Know the rules before you need them.

Why we publish

Most people meet employment law on the worst week of their working life. They have a termination letter, a severance agreement with a signature deadline, or a pattern of behavior they can’t quite name, and they have about two hours of energy to figure out what any of it means.

The writing on this page is for that reader. Not for other lawyers, not for search engines, and not as a substitute for advice about your own facts.

Some of what you’ll find here is uncomfortable. California protects employees more than most states do, and it still lets employers do things that feel deeply unfair. Knowing which is which, before a deadline passes, is worth more than reassurance.

The review gate. Every article on this site is written or reviewed by Taylor DeRosa before it publishes, and every legal proposition in it is tied to the authority behind it: the Labor Code section, the Government Code section, the regulation, or the case. If an article states a deadline, it names the statute that sets it. If an article says a court has held something, it names the court. Articles carry a “last reviewed” date, and when the law changes, the article changes or comes down.

That is the standard. It is stated here because a reader should be able to hold the writing to it.

Latest articles

• When Is My Final Paycheck Due in California? Deadlines and Waiting-Time Penalties
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Browse by topic

Wrongful termination

At-will employment is the default in California under Labor Code §2922. These articles cover the exceptions that make a firing illegal, and how long you have to act on one.

Discrimination

What FEHA’s protected classes actually cover, how the Civil Rights Department process works from complaint to right-to-sue letter, and what proof looks like when nobody says the quiet part out loud.

Harassment

The legal line between a bad boss and a hostile work environment, who is liable when the harasser is a supervisor versus a coworker or customer, and what to document while it is happening.

Retaliation and whistleblowing

Labor Code §1102.5 is among the broadest whistleblower protections in the country. These articles explain what it covers, how the contributing-factor standard shifts the burden, and why timing is evidence.

Wage and hour

Overtime, meal and rest premiums, wage-statement penalties, waiting-time penalties, and misclassification, including how far back you can reach and what the numbers typically add up to.

Disability, accommodation, and leave

How the interactive process is supposed to work, the differences between FEHA accommodation, CFRA leave, and pregnancy disability leave, and what your rights are after leave runs out.

Severance and employment agreements

What you give up when you sign a release, what is negotiable, and what California law makes unenforceable no matter what the document says.

Personal injury

Deadlines, insurance offers, comparative fault, and the shorter clock that applies when a government entity is involved.

Who writes this

Taylor E. DeRosa · Founder, DeRosa Law Firm

Taylor E. DeRosa is the founder of DeRosa Law Firm and represents employees across Southern California. California State Bar No. 319853, admitted 2018, with nearly a decade of litigation experience. Selected to the Super Lawyers® Rising Stars list, Employment Litigation – Plaintiff, 2025–2027. Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, Labor and Employment Law – Employee, every year since 2024.

Full biography · hello@derosalawfirm.com · (714) 261-9895