California Employment Attorney — Representing Employees and Former Employees

Over fifty years representing California employees in discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and wage disputes — statewide, individuals only.

Overview

California employees have some of the strongest workplace protections in the country, but enforcing those rights requires knowing when they have been violated and how to respond. The Law Offices of Stephan Math has represented California employees in state and federal courts, before administrative agencies, and at mediation and arbitration for over five decades. We represent individuals only — never employers, never the other side.

Areas of Practice

Discrimination

California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act prohibits employment discrimination based on race, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, age, disability, and other protected characteristics. We have represented employees facing discrimination in a wide range of industries and settings, including corporate research and development, healthcare, government agencies, and vocational training programs. Cases have included termination based on national origin and accent, age discrimination following a change in employer after the business was acquired, disability discrimination by association with a disabled family member, and race and religious discrimination in public employment.

Harassment

Workplace harassment — whether based on sex, race, national origin, or another protected characteristic — is unlawful when it is severe or pervasive enough to alter the conditions of employment. We represent employees subjected to hostile work environments, including those who faced derogatory comments, exclusion, physical threats, and undermining of their authority by management.

Retaliation

Employees who report discrimination, harassment, or unsafe working conditions are protected from retaliation under both the Fair Employment and Housing Act and the California Labor Code. We have represented employees terminated, demoted, or subjected to adverse performance reviews after complaining about workplace discrimination, after requesting family or medical leave, and after reporting laboratory safety violations to their employer.

Wrongful Termination

California is an at-will employment state, but termination is unlawful when it violates a statute, a contract, or California public policy. We represent employees terminated in violation of the Fair Employment and Housing Act, in breach of employment contracts, and in retaliation for exercising protected rights.

Family and Medical Leave

Employees have rights under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act and the California Family Rights Act to take protected leave for their own serious health condition or to care for a family member. We represent employees whose leave rights were denied or who were retaliated against for requesting or taking protected leave.

Wage and Hour Disputes

California wage and hour law governs minimum wage, overtime, meal and rest breaks, and expense reimbursement. We represent employees in wage and hour matters, including claims for unpaid overtime, minimum wage violations, failure to make prompt payment of wages, and wage theft.

Vocational School and Training Program Disputes

Students in vocational and professional training programs have rights under both contract law and California’s anti-discrimination statutes. We have represented students who were subjected to discrimination, retaliation, and breach of contract by vocational schools, including situations involving failure to provide promised training, hostile environments, and adverse treatment of students with disabilities.

If you are facing this kind of matter and would like to discuss whether the Law Offices of Stephan Math can help, please call (805) 300-2097 or send a message through the contact page. Initial consultations are free and confidential.