Taft Employment Lawyers

Kathleen J. Smith is an experienced business and real estate litigator. Kathi advises clients on and handles all types of civil litigation, focusing on LLC and business disputes, real estate, trust and probate, and homeowners association disputes. Kathi is experienced in all types of dispute resolution, from mediation to arbitration to civil trial. Kathi’s accomplishments at the trial level include: judgments in favor of breach of contract, easement dispute, multiple settlements on eve of trial relating to employment discrimination, wage and hour, landlord – tenant breach of contract of commercial lease, contract disputes, business dissolution, and partition. Kathi has also won...

The need for quality legal advice is particularly important in the context of employment law disputes where a successful plaintiff is entitled to recover his/her reasonable attorney’s fees. At the moment you become aware of an actual or potential employment law dispute, it is crucial that you receive advice as to whether or nor the claim is valid. If the claim is valid, then it makes business sense to pay it quickly rather than prolong the dispute and expose your company to the risk of paying significant attorney’s fees to the plaintiff. If the claim is dubious, then you need...

With more than 25 years’ experience as a trial lawyer, Partner Patrick McNicholas exclusively represents victims in catastrophic injury, product liability, sexual assault and other consumer-oriented matters, such as civil rights, aviation disasters and class actions.

Michael Burgis, Esq., is a knowledgeable, experienced, and aggressive trial attorney who focuses on obtaining maximum results for the injured. Mr. Burgis’s current focus is workers’ compensation and employment law, but his practice also includes handling personal injury cases.

A California native, Mr. Burgis earned a B.S. degree in Economics with a minor in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2003. In 2008, Mr. Burgis earned a J.D. from Southwestern Law School and was admitted to the California Bar.

Mr. Burgis began his career working with Glauber Berenson, a well-known and respected worker’s compensation law firm. During his...

Barry Kellman has been the Managing Partner of Kellman & Kleiman (and its predecessor firm) since 2006. During that time, the firm has become one of the premier employment/business boutique firms in Los Angeles. The firm places special emphasis on the needs of small and mid-size technology companies, and its entertainment practice includes movie studios, production companies and talent.

Attorney Jeffrey R. Lamb practices in all areas of civil litigation, including personal injury, civil rights, medical malpractice, elder abuse, wrongful death, employment and mass tort actions. He has dedicated his career to representing victims against large establishments like insurance companies.

Founding Partner John McNicholas has more than five decades of experience representing plaintiffs in the areas of catastrophic personal injury, employment law, class actions, sexual abuse and other consumer-oriented matters. He is a recognized leader with more than 150 jury verdicts and 20 reported appellate decisions in copyright infringement, breach of contract, medical malpractice, pharmaceutical and aviation cases.

As one of the leading trial lawyers in California, Partner Matthew McNicholas represents victims in a range of areas, including catastrophic injury, wrongful death, employment law, product liability, sexual assault and other consumer-oriented matters, such as civil rights and aviation disasters.

With nearly 20 years of experience in all areas of civil litigation, Senior Lawyer Courtney C. McNicholas focuses her practice on law enforcement employment, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, products liability, habitability and sexual abuse cases. She has a wide range of skills, including spearheading client interviews, case analysis, mediation and settlement negotiations and trial preparation.

Abel Nair has over a decade of experience in civil litigation in a variety of practice areas. Since joining McNicholas & McNicholas, Mr. Nair focuses his practice on employment law representing clients who have been discriminated / harassed, wrongfully terminated or retaliated against. The majority of his clients are public sector employees, primarily law enforcement officers and firefighters. In the past few years, three of Mr. Nair’s cases have settled for over a million dollars, and multiple cases have settled for half a million. Moreover, he has successfully defeated 12 summary judgement motions.

Andrew J. Malatesta is the founder of Malatesta Law. Mr. Malatesta graduated from the number one law school in Southern California, the UCLA School of Law. After becoming a member of the California State Bar, Mr. Malatesta worked under several preeminent attorneys, before founding Malatesta Law. Malatesta Law only represents employees in employment law matters – that is it. Because of the narrow focus of Mr. Malatesta’s legal practice, Mr. Malatesta has a deep understanding of California employment law and knows what it takes to successfully litigate a California employee’s case. Mr. Malatesta represents employees because he is passionate about protecting employees'...

I am Employment Labor and Personal Injury Lawyer. My top attributes are that I am a motivated self-starter with an aptitude for learning new skills quickly, I am extremely organized, have great time management skills, can maintain composure under pressure and able to work autonomously with little direct supervision.

Ryan Bakhtiari represents clients in securities disputes before FINRA (NASD, NYSE), state and federal courts. In June 2019, Mr. Bakhtiari was nominated to serve as a public member of the Discovery Task Force Committee (DTFC) of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) which is the advisory group, established in conjunction with a directive from the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission that reviews substantive issues relating to discovery in arbitration proceedings that are conducted under the auspices of the FINRA Code of Arbitration Procedure. In June 2013, Mr. Bakhtiari was named Chairman of the National Arbitration and Mediation Committee (“NAMC”) of FINRA....

Netta Grutman is an employment law attorney and workplace investigator. She has conducted hundreds of workplace investigations of diverse nature and complexity. Ms. Grutman successfully defended large companies in employment litigation and brings her vast experience in employment law to her investigations and trainings. Ms. Grutman earned her Juris Doctorate from University of California, Hastings and her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Davis. Ms. Grutman is admitted to practice law in California. She is also a member of the Association of Workplace Investigators.

For over 20 years, Frederick S. Schwartz has worked diligently to insure that his clients receive the best legal representation possible. As a former insurance company defense attorney, Frederick S. Schwartz has valuable insight into the mindset and frame of reference of the insurance company's adjusters and lawyers. This gives his clients a big advantage in the negotiation, litigation, and settlement process. If you have suffered a serious injury, been treated unfairly or been denied a benefit or right, call the Law Offices of Frederick S. Schwartz to receive personal legal representation that you can trust

With more than 25 years of experience as an employment law litigator and counselor in Southern California, Jeffrey’s expertise and success have earned him third-party recognition including: -- Awarded the prestigious AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell in 2013 and 2014, a “significant rating accomplishment” that is “a testament to the fact that a lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence”; -- Membership in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an invitation-only association reserved for litigators and trial lawyers who have obtained one or more judgments or settlements of $1 million or more; ...

Alex is a Senior Associate Attorney at Blackstone Law. Alex is an active member of the legal community as it relates to employees’ rights. Alex is a member of the California Employment Lawyers’ Association (CELA), and is on the committee for the Mentor Committee, the Women’s Committee, the Legislative Committee, the Wage and Hour Committee, and the New Member Committee, as well as a recent admit to the 2024 – 2025 CELA Leadership Conservatory. Alex has significant experience providing the best counsel for his clients, whether through trial, or through multimillion dollar settlements, or through whatever need the client may describe....

P.J. Van Ert is a seasoned trial lawyer and civil litigator specializing in class actions and individual employment matters. As a Blackstone law associate she dedicates her practice to California employees. After more than 75 criminal jury trials during thirteen years as a deputy district attorney, she transitioned to civil litigation and found her way to Blackstone. From wage and hour theft to sexual harassment and hostile work environment, she is able to utilize her years of zealously advocating for victims of crime to get superior results in employment cases. Ms. Van Ert has earned guilty verdicts in lengthy homicide...

In 1991, after graduating near the top of his class, an insurance company hired Paul Zuckerman to be their lawyer. Paul approached the job with optimism. He believed the company’s advertisement and thought that he was hired to be there, like a good neighbor, for policyholders in need. However, Paul soon discovered that his work was merely padding the pockets of his employer, and not ensuring that injured people were compensated fairly. Thus, Paul, with his law school classmate John Carpenter, established a new kind of law firm: A law firm that only represents injured people against insurance companies. Paul...

Attorney Hines represents employees with claims against their employers for harassment, discrimination, retaliation and Labor Code violations.

David Spivak is a Southern California employee rights litigator. From offices based in Beverly Hills and downtown Los Angeles, David Spivak has been fighting for the rights of California workers since 1995. He has obtained several million dollars in recoveries for his clients. Mr. Spivak's areas of concentration in labor and employment law include: Wrongful Termination, Constructive Discharge, and Public Policy Violations Discrimination Harassment Retaliation & Whistleblowers Employment Contracts & Severance Agreements Defamation of Character (Slander & Libel) Unpaid Overtime Wages Unpaid Minimum Wages Unprovided Rest Breaks and Meal Periods Failure to Pay Work-Related Expenses Medical & Family Leave...

Mr. Saba’s practice consists of prosecuting and defending individual, class action and mass action claims. He has considerable experience in a wide range of federal and state civil litigation and trial actions, including consumer litigation, employment litigation, women’s rights, complex business and entertainment disputes, catastrophic injury claims, professional responsibility, copyright/trademark, civil rights, maritime, and municipal, landowner and product liability.

Betty is an associate attorney at Blackstone Law. She graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations and a minor in Armenian Studies. While in undergrad, Betty, along with fellow classmates, started the Armenian Pre-Law Students Association, to connect Armenian students aspiring to become attorneys to successful alumni within their community. A proud double Bruin, Betty later attended UCLA School of Law, where she obtained her Juris Doctorate. As a law student, Betty’s professor recognized her articulate writing abilities and selected her as a Legal Research and Writing Advisor for first...

With more than 20 years of experience, Tre Lovell has been noted among the elite trial lawyers in the nation, having been named "Lawyer of the Year" Finalist, 2016, by the Los Angeles Business Journal, and further honored by The National Law Journal as one of the Top 50 Litigation Trailblazers in the United States. Mr. Lovell has been recognized among the top 1% of attorneys in the country as a litigator through such esteemed organizations as America's Top 100 Attorneys, Distinguished Justice Advocates, National Academy of Jurisprudence, Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Rue's Best Attorneys of America. In addition,...

Ms. Schimmel’s practice is dedicated to employment litigation matters on behalf of California employees. More than half of Ms. Schimmel’s experience has been focused on representing employees in wage and hour class and representative actions for labor code violations (including, but not limited to, claims unpaid overtime, minimum wages, expense reimbursement, meal and rest period), as well as consumer and privacy right matters. Ms. Schimmel’s experience also includes representing employees in wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment and retaliation matters against employers who violate California law. She has successfully prosecuted and resolved hundreds of cases. Prior to joining Blackstone, Ms. Schimmel...

Ashley Cruz is an employment attorney who has spent her entire career pursuing justice and advocating for people across the United States. Her passion for upholding, asserting, and defending the rights of others has guided her throughout her career. Ashley has represented children in abuse and neglect proceedings, individuals and families in deportation proceedings, and workers actively seeking legal recourse. Her self-imposed requirement for nothing less than excellent representation, coupled with her dedication to helping others, has received praise from clients, judges, mediators, and fellow professionals. Ashley litigates in the area of labor and employment law. She has handled harassment, discrimination,...

Leo Livshits is an accomplished employment attorney with extensive trial and litigation experience. Mr. Livshits handles a wide variety of employment matters involving workplace discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other civil rights violations. Aside from securing numerous seven-figure settlements in single-plaintiff cases, Mr. Livshits has co-chaired jury trials and arbitrations that resulted in verdicts or judgments of $155.4 million, $2.7 million, $1.7 million, and $1 million. Additionally, Mr. Livshits has successfully litigated appeals in state and federal court. This includes a published decision in Hernandez v. Meridian Management Services, LLC (2023) 87 Cal.App.5th 1214, where the California Court of Appeal found that...

Lara is an associate attorney at Blackstone Law. She graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice and a minor in Communications. Lara then earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles where she specialized in Critical Race Studies. While in law school, Lara worked as a law clerk at the District of Columbia Public Defender Service and as a judicial clerk in the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Hearings Unit in Los Angeles. She was involved with the El Centro Teen Court Clinic, Disability Law Journal,...

Ms. Gold is an experienced litigation attorney who specializes in class action labor and employment matters. She spent the first decade of her career at a major law firm working on a wide range of business matters, including defending clients in high-stakes class action litigation. This experience provided Ms. Gold with valuable insight on how to best position cases for settlement and/or trial by allowing her to better understand defendants’ strategies, incentives, and motivations throughout the various phases of litigation. Ms. Gold then transitioned to a well-known boutique plaintiff-side class action law firm, where she was instrumental in obtaining nearly $100,000,000...

Alex Favela serves as the firm’s Pre-Litigation Attorney and specializes in disputes involving wage and hour violations, misclassification, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, failure to accommodate violations, and class actions. Alex received his J.D. from Stanford Law School. As a child of immigrant working-class parents, upholding the dignity of workers is central to Alex’s identity as a lawyer. A person’s job is their livelihood, and Alex strongly believes that workers deserve to be treated with respect and fairness. Before joining the firm, Alex represented workers at a respected employment plaintiff-side law firm. He has also clerked for the U.S. Office of Special...

Joana Fang is a Senior Associate Attorney with expertise in class action, employment litigation, personal injury, insurance litigation, and consumer protection laws. Ms. Fang has extensive experience in case management and all aspects of litigation, from drafting complaints to engaging in the discovery process, settlement negotiations, and preparing for trial. During her legal career, she has recovered millions of dollars for her clients. Ms. Fang is also a prolific writer who has written and published numerous articles on Law360, The Recorder, and Daily Journal. She has also led seminars on using depositions at trial and on litigating sexual abuse cases against schools...

Imad Elias is a founding partner of The Law Offices of Mann & Elias, a Los Angeles based law firm handling employment law and personal injury cases. Contact Mann & Elias at (323) 857-9500 for a free consultation.

Barbara is dedicated to fighting for the rights of California’s employees in both individual and class/PAGA cases. As a working mom, Barbara has a particular passion for vindicating the rights of women who have suffered discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Barbara was also co-counsel on Young v. Department of Public Social Services, et al, a retaliation/whistleblower case, and obtained the 7th highest employment law verdict in California in 2022. Presently, Barbara and her team focus on litigating class and PAGA actions on behalf of thousands of California employees who have been denied meal and rest periods, denied fair compensation, and...

Mr. Dietz has aggressively litigated civil cases in California for over a decade. He has represented government agencies in high-profile employment law, general liability and civil rights matters, including representing some of the largest school districts in California. His prior experience includes working at one of the largest firms in the U.S., as well as a highly respected litigation boutique, where he represented the full gamut of businesses from Fortune 500 companies to mom-and-pop shops in employment and business litigation matters in state and federal court and administrative bodies. Over the course of his career, Mr. Dietz...

Noriya Bragg is an Associate Attorney at Blackstone Law. Prior to joining Blackstone Law, she worked as a Law Clerk for a highly respected civil rights firm in Los Angeles where she gained experience working on matters ranging from employment discrimination to police misconduct. Ms. Bragg holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science with a minor in Philosophy of Law from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Ms. Bragg earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Davis School of Law (Martin Luther King Jr. Hall), where she worked as a Research Assistant to Professor Irene O. Joe and...

Annabel Blanchard is an associate attorney who represents individuals in wage and hour class actions and representative actions under the California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). Prior to joining Blackstone, PC, Ms. Blanchard worked at a respected plaintiff’s-side employment law firm, where she focused on obtaining court approval of large-scale class and PAGA settlements. Before practicing wage-and-hour employment law, Ms. Blanchard worked at boutique law firms providing estate planning services to families, with a focus on special needs planning and conservatorship. As a part of her estate planning practice, Ms. Blanchard served on the Los Angeles Superior Court “Court Appointed...

Ethan D. Kirschner is an experienced litigator with clients in California, throughout the United States, and overseas. Originally from Wisconsin, Mr. Kirschner was a champion high school and college debater. He has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan, graduated cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School, and received an LL.M. in intellectual property law from the University of California, Berkeley.


Mr. Kirschner has been practicing law since 2005. He is licensed to practice law in California.