...

I was fortunate. Despite never finishing high school or college, I was able – albeit with a lot of hard work – to gain admission to, and to excel at, one of the finest law schools in the country: U.C. Berkeley’s School of Law. While I was there, I was privileged to be an editor for the California Law Review and a Member of the Moot Court Board, advising on brief writing and appellate advocacy for other students. After I left law school, in my early years of practice, I taught legal writing and appellate advocacy at University of California,...

I was born in Latin America and grew up in San Francisco. A product of the Bay Area, I studied economics at UC Berkeley before moving to Washington, DC, where I worked at both the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Reserve. In 2003, I embarked on my legal studies at Cornell Law School in Ithaca, NY. Upon graduation, I worked as a corporate associate in Manhattan at a boutique international law firm. There I had the opportunity to work on a wide array of corporate transactions, from financing the construction of a hotel in NYC, structuring investments...

After 22 years as a trial attorney, I have decided to limit my practice to furthering the cause of disability access and ending disability discrimination in the workplace, at home and in public places. If you are disabled temporarily or permanently, you have special rights but no government agency to enforce them. If you think you have been the victim of discrimination, call us now for a free consultation.

Legal Experience Assistant United States Attorney, Northern District of California, 1994-2005. Civil Chief, 2001-2003 Deputy Civil Chief, 1998-2001 AUSA, 1994-1998, 2003-2005 Attorney of record in cases resulting in over twenty published decisions; Litigated hundreds of cases in federal district court; Litigated over 80...

Elizabeth formed her own law practice in 2011 in order to provide quality, affordable legal services to the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and received her law degree from the University of San Francisco, School of Law. While in law school, Elizabeth worked for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and clerked at several solo law practices, gaining experience in a wide array of civil law. Her overwhelmingly positive experiences with these solo practitioners led her to the decision to open her own firm. She has a...