LOS ANGELES – March 25, 2024 – Hill, Farrer & Burrill LLP announced today that Partner Julia L. Birkel has been recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal as a finalist for its Diversity, Equity + Inclusion Awards. The awards honor diversity, inclusion, and equity champions in the Los Angeles region for their ongoing efforts to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace and business leadership while simultaneously creating an inclusive environment that enables diversity and equity to thrive. “Birkel has been a driving force in fostering an inclusive work culture at Hill, Farrer & Burrill. Her initiatives have not only educated but also empowered colleagues to embrace diversity,” states the publisher. More>>

On March 25, 2024, the California Supreme Court addressed three questions raised by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit regarding the interpretation of Wage Order No. 16.  These questions centered on the definition of “hours worked” under California wage and hour law, particularly in scenarios involving employee presence on an employer’s remote premises and travel between designated areas.

Compensability of Time Spent Undergoing Employer-Mandated Procedures:

First, the Court determined that time spent by an employee on the employer’s premises awaiting and undergoing mandatory entrance and exit procedures, including vehicle inspections, and flashing a security badge, is compensable as “hours worked.”   More>>

LOS ANGELES – March 25, 2024 – Representing the last two properties necessary for the City of Inglewood to complete its land acquisitions for the Intuit Dome basketball arena, Hill Farrer & Burrill LLP secured $6.23 million on behalf of the property owners.

Days before commencement of a jury trial, Hill Farrer attorneys Dean E. Dennis and Kevin H. Brogan negotiated the city’s acquisition of the properties resolving an eminent domain action brought against their clients in 2021.  The City argued the properties were worth $2,915,000.

“If our clients had not diligently defended their property rights, the city would not have acknowledged the genuine value of the land. More>>

On March 1, 2024, the California Department of Industrial Relations Division of Occupational Safety & Health (Cal/OSHA) published a model Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP) and additional resources for general industry employers to utilize.  California employers have until July 1, 2024, to get in compliance.  Nearly all California employers are covered by these new requirements.  Exemptions include healthcare facilities (already covered by Cal/OSHA’s Violence Prevention in Health Care standard) and places of employment where fewer than 10 employees are working at any given time that are not accessible to the public.

The following are the four key requirements to the new California law:

• Create a workplace violence prevention plan which the majority of employers in California must establish, implement, and maintain.

LOS ANGELES – January 16, 2024 – Hill, Farrer & Burrill LLP announced today that it secured a client victory in a hotly-disputed wrongful termination lawsuit, as a Riverside County jury rejected the plaintiff’s allegations against her former employer.

Led by Partners Michael S. Turner and Jenner C. Tseng, with assistance from Associate Charles “Chase” Bakaly, the firm represented a Coachella Valley employer in a three-week civil trial. The plaintiff, who had been terminated from her position as a result of behavior-related issues, brought multiple claims against her former employer. The plaintiff’s counsel requested a jury award of $5 million in compensatory damages, plus an additional sum for punitive damages. More>>

California’s pay data reporting law requires employers to file annual pay data reports with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD).  This law applies to any employer with 100 or more employees nationwide, even if only one of those employees works in California.  The law was originally enacted in 2020 and amended in 2022 via Senate Bill (SB) 1162 to require covered employers to report median and mean hourly rates within each job category for every combination of race, ethnicity, and sex.  SB 1162 also added a requirement to report data regarding workers employed through labor contractors.

The deadline to report Pay Data for reporting year 2023 is Wednesday, May 8, 2024.   More>>

LOS ANGELES – January 25, 2024 – Hill, Farrer & Burrill LLP announced today that Partner Jenner C. Tseng, has been named as one of the Los Angeles Business Journal‘s “Leaders of Influence: Minority Attorneys” for 2024. This distinction is awarded to minority attorneys in the Los Angeles region who are impactful on the legal scene and serve as trusted advisors, contributing significantly to the diversity and effectiveness of the legal landscape.

“Jenner’s inclusion in this list is a testament to his legal expertise and unwavering dedication to our clients,” said Dean E. Dennis, Hill Farrer’s Managing Attorney. More>>

LOS ANGELES – January 16, 2024 – Hill, Farrer & Burrill LLP announced today that nine of the firm’s attorneys have been named to the 2024 Southern California Super Lawyers list.

Annually, Super Lawyers, a lawyer rating service, recognizes no more than five percent of attorneys in each state. This honor highlights lawyers from over 70 practice areas who have demonstrated exceptional professional achievements and garnered substantial peer recognition. The selection process is rigorous and patented, involving a comprehensive statewide lawyer survey, an independent candidate evaluation, and specialized peer reviews within various practice areas.

The following Hill, Farrer & Burrill attorneys have been named to the 2024 Southern California Super Lawyers list:

Julia L. More>>

LOS ANGELES – December 21, 2023 – Hill, Farrer & Burrill LLP announced today that Partners William Meyers and Jenner Tseng have been named to the Los Angeles Business Journal’s 2023 Leaders of Influence: Thriving in Their 40s . This yearly accolade highlights prominent professionals in the Los Angeles area who are in their 40s and exhibit continuous success in both their professional sphere and community involvement. In the special insert, each recipient is featured with a concise profile that showcases their career highlights and recent accomplishments.

“Billy and Jenner being named Leaders of Influence by the Los Angeles Business Journal is an impressive testament to their professional excellence and community impact,” said Managing Attorney Dean E. More>>

LOS ANGELES – December 6, 2023 – Hill, Farrer & Burrill LLP announced today that Partner Julia Birkel has been recognized by Los Angeles Times as a top leader in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Magazine.

“As 2023 draws to a close, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) remains a perennial hot-button topic that companies, no matter what business they’re in, must contend with not only to function on a day-to-day basis but to sustain future growth,” states the publisher. “It is clear that implementing DEIA initiatives is vital for recruiting and retaining talent as well as attracting investors, but many businesses are slow to adopt clear objectives and actionable strategies. More>>