Are you searching for a California law firm with proven experience in employer defense for a Labor Commission hearing or conference?  These meetings are usually presented as an informal discussion, but you need to understand the reality is this: they are anything but “informal.”  The first thing the deputy labor commissioner will do is grill you on California and federal labor laws.  They will not only probe your knowledge of the law but your company’s compliance with every requirement under the law.  This is why it is important to work with the experienced labor hearing and conference defense attorneys at the Watkins Firm.  We have more than four decades of experience representing and defending San Diego and California employers.

The vast majority of California’s employers are not experts on federal and state employment laws.  This becomes quickly evident for those who walk into these meetings unwary and unprepared.  Once the hearing officer has established the gaps in your knowledge of the law they will use this against you to immediately establish allegations of “wage theft” or other wage and hour violations, and begin to negotiate a “settlement.”  These settlements open you to further exposure to other state and federal agencies, the IRS, the FTB and EDD and other agencies who will pursue you and your company for revenue. The financial consequences add up quickly.

The experienced employer defense attorneys at the Watkins Firm help to prepare you for these meetings.  Often we are able to help our clients to take immediate action to mitigate the damages they face or remediate the situation altogether.

We review the complaint associated with the request and help to organize all of the documents and evidence needed to refute the claims of the agency or the employee who filed the complaint.  Once the hearing officer understands you are represented by experts and are confronted with our defense you will be in a much stronger position to seek a successful outcome.  The hearing officer must ultimately release an “Order, Decision or Award” or ODA and we will seek to establish firm grounds for a dismissal of the action and a zero dollar decision.

Pro-Tip: “It doesn’t matter if it is a labor hearing or conference, or a lawsuit from plaintiff’s attorneys.  If you know ahead of time, there is a lot our experienced employer defense attorneys can and will do to help you.  Sometimes we have them come in,  and wind up saying: ‘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 see you anymore because of that. So yeah, quick action gives your lawyer the right to do things that just destroy a case in the beginning.

Call us, and describe what’s going on with a certain troubled employee. And we can tell you, like skin cancer, ‘oh, that fact scenario doesn’t really fit something that I would go ahead and fight with them.’ Or we can say, ‘oh, this one looks bad because of the things they’re complaining about or just the general facts. I would handle it this way.’ And so you can turn a $20,000 or $30,000 lawsuit situation into empowerment where you can stand your ground or maybe you make some concessions because you got some advice from your lawyer. You need to know when you got to worry about it and when you don’t.” – Dan Watkins, Founding Partner

Learn how you can reduce or eliminate your exposure and draw on our more than four decades of experience in employer defense for a Labor Commission hearing or conference. 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.

  You do not want to go into an “informal” hearing or conference without experienced, proven legal representation from the Watkins Firm.