Santa Ynez Employment Lawyers

Ms. Gold is an experienced litigation attorney who specializes in class action labor and employment matters. She spent the first decade of her career at a major law firm working on a wide range of business matters, including defending clients in high-stakes class action litigation. This experience provided Ms. Gold with valuable insight on how to best position cases for settlement and/or trial by allowing her to better understand defendants’ strategies, incentives, and motivations throughout the various phases of litigation. Ms. Gold then transitioned to a well-known boutique plaintiff-side class action law firm, where she was instrumental in obtaining nearly $100,000,000...

Danielle L. GruppChang is a passionate advocate for workers’ rights and a seasoned attorney specializing in wage and hour class actions. Raised in a family where both parents worked in the restaurant industry, Ms. GruppChang developed an early respect for the hard work and resilience of the Californian workers. This background exposed Ms. GruppChang the struggles of working-class individuals sparked her dedication to fighting for justice on behalf of workers. Ms. GruppChang’s professional journey began when she started working at a local coffee shop and continued throughout college where she worked tables, often serving her classmates. These experiences further resolved her...

Lara is an associate attorney at Blackstone Law. She graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice and a minor in Communications. Lara then earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles where she specialized in Critical Race Studies. While in law school, Lara worked as a law clerk at the District of Columbia Public Defender Service and as a judicial clerk in the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Hearings Unit in Los Angeles. She was involved with the El Centro Teen Court Clinic, Disability Law Journal,...

Leo Livshits is an accomplished employment attorney with extensive trial and litigation experience. Mr. Livshits handles a wide variety of employment matters involving workplace discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other civil rights violations. Aside from securing numerous seven-figure settlements in single-plaintiff cases, Mr. Livshits has co-chaired jury trials and arbitrations that resulted in verdicts or judgments of $155.4 million, $2.7 million, $1.7 million, and $1 million. Additionally, Mr. Livshits has successfully litigated appeals in state and federal court. This includes a published decision in Hernandez v. Meridian Management Services, LLC (2023) 87 Cal.App.5th 1214, where the California Court of Appeal found that...

Betty is an associate attorney at Blackstone Law. She graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations and a minor in Armenian Studies. While in undergrad, Betty, along with fellow classmates, started the Armenian Pre-Law Students Association, to connect Armenian students aspiring to become attorneys to successful alumni within their community. A proud double Bruin, Betty later attended UCLA School of Law, where she obtained her Juris Doctorate. As a law student, Betty’s professor recognized her articulate writing abilities and selected her as a Legal Research and Writing Advisor for first...

Alex is a Senior Associate Attorney at Blackstone Law. Alex is an active member of the legal community as it relates to employees’ rights. Alex is a member of the California Employment Lawyers’ Association (CELA), and is on the committee for the Mentor Committee, the Women’s Committee, the Legislative Committee, the Wage and Hour Committee, and the New Member Committee, as well as a recent admit to the 2024 – 2025 CELA Leadership Conservatory. Alex has significant experience providing the best counsel for his clients, whether through trial, or through multimillion dollar settlements, or through whatever need the client may describe....

Ethan D. Kirschner is an experienced litigator with clients in California, throughout the United States, and overseas. Originally from Wisconsin, Mr. Kirschner was a champion high school and college debater. He has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan, graduated cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School, and received an LL.M. in intellectual property law from the University of California, Berkeley.


Mr. Kirschner has been practicing law since 2005. He is licensed to practice law in California.

P.J. Van Ert is a seasoned trial lawyer and civil litigator specializing in class actions and individual employment matters. As a Blackstone law associate she dedicates her practice to California employees. After more than 75 criminal jury trials during thirteen years as a deputy district attorney, she transitioned to civil litigation and found her way to Blackstone. From wage and hour theft to sexual harassment and hostile work environment, she is able to utilize her years of zealously advocating for victims of crime to get superior results in employment cases. Ms. Van Ert has earned guilty verdicts in lengthy homicide...

In 1991, after graduating near the top of his class, an insurance company hired Paul Zuckerman to be their lawyer. Paul approached the job with optimism. He believed the company’s advertisement and thought that he was hired to be there, like a good neighbor, for policyholders in need. However, Paul soon discovered that his work was merely padding the pockets of his employer, and not ensuring that injured people were compensated fairly. Thus, Paul, with his law school classmate John Carpenter, established a new kind of law firm: A law firm that only represents injured people against insurance companies. Paul...

Ani M. Akopyan received her bachelor’s degree, with honors, from UCLA in 2001 and her law degree from Southwestern Law School in 2004. Since law school, Ani has worked exclusively in the field of labor and employment litigation. Prior to joining the Akopyan Law Firm, Ani was a member of a well-known, reputable defense firm where she represented employers and their insurance companies in all stages of labor and employment litigation including wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and whistle-blower litigation, as well as high stakes wage & hour class action cases. Ani’s 10+ years of experience in defending employers both...

Michael Akopyan received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California in 2001 and his law degree from Southwestern Law School in 2005. Before establishing his own firm in 2009, Michael worked as an associate attorney with Keith Fink & Associates and Solomon, Saltsman & Jamieson, where he represented both plaintiffs and defendants in a broad spectrum of cases including employment cases, personal injury cases, civil rights cases, business disputes, and administrative proceedings. Michael has successfully represented clients in civil and administrative trials and appeals.

Michael has recovered millions of dollars for his clients. He was named to the CaliforniaRising...

Attorney Hines represents employees with claims against their employers for harassment, discrimination, retaliation and Labor Code violations.

Abdi & Associates is located in Los Angeles and serves clients throughout the entire state of California. Practice areas include workers compensation, personal injury, car, truck, Lyft/Uber, and motorcycle accidents, bicycle and pedestrian accidents, brain and spinal cord injuries, burn injuries, dog bites, premises liability/slip & fall, and wrongful death.

Our firm is a contingency fee-based practice which means that clients pay no attorneys’ fees unless and until we recover for you. No recovery, No Fee. We even offer a free, no obligation, case evaluation and consultation. Abdi & Associates provides personalized, customized, caring service and pursues maximum compensation that you...

Ryan Block is a seasoned trial attorney who spends most of his time as a lawyer in the courtroom doing trials. He has done many thousands of trials as the lead attorney and has been in front of over 50 different judges in Los Angeles County and surrounding areas. Mr. Block's familiarity with court personnel along with his innate ability in the jury selection process selecting appropriate jurors has been paramount in maximizing the recovery of his clients. As a member of many plaintiff's attorney associations of Los Angeles including the Jewish Bar association of Los Angeles and the...

Mr. Saba’s practice consists of prosecuting and defending individual, class action and mass action claims. He has considerable experience in a wide range of federal and state civil litigation and trial actions, including consumer litigation, employment litigation, women’s rights, complex business and entertainment disputes, catastrophic injury claims, professional responsibility, copyright/trademark, civil rights, maritime, and municipal, landowner and product liability.

David Spivak is a Southern California employee rights litigator. From offices based in Beverly Hills and downtown Los Angeles, David Spivak has been fighting for the rights of California workers since 1995. He has obtained several million dollars in recoveries for his clients. Mr. Spivak's areas of concentration in labor and employment law include: Wrongful Termination, Constructive Discharge, and Public Policy Violations Discrimination Harassment Retaliation & Whistleblowers Employment Contracts & Severance Agreements Defamation of Character (Slander & Libel) Unpaid Overtime Wages Unpaid Minimum Wages Unprovided Rest Breaks and Meal Periods Failure to Pay Work-Related Expenses Medical & Family Leave...

Manbir S. Chowdhary represents employees in all areas of labor and employment law, including wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, employee misclassification, and unpaid wages claims. Mr. Chowdhary's experience also includes contractual disputes, and the enforcement of partner/shareholder rights. Mr. Chowdhary's business litigation clients include real estate developers, national sportswear manufacturers, Fortune 500 executives, medical organizations, small businesses, and 501(c)(3) corporations. Mr. Chowdhary is a graduate of USC Law School, and a former legislative aide to the Lt. Governor of California. He is licensed to practice law in California, New York, and the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Annabel Blanchard is an associate attorney who represents individuals in wage and hour class actions and representative actions under the California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). Prior to joining Blackstone, PC, Ms. Blanchard worked at a respected plaintiff’s-side employment law firm, where she focused on obtaining court approval of large-scale class and PAGA settlements. Before practicing wage-and-hour employment law, Ms. Blanchard worked at boutique law firms providing estate planning services to families, with a focus on special needs planning and conservatorship. As a part of her estate planning practice, Ms. Blanchard served on the Los Angeles Superior Court “Court Appointed...

Mr. Dietz has aggressively litigated civil cases in California for over a decade. He has represented government agencies in high-profile employment law, general liability and civil rights matters, including representing some of the largest school districts in California. His prior experience includes working at one of the largest firms in the U.S., as well as a highly respected litigation boutique, where he represented the full gamut of businesses from Fortune 500 companies to mom-and-pop shops in employment and business litigation matters in state and federal court and administrative bodies. Over the course of his career, Mr. Dietz...

Mr. Choe began his legal career in workers’ compensation representing insurance companies and employers. As a defense attorney, he became well versed in the nuances of worker’s compensation laws allowing him to aggressively represent his clients. The Law Offices of Anthony Choe was founded to provide the same aggressive representation to injured workers. Mr. Choe is able to use his experience in dealing with insurance companies and employers for the benefit of injured workers to effectively obtain medical treatment and maximize recovery. What sets the Law Offices of Anthony Choe apart from other firms...

Gregory M. Clement's practice focuses on corporate, real estate and other transactional matters, as well as a wide array of employment law issues. Mr. Clement has handled the purchase and sale of numerous companies, including several multimillion dollar acquisitions by publicly traded companies and represents clients in a wide variety of fields including transportation, software, entertainment, insurance, Internet and telecommunications. Mr. Clement began his legal career as a business litigator in Washington, D.C. before joining the business litigation firm of Whitcombe, Makin & Pentis in Long Beach. Before joining BKCG in 2000, he was general counsel of Golden Eagle...

Michael Oberbeck is a senior counsel focusing on business litigation issues. At BKCG, Mr. Oberbeck has extensively litigated employment disputes, commercial and real property disputes, international manufacturing and distribution litigation, and trademark and franchise issues. Mr. Oberbeck has litigated cases throughout California in both state and federal courts, and he has obtained many client-favorable results at trial, arbitration, and mediation. Mr. Oberbeck also has authored and successfully argued several matters before the California Courts of Appeals for BKCG clients. Born in Evansville, Indiana, Mr. Oberbeck graduated, cum laude, from Purdue University in 1993 with a double major in Psychology...

Joshua Waldman is a senior counsel whose practice focuses primarily on business disputes. Mr. Waldman began his legal career as an extern for the Honorable Napoleon Jones, Jr. from the U.S. District Court, Southern District of California. He was an associate for Walsworth, Franklin Bevins and McCall and Collins & Bellenghi, focusing on civil litigation, with an emphasis on business and employment disputes before joining BKCG. Since joining BKCG, Mr. Waldman has secured many positive outcomes for BKCG clients by winning dipositive motions, achieving extremely favorable settlements, and prevailing in multiple trials and arbitrations. Born in Phoenix, Mr....

Are you a victim of workplace sexual harassment or discrimination? Don’t wait to enlist the legal support you need to protect your personal rights. Stan Andrei Grombchevsky is a partner at Harris Grombchevsky LLP, which offers comprehensive legal representation for all types of employment issues. Mr. Grombchevsky is committed to offering compassionate and caring counsel for his clients, no matter what the circumstances are. He graduated from Chapman University School of Law in 1999 and soon began his legal career. Mr. Grombchevsky is a member of the California Employment Lawyers Association, allowing him to protect clients dealing with everything form...

Ms. McMillan obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Spanish and Latin American Studies from the University of New South Wales in Australia in April 1993, after which she returned to the United States to attend law school. Ms. McMillan received her J.D. from Western State University College of Law in Fullerton, California in 1996, having graduated from Western State University Magna Cum Laude in the top 5% of her class. Ms. McMillan was placed on either the Honor Roll or the Dean’s High Honors Roll for every semester of law school. Ms. McMillan received a number of American Jurisprudence...

Jon McGrath has been practicing employment law in Southern California for over ten years, upholding the principle of "preventative law", which focuses on legal compliance and risk avoidance for smaller sized businesses in Orange County and throughout the state. Jon has a successful track record of being a business owner himself and understands the issues that Californian business have with compliance and a multitude of state and federal employment laws and regulations, such as dealing with discrimination and harassment matters.

Mr. McGrath is a graduate of California State University at Long Beach and California Western School of Law in San...

Attorney Davis founded the Law Offices of Terry K. Davis in June 1993 Bar Admissions: Admitted to California Supreme Court U.S. District Court (Central and Eastern Districts), U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit U.S. Supreme Court Reported cases: Carter v. California Dept. of Veterans Affairs (2006) 38 Cal.4th 914 Professional Affiliations: American Inns of Court, Robert A. Banyard Chapter, Orange County Orange County Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section Orange County Trial Lawyers Association, Board of Directors and Past Vice-President, 2010 California Employment Lawyers Association Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles Education: Juris...

Daniel Kessler is the head of the firm’s litigation department and one of the firm’s founding partners. Mr. Kessler has litigated and tried a wide variety of business cases ranging from employment terminations to real estate development disputes to fraud and conspiracy to water rights. Mr. Kessler has secured multiple million-dollar jury verdicts for his clients, including significant punitive damage awards. Mr. Kessler has successfully defended clients before, during and at trial, including prevailing on several motions to dismiss the opposition’s case in its entirety, saving the expense of further trial. Mr. Kessler is a strong advocate for alternative dispute...

Gavril "Gav" Gabriel was born and raised in Downey, California, attending the public school system in Downey from Kindergarten through High School. Soon after graduating high school, he played football at the University of Redlands, eventually becoming a Preseason All-American. He also played football in Berlin, Germany for the Berlin Adler (Eagles) while studying abroad. After graduating from the University of Redlands, Gav attended Whittier Law School, where he made the Dean's list and excelled in Legal Writing, Sports Law and International Law. While at Whittier Law School, Gav was a judicial clerk in the Orange County Superior Court and certified...

Mizrahi Law, APC is an employment law firm committed to helping employees.

I act as my clients outside general counsel and advise them on the full range of legal issues facing their businesses. In addition, I mediate both litigated and non-litigated matters and do workplace investigations. I built my reputation by achieving outstanding results for the clients and colleagues with whom I have been privileged to work.