Los Angeles Employment Lawyers

Here's an overview of some of the main laws that protect employees in the Los Angeles area. For more specific questions about an issue in your workplace, you should make sure to consult a lawyer.

The City of Los Angeles has enacted a minimum wage ordinance for employees. This covers anyone who performs at least two hours of work in a week within the boundaries of the city and is entitled to earn the state minimum wage. It doesn't matter whether the employee is full-time, part-time, or temporary. The ordinance provides for adjustments to the minimum wage rate on July 1 of each year. On July 1, 2025, it will be $17.87 per hour. A separate minimum wage ordinance applies to certain hotel workers. The Los Angeles Office of Wage Standards enforces the minimum wage rules.

The state of California also has a minimum wage law. As of January 1, 2025, the statewide minimum wage for most employees is $16.50 per hour. The rate is adjusted annually for inflation. A higher minimum wage applies to fast food restaurant employees and healthcare facility employees. Certain types of employees are exempt from the minimum wage law, such as outside salespersons. Under the state law, as well as the city ordinance, an employer can't use tips paid to an employee as a credit toward the minimum wage. An employee who thinks that their employer has violated the law can file a claim with the Wage Claim Adjudication Unit of the California Labor Commissioner's Office.

California provides some further protections related to wages. Unless they are exempted by the law, an employee generally must receive 1.5 times their regular rate of pay for hours worked over eight hours in a workday, as well as hours worked over 40 hours in a workweek. However, an employee is entitled to receive double their regular rate of pay for hours worked over 12 hours in a workday and hours worked over eight hours on the seventh consecutive day of work in a workweek. (Some exemptions from the overtime laws include employees in executive, administrative, and professional roles.) In addition, most California workers must receive a 30-minute unpaid meal break if they work more than five hours in a day, an additional 30-minute unpaid meal break if they work more than 12 hours in a day, and a paid 10-minute rest break for every four hours that they work.

Some employees might wonder what counts as “hours worked” under California law. The Industrial Welfare Commission defines this term broadly as the time during which an employee is under the control of the employer. It includes any time that the employee is permitted to work, even if they’re not required to work. On-call or standby time at a work site falls within the scope of “hours worked,” even if the employee doesn’t actually do any tasks but simply waits for something to happen. On-call or standby time away from the work site may or may not be “hours worked,” depending on how much the employer restricts what the employee can do during that time. Travel time may be “hours worked” in some cases, although the employee’s normal commute is not.

Los Angeles workers also have certain protections under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The U.S. Department of Labor enforces the FLSA. However, it’s often less generous to employees than California and Los Angeles laws. For example, the federal minimum wage is much lower, and the FLSA doesn’t require meal breaks.

People in the Los Angeles area are protected from discrimination at work based on certain protected traits. Discrimination may emerge in obvious ways like firing or refusing to hire or promote an employee, or paying them less than similar employees who don’t have that protected trait. It also can be more subtle, such as not giving an employee training opportunities or work assignments that are available to employees without the protected trait. Harassment also can be considered a type of workplace discrimination.

The City of Los Angeles has an ordinance that prohibits employment discrimination. Protected traits include race, color, ethnicity, creed, age, national origin, religion, citizenship status, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, partnership status, employment status, source of income, military status, veteran status, and primary language. If you think that an employer violated your rights under this ordinance, you can file a complaint with the General Manager of the Los Angeles Civil, Human Rights, and Equity Department.

In addition, California has an anti-discrimination law called the Fair Employment and Housing Act. It generally applies to employers with five or more employees. However, the anti-harassment provisions apply to employers of all sizes. Protected characteristics under this law include race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, age (40 and older), mental or physical disability, sex, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, and military or veteran status. If you think that you were affected by illegal discrimination in the workplace, you can file a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department. There’s a three-year deadline for these complaints.

Los Angeles employees also benefit from protections under various federal anti-discrimination laws. For example, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), and national origin. This law applies to employers with 15 or more employees. The Americans With Disabilities Act, which also applies to employers with 15 or more employees, protects against disability discrimination at work. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act shields employees who are 40 or older from discrimination based on their age. It applies to employers with 20 or more employees. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforces federal anti-discrimination laws.

Sexual harassment in a Los Angeles workplace may take physical, verbal, or written forms. It may range from inappropriate touching or obscene gestures to requests for dates or sex, sexualized comments on an employee’s appearance, or emails or texts containing explicit materials. The genders of the perpetrator and the harassed employee don’t matter.

Illegal sexual harassment comes in two main forms. First, “quid pro quo” harassment occurs when a supervisor or someone else who has authority over the employee makes certain employment actions contingent on sexual conduct. For example, if your boss says that you’ll get a promotion if you spend the night at a motel with him, this would be quid pro quo sexual harassment. Meanwhile, hostile work environment harassment occurs when the harassment creates working conditions that would be offensive to a reasonable person in the same situation as the employee.

Under both federal and California law, the conduct must be severe or pervasive to create an unlawful hostile work environment. In other words, a single incident can support a claim if it’s significant enough, while a series of more minor incidents also can support a claim even if one or two of those incidents wouldn’t be enough on their own.

Even the most dedicated employees may need to take time off from work for certain serious concerns. The City of Los Angeles has enacted a paid sick leave ordinance that protects all employees who work for at least two hours in a week in the city for the same employer for at least 30 days in a year. Paid sick leave may accrue at the rate of one hour for every 30 hours worked, or an employer may provide at least 48 hours of paid sick leave at the beginning of each year of employment, calendar year, or 12-month period. An employee can use this leave beginning on the 90th day of their employment. They can take this leave for their own illness or for an illness of a qualifying family member. The employer can limit their use of this leave to 48 hours per year.

California also has a paid sick leave law. It generally requires an employer to provide at least 40 hours (five days) of this leave per year. Similar to the requirements under the Los Angeles ordinance, an employee must have worked for the same employer for at least 30 days in a year in California, and they can’t take paid sick leave until they’ve been employed for 90 days. An employer can provide all paid sick leave hours at the same time, or they can set up an accrual plan, which must provide at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours of work. Paid sick leave can be used to care for an illness of an employee or a qualifying family member, or to get a medical diagnosis, treatment, or preventative care for an employee or qualifying family member, as well as other reasons. The California Labor Commissioner’s Office enforces the paid sick leave law.

In addition, the California Family Rights Act provides unpaid but job-protected leave to eligible employees to address a serious health condition, to care for a child, spouse, domestic partner, parent, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling with a serious health condition, or to bond with a new child by birth, adoption, or foster care placement within one year of that child’s arrival. An employee can take this leave for up to 12 weeks in a 12-month period. To be eligible, they must have more than 12 months of service for an employer that has at least five employees, and they must have worked for at least 1,250 hours for that employer during the 12 months preceding the leave. Meanwhile, under a related law, an employer with at least five employees must provide up to four months of leave to an employee with a pregnancy-related disability. The California Civil Rights Department enforces these laws.

It’s worth noting that short-term disability insurance and paid family leave programs are operated by the California Employment Development Department. Short-term disability insurance provides benefits for up to 52 weeks when an employee needs to take time off from work for illness, injury, pregnancy, childbirth, or certain other situations. Paid family leave provides benefits for up to eight weeks in a 12-month period if an employee needs to become a caregiver for a seriously ill family member, as well as certain reasons related to bonding with a new child or supporting a military family member. However, neither SDI nor PFL guarantees job protection on its own.

The federal Family and Medical Leave Act also provides certain protections to Los Angeles employees. Similar to the CFRA, the FMLA provides 12 weeks of unpaid leave in a 12-month period for reasons related to a serious health condition of the employee or certain family members, or bonding with a new child. (Both the FMLA and the CFRA also provide certain leave rights related to the military service of a qualifying family member.) However, eligibility requirements for FMLA leave are stricter than those for CFRA leave. The U.S. Department of Labor enforces this law.

California follows the same rule as most states in the context of firing or laying off employees. This is called “at-will employment,” which means that an employer can fire an employee for any reason or for no particular reason. An employee also can quit whenever they choose and for any reason. However, this is just a general rule, and there are key exceptions to know.

As mentioned earlier, California law doesn’t allow a business to fire a worker because they have a trait protected by anti-discrimination laws. If an employee files a good-faith claim of discrimination or harassment at work, moreover, or if they cooperate in an investigation of this type of claim, the employer can’t fire them in retaliation for doing that. An employee can’t be fired for blowing the whistle on an employer’s illegal conduct or refusing to cooperate with it, or in other situations when an important public policy protects the employee’s actions.

Some employees have contracts that limit the reasons for which an employer can fire them. They can bring a wrongful termination claim if the employer fires them outside one of these situations. A claim also might arise based on an “implied contract” that arises from written or oral assurances by the employer suggesting that an employee won’t be fired except for certain reasons. However, the law in this area is complex, so you should talk to a lawyer as soon as possible if you’re wondering about whether an implied contract may protect you.

If you get injured or ill on the job in California, you likely can get workers’ compensation benefits. These are available regardless of fault, so you don’t need to prove that your employer caused your injury. However, you can’t sue your employer if they were at fault. (If someone else caused your injury, you can bring a lawsuit against them and potentially get a broader range of damages than those available through the workers’ comp system.) You can get workers’ comp based on a single accident at work, or based on a series of repeated incidents or exposures. The program protects temporary or part-time employees as well as full-time employees.

These benefits can cover medical care needed for your recovery, as well as temporary disability benefits if you can’t do your usual job while you recover or permanent disability benefits if you don’t recover completely. You can get medical benefits even if you don’t miss time from work. You should report your injury or illness to your employer within 30 days to preserve your right to benefits. You have one year from the date of your injury to file a workers’ comp claim. Your employer cannot fire you or otherwise retaliate against you for getting injured on the job or for seeking workers’ comp benefits in good faith.

If you’re unemployed through no fault of your own, you may be able to get unemployment benefits through the state of California if you meet certain other requirements. For example, you must be able to work and available to work, and you must continue searching for work each week. You must be ready and willing to accept work right away. In some cases, you can get benefits even if you’re only partially unemployed. People who were fired due to misconduct generally aren’t eligible for unemployment benefits, and people who quit their jobs generally can’t get these benefits unless they had a good reason for leaving and made reasonable efforts to keep their job.

The weekly unemployment benefit amount for eligible employees is between $40 and $450 as of 2025. Benefits can last for up to 26 weeks. (You’ll need to go through a one-week unpaid waiting period after you file your claim before you can get benefits.) If you receive benefits, you must meet an ongoing certification requirement. This involves answering questions every two weeks to show that you are still eligible.

According to the California Employment Development Department, some of the leading employers in Los Angeles include:

• Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles
• Live Nation
• Los Angeles General Medical Center
• Los Angeles International Airport
• Los Angeles Medical Center
• Los Angeles Police Department
• UCLA Community Based Learning
• Vision X

Surrounding cities throughout Los Angeles County also have many major employers, such as Cedars-Sinai Health System in West Hollywood, Infineon Technologies Americas in El Segundo, Sony Pictures Entertainment in Culver City, Walt Disney Company in Burbank, and Water Garden Management in Santa Monica.

It’s important to hold an employer accountable for violating a Los Angeles, California, or federal law that protects your rights. A key step in many of these situations involves reporting the apparent misconduct to the agency that enforces the law that you think was violated. Here are the agencies that enforce some of the notable laws affecting Los Angeles employers and employees:

• Los Angeles minimum wage ordinance: Los Angeles Office of Wage Standards
• California wage law: California Labor Commissioner’s Office
• Federal Fair Labor Standards Act: U.S. Department of Labor
• Los Angeles employment discrimination ordinance: Los Angeles Civil, Human Rights, and Equity Department
• California Fair Employment and Housing Act: California Civil Rights Department
• Federal employment discrimination laws: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• Los Angeles paid sick leave ordinance: Los Angeles Office of Wage Standards
• California paid sick leave law: California Labor Commissioner’s Office
• California Family Rights Act: California Civil Rights Department
• Federal Family and Medical Leave Act: U.S. Department of Labor

The Division of Workers’ Compensation in the California Department of Industrial Relations oversees the workers’ compensation system in the state. The California Employment Development Department reviews claims for unemployment benefits.

If you want to know more about some of the basic concepts in employment law, you can consult the Employment Law Center in the Justia Legal Guides. This is one of the many free resources that Justia provides in an effort to inform and empower ordinary people.

These general articles won’t provide an answer to every question that an employee might raise, though. If you want a knowledgeable response to a certain question, you can post it on our Justia Ask A Lawyer platform. You might get a response from an employment lawyer in Los Angeles or elsewhere in California. However, you should be aware that this type of exchange doesn’t make that lawyer your attorney or impose any obligations on them toward you.

Once you’ve decided that you’re ready to look for an attorney, you can explore the listings in the Justia Lawyer Directory. You’ll find that there are many options to consider, so you should take your time in thinking about who might work well for your needs.

Workplace disputes can be extremely daunting, especially when your job, personal wellbeing, and emotional health may be at stake. Although hiring legal counsel may initially seem like an extra expense, it often proves worthwhile. An attorney can make a difference in multiple ways.

For example, they’ll have a comprehensive understanding of the laws affecting your case. These statutes, ordinances, and regulations, as well as court rulings interpreting them, can be complex and tend to often change over time. Your attorney also will handle the logistical aspects of your case, such as gathering evidence to prove the employer’s violation of your rights and the damages that you’re owed.

It’s common for a workplace dispute to end in a settlement rather than going all the way to trial. A lawyer can make sure that your employer doesn’t take advantage of you during settlement negotiations. They also can help you evaluate any settlement offers so that you can make an informed choice about whether to take an offer or keep moving through litigation. If your case does end up in a courtroom or an administrative hearing, your lawyer will be familiar with the rules that apply in these settings. They will know how to present your side of the story as persuasively as possible, while avoiding any procedural pitfalls that might trip you up if you handled the case on your own.

Finding the right attorney often isn’t a straightforward task. Even if you receive referrals from friends or family, you’ll probably end up doing your own online research at some point. Tools like the Justia Lawyer Directory can help you quickly compare attorneys, which might make your search smoother.

Since a wide range of disputes can arise in the employment context, it’s best to find a lawyer who has a history of handling cases similar to yours. For instance, if your employer failed to pay you overtime, you’ll want to find a lawyer experienced in wage and hour disputes. If you didn’t get a job because you’re descended from Mexican immigrants, you should work with an attorney who has handled employment discrimination cases.

It’s also smart to check a potential attorney’s disciplinary history with the State Bar of California. A minor slip-up may not disqualify them from your consideration, but if you see multiple or severe violations, consider it a red flag. Your lawyer’s misconduct can harm your case, so it’s not worth taking risks.

Examining the results that an attorney or firm posts on their website will show you if they have relevant experience and a history of success. Reviews from clients often shed light on their communication skills and overall professionalism. Endorsements from other legal professionals may also indicate respect within the field, which can be useful during negotiations or in court.

Many employment lawyers offer an initial meeting at no cost. Use that opportunity to explain your situation and decide if interacting with them feels comfortable. Think about whether they offer thoughtful advice and whether your personalities mesh. Ultimately, you want someone who genuinely cares about your case and treats you with the empathy that you deserve.

1. Am I an independent contractor just because my employer says so?

   No, your employer’s label doesn’t determine independent contractor status. Some employers misclassify workers as independent contractors to avoid complying with employment laws. In deciding whether a worker is an employee, California courts often use the ABC test. This provides that a worker is an independent contractor only if they’re free from the control and direction of the hiring entity in connection with work performance, they perform work outside the usual course of the hiring entity’s business, and they’re customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, or business of the same nature.

2. What do I do if I think that I’ve experienced discrimination at work?

   If you experience harassment or discrimination based on a protected characteristic, you should report it to your employer’s HR department or anyone else whom your employer designates to address these issues. It’s important to follow any internal complaint process provided by the employer. If this doesn’t get results, you may be able to file a complaint with the Los Angeles Civil, Human Rights, and Equity Department, the California Civil Rights Department, or the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Make sure to preserve evidence showing the discrimination, such as letters, emails, or a journal describing inappropriate comments.

3. Does my employer need to accommodate my disability?

   Generally, yes. The California Fair Employment and Housing Act requires a business with five or more employees to provide reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities to apply for jobs and perform the essential functions of their jobs. This might involve making modest changes to the physical work space or adjusting schedules, policies, or practices. However, an employer doesn’t need to provide an accommodation that would cause an undue hardship.

4. How much will I need to pay my employment lawyer?

   If your attorney charges fees on an hourly basis, this will depend on how long they spend on your case, which usually reflects its complexity and how far it goes into the litigation process. On the other hand, some employment lawyers handle cases for a contingency fee. You won’t pay this type of lawyer anything upfront. Instead, they’ll take a percentage of any money that they get for you, and they won’t get paid if they don’t recover anything. In certain cases, an attorney might handle a very routine matter for a flat fee. You should make sure that you understand how fees will work before signing a representation agreement.