Los Angeles Employment Lawyer
Fighting for LA workers against wrongful termination, wage theft, and workplace discrimination.
Los Angeles is the economic engine of the West Coast, home to millions of workers across entertainment, technology, hospitality, healthcare, and the growing gig economy. It is also a city where employment violations happen every day — unpaid overtime on film sets, retaliation against warehouse workers who report safety hazards, discrimination in Silicon Beach startups that think labor laws don't apply to them. If any of this sounds familiar, you need an employment lawyer who knows how to hold Los Angeles employers accountable.
At Mister Wolf, P.C., our employment litigation team handles cases across Los Angeles County — from Downtown LA and Hollywood to the San Fernando Valley, the Westside, and South Bay. We represent employees who have been wrongfully terminated, denied wages, subjected to harassment, or punished for exercising their legal rights. Our partners personally handle every case. No hand-offs to junior associates, no runaround.
California already offers some of the strongest worker protections in the country, and the City of Los Angeles adds additional safeguards on top of state law. If your employer has crossed the line, the clock is ticking on your claims. Contact us today for a confidential case review.
Employment Protections Specific to Los Angeles
Beyond the California Labor Code and the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Los Angeles workers benefit from local ordinances that provide additional protections many employees don't realize they have.
The Los Angeles Fair Work Week Ordinance requires large retail and hospitality employers to provide predictable scheduling, advance notice of shifts, and additional pay when schedules change at the last minute. The LA minimum wage currently exceeds the state minimum, and tipped employees are entitled to the full minimum wage on top of gratuities — there is no tip credit in California.
FEHA discrimination and harassment claims filed by LA-based workers are processed through the Civil Rights Department (CRD), with a regional office serving the greater Los Angeles area. We handle the administrative complaint process and, when necessary, take your case directly to Los Angeles Superior Court for trial.
Employment Cases We Handle in Los Angeles
We represent LA workers in high-stakes employment disputes, including:
Wrongful Termination
California is an at-will employment state, but that does not mean your employer can fire you for an illegal reason. If you were terminated in retaliation for reporting harassment, requesting medical leave, filing a workers' compensation claim, or refusing to participate in unlawful activity, you likely have a wrongful termination claim under California Government Code section 12940 or Labor Code section 1102.5.
Workplace Discrimination
FEHA prohibits discrimination based on race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, national origin, and other protected characteristics. Los Angeles's diverse workforce means discrimination claims here often involve intersectional issues that require experienced counsel to navigate effectively.
Harassment & Hostile Work Environment
From entertainment industry misconduct to hostile conditions in restaurants and hotels, workplace harassment remains a serious problem across LA industries. Under FEHA, employers are strictly liable for harassment by supervisors and liable for co-worker harassment if they knew or should have known about the conduct and failed to act.
Wage Theft & Hour Violations
LA is one of the hardest-hit cities in the country for wage theft. Common violations include unpaid overtime, missed meal and rest breaks, misclassification of employees as independent contractors, and failure to reimburse business expenses under Labor Code section 2802. We pursue these claims aggressively through PAGA actions and individual lawsuits.
Retaliation & Whistleblower Claims
If you reported illegal conduct — whether safety violations, fraud, discrimination, or wage theft — and your employer demoted, disciplined, or fired you in response, California law provides strong whistleblower protections. Labor Code section 1102.5 shifts the burden to your employer to prove the adverse action was not retaliatory.
The LA Superior Court Employment Case Process
Employment lawsuits in Los Angeles are filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, the largest trial court in the nation. Cases are assigned to one of several courthouses depending on the district. The court's complex litigation program handles multi-plaintiff wage cases and class actions. For federal claims — such as Title VII or ADA violations — we file in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, located in Downtown LA.
Before filing a FEHA claim, you must first exhaust administrative remedies by filing a complaint with the CRD and obtaining a right-to-sue notice. We manage this process from start to finish, including strategic decisions about timing and whether to pursue an administrative investigation or proceed directly to court. Review our employment claim deadline guide for the common CRD, EEOC, wage, and right-to-sue filing windows.
Our LA Employment Law Team
Mister Wolf's employment practice is led by partners who have built their careers litigating complex employment disputes in California courts. Our attorneys handle discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, harassment, and wage-and-hour cases throughout Los Angeles County. We serve Los Angeles County from our Santa Ana office and represent workers from every corner of the county — from Long Beach to Burbank, Pasadena to Santa Monica.
When you call our office, you speak directly with an attorney — not a paralegal, not an intake coordinator. We evaluate your situation, explain your options honestly, and if we take your case, we commit the full resources of the firm to getting you results.
Learn more about our Employment Law practice or contact us for a free case review.