Hello. Welcome to the Cook Brown Labor and Employment Law Podcast. I’m Lisa Ryan, a partner here at the firm. Cook Brown is a California-based labor and employment law firm. We represent public and private sector employers in everything from routine advice to complex class action litigation.

We also represent employers who have operations in a variety of states. But employers doing business in the Golden State are confronted with more legal challenges from their employees than are those in just about any other state. Really, almost all of them. And that’s what we’re going to talk about today.

I’m going to share some insights about a few of the litigation trends we’re seeing in our practice in 2016. They’re based on three particular state laws. The goal of this podcast is to give you an overall heads-up on the most common legal vulnerabilities employers are facing here in California.

• First is the California’s Private Attorney General Act.
• Second are California’s meal and rest break requirements.
• And third are pay stub violations.

Before we start, I’d like to remind you that this podcast is for general informational purposes only. It doesn’t create an attorney-client relationship between Cook Brown and the listener, should not be treated as advice specific to your situation. And whether inside or outside of California, it is important that you consult a local attorney for specific advice.

California is not a friendly place for employers, and it is not a matter of whether an employer will be forced to deal with an employee claim, it is a matter of when. That makes it important for employers to understand some key points about alternative dispute resolution, and whether and how it can be a more efficient and reasonable solution that a formal court dispute. In this podcast, Steve McCutcheon explains the difference between arbitration and mediation, and what the arbitration process involves