San Mateo Employment Lawyers

Heidi Machen has been an attorney since 1996 when she graduated from University of California Hastings College of the Law and passed the California Bar Exam. Prior to hanging her shingle as a sole practitioner in 2008, representing clients in matters of employment and regulatory law, Ms. Machen served in various policy and executive positions in local and Bay Area government.

Among her extracurricular activities, she is an avid cyclist, a Vegan cook, an amateur oil painter, has been known to contribute to theatrical productions on or off stage, and to participate in Democratic party doings. She...

Erik Christensen litigates, and provides counsel on, corporate and employment issues in California and the District of Columbia. His experience includes working as a senior associate at top-ranked global law firms, including Littler Mendelson and Greenberg Traurig. Before this, Erik externed at the California Supreme Court and the First District Court of Appeal, two of the most prestigious opportunities provided to law students in California. Erik also served as a law clerk for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Victim Impact Program (sometimes referred to as the “Special Victims Unit.”) His experience includes years of service with the 101st Airborne’s...

Taylor Burras is a Labor and Employment attorney. Her practice focuses on the hospitality and insurance industries.

Taylor has experience counseling and litigating on behalf of employers in matters relating to discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination, reduction in workforce, hiring, leaves of absence, and wage and hour issues. She has also handled matters before the Employment Development Department (EDD), Department of Labor Standards Enforcement, Department of Fair Employment and Housing, and the National Labor Relations Board. Taylor has successfully represented hotels, resorts and restaurants in numerous general and employment litigation matters. In the insurance industry, she has defended large insurance companies...

Ingrid M. Evans is the founding partner of the Evans Law Firm. Ms. Evans is a Board Certified Civil Trial Advocate, and was named as a Finalist for Consumer Attorney of the Year, Consumer Attorneys of California, 2009. Ingrid Evans is a veteran in the courtroom and was previously undefeated in jury trials as a former Deputy City Attorney for San Francisco. Ingrid Evans is an experienced litigator in state and federal courts and is licensed to practice law in California, the District of Columbia, and New York. Ms. Evans has been named as a 2010 Northern California Super Lawyers...

Scott Cole is the founder and principal attorney at Cole & Van Note, one of California's best-known and most highly-respected employment and consumer rights class action law firms. He is a graduate of the University of San Francisco School of Law (1992), and San Francisco State University (B.A., Speech Communications; 1989). He is a member of the California State Bar and the State Bar’s Labor and Employment Law Section, is admitted to practice before all California federal courts (including the 6th and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals), has prosecuted cases in numerous states including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida,...

A resident of Oakland, Len spent much of his legal career with prestigious, top-ranked, San Francisco law firms. Mr. Watkins brings the same level of expertise, and standard of excellence, to his practice in the East Bay. Focusing on consumer bankruptcy and business law, Mr. Watkins’ depth of experience and training include: A Masters of Business Administration, concentrating on finance, from the University of California, at Davis A stock brokerage license (inactive) from the National Association of Securities Dealers A California Real Estate Broker’s license Previous Experience Business Attorney Norris & Norris (now...

Arthur Lazear has practiced law for more than 40 years, helping to obtain successful results for worthy clients nationwide. Mr. Lazear has prosecuted some of the biggest class actions ever litigated in employment law, but has never abandoned his level of personal attention to each client, which is the firm’s hallmark.

Mr. Lazear’s father was a janitor, an immigrant from Ukraine who worked nights in a tireless effort to provide his children the hope of a better life, that they might realize the American Dream. The example set by his father inspired Mr. Lazear’s lifelong commitment to protecting and enforcing the...

Jessica is a partner at Rukin Hyland & Riggin LLP and specializes in litigating employment law cases on behalf of employees. From violations of wage and hour laws to sexual harassment and discrimination, Jessica has represented both individuals and groups of people in class actions. She also advises executives in pre-litigation matters such as severance agreements and employment agreements. If you have an employment law issue in the Bay Area, please contact her office today and set up a free consultation.

John Hyland is a partner with Rukin Hyland & Riggin LLP. He practices exclusively in the area of employment law. John was Of Counsel with Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker in the firm’s San Francisco office where he advised and represented companies in State and Federal court actions covering all areas of employment law, including wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, disability law, employee privacy, employee leaves, and wage and hour issues. John regularly conducts training seminars and presents on a wide array of employment law issues. Law & Politics Magazine selected John as one of its Northern California Super Lawyers...

An Advocate for Your Rights in the Workplace. The Law Office of N. William Metke specializes in employment law litigation. The firm provides vigorous advocacy on behalf of individuals who have encountered injustice in the workplace. This includes discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation, unpaid wages, and other wrongs in the employment context. We represent clients throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. tel: 415-572-9556 email: nwm@metkelaw.com

Since starting Varlack Legal Services in 2009, I have been on the front lines of litigation as a trial attorney. Valuable experience in the courtroom was gained as a member of the Alameda County Bar’s CAAP program and Lawyer Referral Service. These programs helped me grow my practice as a young attorney while allowing me to grow as a litigator. As a graduate of Howard Law School, I chose to become “a social engineer” rather than a “parasite on society.” After law school, I served on the Charles Houston Bar Association’s Board of Directors, as membership...

Throughout her career, Sandra Ribera Speed, ESQ has played a pivotal role in numerous high profile and multimillion dollar cases and settlements. She was a young member of the legal team that represented The Notorius B.I.G. which filed a $360 million wrongful death claim against the LAPD. Ms. Speed has also represented Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, in a number of issues, including a wrongful death action. Recently, Ms. Ribera Speed has focused on victims of sexual abuse. She obtained a seven figure settlement against Kink.com in favor of three performers in the porn industry who...

Help small to medium size companies navigate through a wide variety of legal challenges: formation, funding, governmental impediments, operational legal planning, merger and acquisition, employee relations, and labor compliance. All with the goal of litigation avoidance. Litigation in all California state courts and the Northern and Eastern U.S. District Courts of California.

Since 1995, Joe has specialized in ERISA counseling and litigation. He has represented hundreds of ERISA benefit plan participants and beneficiaries, in individual benefits suits, breach of fiduciary duty litigation, and ERISA class action litigation. From 2003 to 2005 he represented the United States Secretary of Labor in ERISA litigation and investigations.

In 2012, Joe won the California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year ("CLAY") award. In 2019, Super Lawyers magazine ranked Joe among the Top 100 Northern California Super Lawyers, after including Joe as an employee benefits Super Lawyer for 6 years running. In 2019, Best Lawyers magazine also...

Michael Gallo is a dedicated and skilled Business, Employment, and Securities Law Attorney with Sparer Law Group. Since 2002, he has represented clients in a broad array of areas involving securities, employment, employee raiding, trade secret, public utility ratemaking, and professional responsibility. His experience includes plaintiff and defendant class action matters as well. Mr. Gallo is committed to providing comprehensive representation for his clients' legal needs.

Mr. Gallo received his B.A. from Swarthmore College and M.A. from University of California at Berkeley. In 2001, he obtained his J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law. Mr....

Getting her start in the trenches as a legal aid attorney, Erika has years of experience in seeking justice for employees and consumers against unfair practices. She has fought off debt collectors, obtained justice for wrongfully terminated employees, and untangled thorny credit reporting issues. She has taken on local government for refusing proper restroom access to transgender people. In 2015, she even had a federal court declare a state's garnishment statute unconstitutional for violating the rights of low-income debtors.

Whether your case is just starting, or whether you are up on appeal, Erika has the experience and...

I specialize in representing employees in all types of employment cases. I have been selected as a Northern California Super Lawyer each year from 2004 through the present. Only about five percent of the lawyers in Northern California earn the Super Lawyers honor. I have also been named one of the Top 100 High Stakes Litigators in Northern California from 2020 through the present. I have been lead counsel on a number of cases that have resulted in published precedent decisions, have participated in numerous trials, and have appeared as a guest lecturer on employment law issues....

For over thirty years, I have practiced business law and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in Palo Alto, California. I assist businesses with formation and planning; purchases and sales of existing businesses; termination of business entities; commercial leasing matters; and employment matters. My other focus is on mediation and arbitration, where I help clients settle disputes outside of the courtroom. What I enjoy most about being a business law attorney is helping people transform their hobbies and passions into successful businesses. Whether I’m helping someone start a restaurant or a software company, I’m always mindful of the...

We protect whistleblowers nationwide primarily using the False Claims Act, but also other whistleblower programs as well: SEC, CFTC, IRS, AML, NHTSA, CEPA to name a few. I formerly served as an FBI Special Agent dedicated to protecting this great country. After I left the Bureau, I handle high-end, high-profile litigation and run a firm with about 20 people in it who have the passion to fight for what is right. I have been part of several litigations that resulted in settlements and judgments in excess of $100,000,000, but past results don't guarantee future success. We represent...

Marlon Monroe brings a background of court battles and life experiences rarely found in employment law & civil rights attorneys. Prior to practicing law, Marlon taught middle school in Los Angeles for five years and worked in the music industry. After graduating from law school in South Florida, he began his legal career and moved back to Oakland, CA, where he practiced criminal defense for 15 years and became known as “The People’s Champion” due to his zealous advocacy, successful outcomes and representation of prominent members of the local community. While cultivating his skills in the courtroom, Marlon also worked with...

Mr. Vlasak focuses his practice on civil litigation for plaintiffs, including habitability and wrongful eviction suits for tenants, as well as consumer, employment and personal injury actions. Mr. Vlasak earned his Juris Doctor degree from Temple University Law School in Philadelphia, where he was Staff Editor of Temple International and Comparative Law Journal. Prior to his career as an attorney, Mr. Vlasak was an Adjunct Professor and taught courses including philosophy, ethics, and logic.

Our firm has been representing individuals against institutions for over 40 years. We take pride in
serving the "under served" in employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation cases; wage theft cases, medical malpractice and serious injury matters. Our AV rated firm has had successes in all of these areas.
For details, please see our website at www.mhlegal.net.

I represent employees in their disputes with their employers, and victims of personal injury. I take the time to get to know the unique story of each client, and understand how termination, injury, or other unlawful conduct has affected their life. I represent women who have been terminated because of pregnancy or because they have taken time off to care for their children. I represent older workers who have been terminated after many years of loyal service. I also help clients who have been injured in motor vehicle accidents or other incidents of negligence.

Dylan Hughes is a partner at Gibbs Law Group and of counsel to Girard Gibbs LLP specializing in the prosecution of class actions. He represents plaintiffs in cases involving defective products, telecommunications, credit cards, product liability, credit repair, employment misclassification and wage and hour disputes under state and federal laws. Mr. Hughes has extensive experience prosecuting complex automobile-defect cases and helped achieve recoveries on behalf of class members in the In Re General Motors Dex-Cool Cases (settlement of $50 to $800 cash reimbursements per class member vehicle repair) and In Re General Motors Cases, JCCP No. 4396, a certified...

Alden Knisbacher has represented clients in the Bay Area and across California since 1994. He has litigated hundreds of cases in various areas of law including employment, real estate, contract and business disputes, probate disputes, civil rights and other matters.

Mr. Knisbacher is a Georgetown Law graduate.

When not practicing law he can be found hiking, biking, running or cycling with his two children. Or, perhaps, playing with their pet bunny, Bobby.

I was fortunate. Despite never finishing high school or college, I was able – albeit with a lot of hard work – to gain admission to, and to excel at, one of the finest law schools in the country: U.C. Berkeley’s School of Law. While I was there, I was privileged to be an editor for the California Law Review and a Member of the Moot Court Board, advising on brief writing and appellate advocacy for other students. After I left law school, in my early years of practice, I taught legal writing and appellate advocacy at University of California,...

Latika Malkani joined Siegel LeWitter Malkani in 1996, and since then has fought to preserve and enforce the rights of women and men working in a variety of professions. Latika's advocacy has included tireless representation of employees seeking justice and improved conditions in the workplace. Latika has a proven record of successful results, and has helped hundreds of employees establish better working conditions, negotiate severance and post-separation packages, as well as obtain fair and just compensation through enforcement of state and federal laws. Latika believes that no employee should be made to suffer inequality or humiliation in order to earn...

As a partner with San Francisco's Rukin Hyland & Riggin LLP, Peter Rukin represents Bay Area clients in a wide array of complex litigation matters, including employment, wage and hour, and business disputes. Mr. Rukin has built a reputation as a thoughtful and strong advocate for his clients, whatever their disputes may be. Mr. Rukin specializes in complex litigation, with a focus on wage and hour and equal employment opportunity claims. Since 2003, as class counsel he has recovered tens of millions of dollars on behalf of thousands of California employees and consumers. Peter also represents clients with respect...

Jonathan Siegel, the founding partner of Siegel LeWitter Malkani has spent over thirty years representing employees. His experience runs the full range of cases from individual jury trials to class actions to arbitration and administrative hearings. Jonathan has enjoyed outstanding success in all forums, while building an enviable reputation as a formidable advocate, but one whose word can be trusted.

Jonathan has successfully tried individual cases to juries, judges and arbitrators. He has received substantial six and seven figure jury awards in discrimination cases related to age (Tetzchner v. Unitank - Contra Costa), pregnancy (Byer v. Haider - San Francisco) and...