Are you searching for California lawyers for employer defense?  The Watkins Firm is the “go-to” legal partner for any California employer.  The Watkins Firm offers more than 40 years of experience to support employers, business owners and managers from small business to multi-national corporations in all aspects of business formation, employment contracts, policies procedures and handbooks, business contract development and review, governance and compliance, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and the sale or dissolution of a business.

We provide sound general business counsel based upon decades of service to the San Diego region, and can help provide the business coaching and guidance necessary to avoid pitfalls that have harmed other businesses like yours.  We give you the insights into strategies that have helped others in your industry to grow and thrive, and develop new opportunities to expand markets and opportunities.

You need look no farther than the two podcasts we provided at the beginning of this year: “Episodes 41 and 42 – Employment Law Updates for 2024.”

As proven California lawyers for employer defense we help to keep you abreast of changes in federal, state and local laws and developments in California’s government agencies that can threaten your San Diego business.  We have been at the forefront of the “Independent Contractor or Employee” issue, preparing our clients for potential audit and threats to the financial stability of their business model due to the efforts of the IRS and California agencies such as the BOE, EDD and Bureau of Labor to reclassify independent contractors as employees, costing the employer significant sums of money in civil penalties, back payroll, unpaid overtime, taxes, unemployment, workers’ compensation and benefits.  We advise our clients on the impact of recent changes in the California Fair Pay Act, and how that affects companies with multi-shift operations or offices in multiple locations.

We defend employers in individual and class action PAGA lawsuits. Wage and hour and unpaid overtime lawsuits have more than tripled in the past 5 years here in California.  You need proven California lawyers for employers who will pick up the phone when you call, and answer a few quick questions (at no cost) to determine if you might have a genuine legal issue on your hands, or “if that mole isn’t cancer!,” and you have nothing to worry about.

Pro-Tip: “Let’s talk about California employers and class actions. That’s how plaintiff’s attorneys take a mistake on the way somebody drafted someone’s paycheck in the tune of, let’s say $15 a week. That simple mistake puts you in a class action that costs you $300,000 to $400,000 because of an accounting error and the resulting a class action. Now, had you had certain types of agreements in place, even some kinds of arbitration agreements, that’s where we’re at now on these laws. You could have cut this off, had you had your own lawyer for employers at the Watkins Firm. You could talk to us about a problem with an employee, your procedures, or ask our HR person a quick question. Or your staff can call, then you won’t have this problem. And if you do, then we can and will help to shut it down right away. Pick up the phone and call us the second that you think something’s going on. Why does that matter?

Judges don’t really like these cases, and there’s a lot of technical reasons to throw them out because these plaintiff’s attorneys are turning into sort of a shady PI lawyer, the person that hangs out in the hospital room. These kind of employment lawyers are starting to be like that. And so if they don’t follow all the rules and you get to court in the first couple of months and you file a motion saying you didn’t give the proper notice, you didn’t state the proper cause of action, the judge will throw it out.

In many cases we can simply help you to remediate the problem? Many attorneys won’t propose a solution. They’ll just propose fight, fight.

But sometimes we have them come in and say, no, no, no, don’t pay us all this money. Pay the extra $3,000 in wages. Send out amended pay stubs before you even have to answer the complaint. And guess what? All of the causes of action that have attorney’s fees in them are gone. Nobody wants to sue you anymore because they know they aren’t going to get paid in the end. The bottom line: quick action gives your Watkins Firm lawyer the right to do things that just destroy their case in the beginning.”

If you are in business, sooner or later a dispute will arise.  The experienced attorneys at the Watkins Firm have a unique approach to litigation that focuses on the goals and objectives of our clients with the intent to resolve disputes as quickly as possible and in a cost-effective manner.  You can entrust your business disputes and lawsuits to the Watkins Firm lawyers for employer defense knowing that we have an extensive and successful record at trial, and can represent and protect your interests at every step of the dispute resolution process: negotiation, mediation, arbitration and litigation.  We handle cases ranging from harassment and retaliation to ADA compliance, and employee disputes.

The Watkins Firm focuses on the needs of the employers.  We do not represent employees.  If you are looking for an experienced, seasoned business partner who can support your business at every stage we invite you to review our podcast Episode 39 – What Keeps Employers Up at Night as well as the strong recommendations of our clients and contact the Watkins Firm or call 858-535-1511 for a complimentary consultation today.

The Watkins Firm truly are your California lawyers for employer defense.