Employee Handbook Compliance Review for Employers & Business Owners
Please contact us to schedule an appointment to review your existing employment Handbook, and/or company policies & procedures to ensure your business is California labor law compliant.
Welcome to the Law Offices of Chauvel & Glatt, LLP!
We are based in San Mateo, California, and serve the Peninsula and surrounding communities, including San Francisco to San Jose, as well as clients throughout Los Angeles, San Diego and San Bernardino Counties and the State of California. We’ve been providing legal services for more than 3 decades and specialize in the fields of Business Law, Real Estate Law, Employment Law, Estate Planning/Probate, Transportation Law, and Intellectual Property Law. We bring a wide range of knowledge and experience, with members of our team speaking English, Spanish and Tagalog.
Practice Areas
Business Law
Our business attorneys provide full-service representation for companies of all sizes from entity formation, preparation of business agreements, purchase and sales, and litigation.
Employment Law
Our ’employer lawyers’ counsel and protect business owners to ensure compliance with California labor laws and defend your business in the event of litigation.
Estate Planning & Probate
Chauvel & Glatt will help individuals and families plan for the future using estate planning tools that address your specific personal needs.
Intellectual Property
We protect our clients’ creative output, trade secrets, and proprietary information.
Real Estate Law
Our firm is committed to protecting your investment and income property, from lease or purchase negotiations and in the event of litigation
Transportation Law
Our attorneys specialize in the transportation field and have a thorough understanding of carrier regulation, compliance issues, and logistics.
Our Team
Our attorneys enjoy working collaboratively and strive to keep matters as simple as possible. We share a desire to give you unparalleled customer service by being proactive and responsive to all your needs.
April Glatt
April Glatt
Natalia Cañas
Natalia Cañas
Derek Myers
Derek Myers
TJ Walsh
TJ Walsh
Joe Newman
Joe Newman
Ken Weinfield
Ken Weinfield
Ron Chauvel
Ron Chauvel
Our Expertise
- We provide legal advice relative to the myriad of employment-related requirements and rules that apply to employers under California labor law.
- We handle business formation and commercial transactions, as well as commercial litigation.
- We guide our clients through the creation of individual and family trusts, wills, trust administration and the probate process.
- Our firm advises established companies as well sole proprietors, start-ups, and independent contractors in relation to protecting their rights.
- We are well-versed in a wide variety of commercial and residential real estate matters to provide you full-service representation for all your property needs.
- Our attorneys specialize in the transportation and logistics fields and have a thorough understanding of carrier regulations and compliance issues.
Chauvel & Glatt Brings You The Latest Updates.
- Wage and Hour
Posted in: News
California employment laws are among the country’s most stringent. One of the areas of litigation that employers face often are related to wage and hour disputes. “Wage and Hour” litigation is how this type of litigation is described. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and California Labor Code provide guidelines for non-exempt and exempt employees around wages., including overtime pay and minimum wage and/or salary requirements, that if not met can and do result in wage and hour lawsuits.
It is not uncommon for wage and hour claims to take the form as either an Individual Action or “Collective Actions.” A Collective Action is a claim brought by one employee but on behalf of others who may have experienced a similar situation, this can be either a Class Action or in California a Private Attorney General Act (“PAGA”) Action. Experienced attorneys are crucial for these types of matters.
Staggering Back Wages Resulting from Wage and Hour Claims
According to the US Department of Labor website and its Wage and Hour Division regarding 2025, “The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division today announced it has recovered more than $259 million in back wages for nearly 177,000 employees nationwide – an average of $1,465 per worker – in fiscal year 2025, reaffirming its commitment to strengthening the American workforce.”
These figures are unprecedented. Why? The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in unique work environments and a necessity for working remotely – or in a hybrid situation – like never before.
As well, the “gig economy” was launched.
Along with the more flexible working situations came the associated compliance challenges, as the line between working at home and simply being at home was more of a gray area.
One of the many unintended consequences of the Covid-19 era has been an increased need for expert work and hour litigation attorneys.
Wage and Hour Lawsuit Settlements Can Be Extremely Costly
When a wage and hour lawsuit is filed, it is conceivable that settlements can result in employers ultimately paying in excess of the initial wages. In order to avoid being in this situation, here are some things a defense attorney for California wage and hour claims needs to know on behalf of its clients.
- Proper employee exemption classification is critical. Employees in California may be classified as exempt from overtime pay for a number of reasons. A wage and hour lawsuit attorney like those at Chauvel & Glatt provide guidance on proper employee classification, as well as legal rights and requirements such as overtime and meal
- Non-exempt employees cannot work during their lunch break or off-the-clock hours. All hours worked are considered paid hours.
- “Overtime” in California means a non-exempt employee who works over 40 hours in a given week or over eight hours in a given day is required to be paid time-and-a-half of their regular hourly rate.
- At Chauvel & Glatt, we know how to defend against wage and hour disputes if they arise – and how to arrive at the most favorable wage and hour lawsuit settlements for the employer.
Employee Handbooks Can Help Prevent Wage and Hour Disputes
As a law firm that handles California wage and hour employer defense, we cannot emphasize the value of a professionally, legally created employee handbook strongly enough. Having a comprehensive and customized employee handbook is one of the best ways to ensure that your company is California compliant and minimize the risk of a wage and hour lawsuit.
In addition to wage and hour laws, there are hundreds of laws that relate to employment practices in California. This can seem daunting and overwhelming to even the most sophisticated business owner. Creating an employee handbook customized to your business needs is a great way to organize all of your policies and obligations under California law in a digestible and common sense manner so you and all of your employees are on the same page.
Employee handbooks can also serve as evidence of your knowledge and compliance with California employment regulations and can decrease your risk of liability if an employee sues you by setting out a clear and progressive disciplinary system that can be uniformly applied to all employees for all types of issues that may arise.
Defending Wage and Hour Claims in California
While we recognize the value of employee handbooks, and we skillfully create them, we also know that wage and hour lawsuits are a reality of doing business in California. We are here to assist our clients with all aspects of employment litigation and to arrive at a successful conclusion.
- Employment Law Articles & Legal Guides for Employers
Posted in: News
There are so many times that clients call or come into the office shocked that they are being sued for a wage and hour dispute. The claims could allege things such as the employee was working off the clock, unpaid overtime, failure to be provided meal and rest breaks and the list goes on.
The company owner tells me they have been in business for quite some time, usually decades, and have never been sued before. To the business owners, whether a pre-litigation demand letter or the actual filing of a lawsuit, it is beyond upsetting to be in this position. They tell me that they are nice and generous to their employees. And they are. They have run their business the same way for years and not needed an employment lawyer. Their mistake – is running their business the same way for years and thinking they did not need an employment lawyer unless they were sued.
There is much more to employment law than defending wage and hour claims (or other types of employment lawsuits–think wrongful termination due to retaliation, harassment, whistleblowing) for an employer if they get sued. Good employment lawyers know how to prevent legal problems before you get sued—because anyone can sue you at any time for any reason no matter what in California. It is vital that businesses have a knowledgeable employer lawyer audit your policies & practices at least once a year. This ensures everything from paystubs to handbooks are reviewed, updated as needed and you get an objective review in light of the complicated California Labor Laws in effect covering your business and how you run it. No two businesses are alike (unless you run multiple locations!) and the policies & practices should not be the same either.
Make sure your business is 2026 California Labor Compliant and start the New Year off with proper and legally correct policies & procedures. To learn more, or talk to the experienced employer lawyers at Chauvel & Glatt, call 650-573-9500 or go to www.ChauvelLaw.com.
- Employment Law Articles & Legal Guides for Employers
Posted in: News
If you work in HR in California, you are already used to operating in a constant state of legal change. Just as policies are updated and managers are trained, another regulation or enforcement theory seems to emerge. That sense of uncertainty was front and center in late 2025, when California attempted to dramatically expand its role in private-sector labor relations. A recent federal court decision has now paused that effort, offering HR professionals some much-needed clarity—at least for the moment.
The law at issue (AB288) was California’s response to perceived slowdowns and uncertainty at the National Labor Relations Board. During periods when the NLRB lacked a quorum or faced operational challenges, state lawmakers sought to fill what they viewed as an enforcement gap. Their solution was to authorize the California Public Employment Relations Board—an agency traditionally limited to public-sector labor disputes—to step into private-sector matters that have historically been governed exclusively by federal law.
For HR professionals, this raised immediate and practical concerns. A state agency applying its own procedures, timelines, and remedies to union organizing disputes or unfair labor practice allegations would have meant learning an entirely new enforcement system. It also would have created real risk of conflicting guidance between state and federal authorities, placing HR teams in the difficult position of trying to satisfy two different regulators with overlapping jurisdiction.
The US District Court for the Eastern District of California recognized those concerns and stepped in. In issuing a preliminary injunction, the court made clear that Congress intended private-sector labor relations to be governed by a uniform national framework. The National Labor Relations Act gives the NLRB exclusive authority in this area, and that authority does not evaporate simply because the agency experiences delays or political uncertainty. Allowing states to substitute their own enforcement regimes under those circumstances would undermine the consistency federal labor law is designed to provide.
For HR professionals, the immediate impact of the ruling is reassurance. The familiar rules still apply. The NLRB remains the primary forum for addressing unfair labor practice charges, representation issues, and protected concerted activity. There is no need to overhaul labor-relations strategies or retrain managers on a brand-new state process—at least not yet.
That does not mean the issue is settled. The court’s decision is procedural, not final, and California is unlikely to abandon its efforts to expand workplace regulation. Appeals and further litigation are expected, and HR leaders should expect continued pressure at the state level to test the boundaries of federal preemption.
At the same time, the NLRB has resumed full operations, and federal labor enforcement is expected to be active. For HR professionals, this means staying focused on compliance with federal labor law while remaining alert to developments that could affect how labor issues are handled in California workplaces.
The takeaway is a familiar one for anyone working in HR in this state. Even when a proposed law is blocked, it signals where enforcement priorities are headed. This decision provides breathing room, but it also serves as a reminder that labor relations remain a high-risk area requiring careful planning, consistent training, and informed legal guidance.
For California HR professionals, staying ahead of these developments is not just about compliance—it is about protecting the organization, supporting managers, and maintaining stability in an environment where the rules are always evolving. For more information contact the Employer Lawyers at Chauvel & Glatt.