Labor and Employment in California: A Guide to Employment Laws, Regulations, and Practices

Bernadette M. O'Brien is a partner at Floyd, Skeren & Kelly, LLP, a leading workers' compensation defense firm, and managing attorney of the law firm's employment law department. Ms. O'Brien is also a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). She provides advice and counsel to employers, human resource administrators, risk managers and claims adjusters on numerous workplace topics including policy development and implementation; employee discipline/workplace investigations; the prevention of workplace claims for discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and/or wrongful termination; wage and hour compliance; the crossover issues related to workers' compensation and the Fair Employment and Housing Act/Americans with Disabilities Act; leave of absence policies; pregnancy; privacy rights; social media policies; unemployment insurance claims; and, employee handbook development. Ms. O'Brien also conducts management/human resource training and compliance sessions throughout California, both private-on-site, and open for the public. Prior to Ms. O'Brien's association with Floyd, Skeren & Kelly, LLP she practiced civil litigation representing both plaintiffs and defendants in numerous areas of law including personal injury, business and employment. Ms. O'Brien is author of the popular LexisNexis publication Labor and Employment in California: A Guide to Employment Laws, Regulations and Practices, which has been in publication since 1992. The treatise is an easy-to-understand overview of key topics in labor and employment as governed by both federal and California law.

Ms. O'Brien is also co-author of California Unemployment Insurance and Disability Compensation Programs, which is a helpful treatise on California unemployment insurance and disability laws. Ms. O'Brien is a frequent contributor to, and reporter for, the LexisNexis employment law newsletter Bender's California Labor & Employment Bulletin and she is editor and developer of Floyd, Skeren & Kelly's employment related www.employmentlawweekly.com, www.worklawreport, and www.fskhrtraining.com, which cover the latest court cases and legislation related to employment law. She has been a speaker on a variety of employment law topics for numerous organizations including CalPelra, CWC, PIHRA, Ag-Safe, EAC, Northern California Workers' Comp Forum, Intercare, National Interstate Insurance, CASBO, Strafford Webinars and the Employer's Fraud Task Force. You can reach Bernadette M. O'Brien at bernadette.obrien@fsklaw.com, (818) 206-9222, or (916) 838-3332.

Founder of Law Offices of Susan A. Rodriguez, APC, Susan A. Rodriguez brings over 27 years of legal experience and a proven track record to guide employers through the complexities of California employment law.

Ms. Rodriguez has represented privately held and publicly traded employers of all sizes before state and federal courts, binding arbitration as well as the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Department of Labor, and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Ms. Rodriguez represents employers in a variety of matters including wage and hour class action litigation; individual wage and hour matters; employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation lawsuits; trade secret misappropriation cases; and whistle-blower lawsuits. Ms. Rodriguez also provides advice and counsel to employers and assists in the preparation of handbooks and other policies; non-competition agreements; and separation agreements. Ms. Rodriguez has served as a Board Member of the California Unemployment Insurance Council-Southern California Chapter since 2008. She served as Secretary until 2017 when she was elected CUIC Vice President. The CUIC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to assist and educate its members with information on all facets of employer-employee relations, unemployment insurance, labor laws, workers compensation, and all people- related aspects of its members’ businesses. Ms. Rodriguez works with the CUIC Board to organize in-depth seminars on cutting edge employment law topics presented by knowledgeable, and engaging, experts.

First appointed by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in 2008, Ms. Rodriguez continued to serve in Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Administration as a Commissioner of the Los Angeles Convention Center and Exhibition Authority. She served as Vice President of the Authority 2012 through January 2014, and then served as its President until January 2015. Ms. Rodriguez graduated from Yale University and the University of Michigan Law School. She was admitted to the California State Bar in 1990.