In the News

On March 11, 2021, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) which grants relief to businesses and individuals to combat the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. One benefit that ARPA provides is premium subsidies for health insurance continuation under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). This benefit will permit unemployed individuals […]

California now requires employers to collect and report pay data as part of the State’s efforts to eradicate pay differences by gender and based upon race or ethnicity.  The pay data reporting requirement is contained in Government Code section 12999. In addition, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (“DFEH”) intends to issue regulations […]

By JoLynn M. Scharrer This past year has been a difficult one to navigate, especially for employers in California.  COVID-19 has added another complicated layer to an often burdensome environment in terms of regulation and compliance.  The coming year does not seem to let up with the new laws impacting employers. While there are over […]

By: Kathlynn Smith This time of year often carries with it an air of reflection on the past and optimism for the year to come. In the legal industry that feeling is often enhanced by the roll-out of the new laws impacting our clients and our practices. And, as in other years, we enter 2021 […]

By Jennifer Tung In a big win for public agencies, and school districts in particular, the California Court of Appeal recently affirmed the validity of public work job order contracts as enforceable contracts. In the first published opinion on the subject, the Court of Appeal rejected the argument by the contractor in Los Angeles Unified […]

by Kathlynn Smith For over 20 years, California courts have clearly and consistently rejected so-called pay-if-paid provisions in construction contracts that condition a subcontractor’s right to payment on the owner’s payment to the contractor. The seminal case of Wm. R. Clarke Corp. v. Safeco Ins. Co., 15 Cal. 4th 882 (1997) squarely rejected pay-if-paid clauses […]