The Power of Prevention: Advising CA Employers on Litigation Avoidance

As a firm dedicated only to employment law, in particular California employment law, the avoidance of litigation is a goal we share with clients and a top priority throughout the firm. Nothing gives us greater satisfaction than an employer telling us that one of the procedures we recommended, or a training we conducted, directly led to a drastic reduction in claims filed by employees.

How CDF Can Protect Your Company

From CDF’s attorney-led webinars, legislative updates to our CA Labor Law blog, and articles, provide clients with multiple points of contact and educational resources so they can educate themselves on how to minimize risks, without having to retain counsel.

When it is necessary to hire attorneys to address problems, we react quickly and work efficiently. At the center of our preemptive, protective counsel is ensuring that employers have critical policies and agreements in place. To increase the value of our engagement with you, CDF attorneys formulate effective policies, procedures, and best practices, and regularly draft and guide employers on:

• Employee Handbooks
• FMLA/CFRA Policies and Forms
• Wage and Hour Policies
• Drug Testing Policies
• Harassment Policies
• Social Networking Policies
• Background Check Policies and Forms
• Employment Agreements
• Employee/Independent Contractor EEO Issues
• Employee/Independent Contractor Classification Issues
• Separation and Severance Agreements
• Confidentiality/Trade Secret Agreements
• Arbitration Agreements

CDF continually seeks ways to share the aggregate experience of more than 40 employment law professionals, all of whom focus solely on laws applicable to California employers, and the practical administrative and operational challenges that are sometimes posed by compliance.

Training and Audits

Effective claim prevention often requires more than a single policy or seminar. Training plays a crucial part too and CDF provides a wide range of training to human resources departments and management.

Areas of training include wage and hour compliance, FMLA/CFRA compliance, sexual harassment prevention, union avoidance, and best practices relating to hiring, workplace investigations, and discipline and discharge.

Inquiry, evaluation, and analysis are also key preventive tools. Often, it is not a defective policy that is causing the risk, but instead, the way that supervisors are enforcing it. CDF attorneys conduct wage and hour audits and broader employment practices audits, as well as corporate investigations. We also regularly advise on day-to-day personnel matters such as discipline and termination, accommodation of disabilities, and managing leaves of absence.

By assisting you in developing compliant policies and procedures, and providing regular counseling and training on best practices for carrying out those policies, CDF helps clients reach their goals of limiting their exposure to costly litigation.