Walnut Creek Employment Law
Our Practice Areas
Nancy Balles, A Professional Law Corporation, represents clients who require assistance with employment laws in Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County, and Alameda County, California.
Ms. Balles works to help people with discrimination, wrongful termination, contract disputes, and wage claims:
- Discrimination
- Workplace Discrimination
- Racial discrimination
- Ethnic discrimination
- Age discrimination
- Pregnancy discrimination
- Harassment
- Sexual harassment
- Employment litigation
- Wage Claims
- Wrongful Termination
- Mediation & Desipute Resolution
- Discrimination on the basis of: sex, age over 40, disability, race, national origin, color, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, cancer, or genetic status
- Employment contracts: negotiation of
- Hostile work environment (harassment)
- Litigation
- Mediation
- Overtime claims and other CA Labor Code violations
- Public employee claims against cities or counties
- Retaliation for protected activity
- Severance Agreements: review of; negotiation of
- Sexual harassment
- Whistleblower claims of suspected illegal activity
- Wrongful termination: breach of contract or implied contract, breach of public policy
- Misrepresentations by an employer to prevent a former employee from obtaining new employment. California Labor Code Section 970
- Misrepresentations to induce a person to take a particular job
- Employer's failure to give proper notice of mass layoff (Act involving federal and California statutes)
- Denial of family leave under the California Family Rights Act or the federal Family Medical Leave Act
- Unpaid overtime compensation
- Unpaid accrued but unused vacation time
- Unpaid bonuses
- Unpaid commissions that have been rightfully earned
- Denial of proper rest and meal breaks
- Denial of reimbursement of employee expenses
Employment Law in Walnut Creek
Employment law in California carries even more rights for workers than federal employment law. That means that when you work with our office, we’ll explain how the full scope of our practices areas and the full protection of California laws apply to your case or issue.
Our practice is experienced in all forms of employment law and handles a wide variety of issues for clients:
For additional questions about employment law matters, please visit the frequently asked questions page of this website.
Retaliation and Whistleblower Claims
An employee may engage in "protected activity", such as opposing internally his/her employer's discriminatory or illegal conduct, filing a complaint with a government agency against the employer, or participating in an employer's internal investigation or an investigation by a government agency. If an employee is then subjected to negative employment actions (e.g., poor evaluation, transfer, demotion, termination) because he or she engaged in protected activity, the employee may have a retaliation claim under various CA and federal statutes.
Wrongful Termination
A termination from employment may be wrongful even if the employment is "at will" (i.e., employment for an indefinite period where either the employee or the employer may end the relationship at any time for any reason or no reason.) The termination may be in breach of contract or implied contract (e.g., in violation of the employer's own rules or employee handbook). Or the termination may also be in violation of public policy, such as a particular statute or regulation (e.g., laws against discrimination.) Termination because of an employee's protected activity (see "Retaliation" above) is illegal and wrongful, even if the employee cannot prove actual discrimination on a protected basis occurred.
Since wrongful termination law (statutes, regulations, and appellate court rulings) is complex, it is important to discuss your case with an experienced employment law attorney. Nancy J. Balles has over 20 years of experience in employment law and representing California employees in wrongful termination cases.
Other Employment Law Claims
Our experienced employment law attorneys also represent clients in other types of employment related claims, including the following:
Wage Claims
Nancy J. Balles, a Professional Law Corporation represents clients in wage claims against an employer, including claims for:
If you believe you have a wage claim, you can file your claim with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and the Office of the Labor Commissioner, which was established to resolve wage claim disputes. This may be appropriate for claims worth less than $50,000, but for claims exceeding this amount, it is generally better to hire an attorney. Even if the dispute is for less than $50,000, it is still advisable to consult an attorney to discuss your rights and options.
Located in Walnut Creek, California, our attorneys practice exclusively in the area of employment law and our practice is focused on the representation of clients located in the Contra Costa County and Alameda County area. Our attorneys are devoted to ensuring that clients receive the highest level of representation. If you believe you have a claim involving an employment or labor related issue and are seeking experienced, honest representation from attorneys who genuinely care about their clients, contact Nancy J. Balles, a Professional Law Corporation today.
