McNicholas & McNicholas LLP - Los Angeles Personal Injury and Employment Lawyers

Palo Alto Employment Lawyers

More than 30 years of experience fighting for the employee rights of police officers, firefighters, and first responders

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto is home to many tech companies and Stanford University- but it also comes with some of the highest costs of living in the country. The brave police officers, firefighters, and first responders who serve this community deserve their fair share of compensation from employers like the city of Palo Alto and Santa Clara County. At McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, our discrimination lawyers represent and stand with emergency responders who face job loss and suffer adverse employment conditions due to their race, sex, and other protected characteristics.  We also fight back when employers retaliate against you for asserting your rights.

We demand that you be paid every dollar and every benefit you’re entitled to – what you’ve earned.  Our team of lawyers has obtained more than $150 million for the employees we represent. Contact us today if your employer isn’t treating you fairly.

Quick Questions

Our record of employment discrimination, harassment, and retaliation recoveries for police officers, firefighters, and first responders includes many recoveries for one million dollars or more for:

  • Discrimination based on race, gender, disability, national origin, and other protected classes. Some of our discrimination recoveries include $5.6 million for a Bomb Tech, $5.3 million for another bomb squad officer, and $2.3 million for a female officer denied a position on an elite police squad.
  • Retaliation for employees who refused to follow ticket quotas testified at a Fair Labor Standards trial, supported the employment complaint of a colleague, blew the whistle on a fire department’s dangerous and unlawful building inspections, and blew the whistle on grant fraud and abuse. Our retaliation recoveries include $13.1 million for a police officer, $11.65 million for a police department K9 Bomb Unit dog handler, $11.56 million for a police officer who reported violations of the law, and many other very large recoveries.
  • Failing to pay separation pay. We obtained $32 million for our client in a separation case.

Many of our million-dollar results included a combination of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims.

What types of employees do your Palo Alto employment lawyers represent?

We're honored to represent the dedicated public and private employees who keep Palo Alto safe and secure. From preventing and solving crimes to responding to vehicle accidents, fighting fires, managing smoke damage, and handling medical emergencies—these brave individuals serve the community day in and day out. At McNicholas & McNicholas, we proudly stand by those who protect Palo Alto when they face unfair treatment on the job.

McNicholas & McNicholas represents:

  • Police officers, sheriff’s deputies, and law enforcement officers
  • Firefighters who fight fires at private residences, commercial locations, and throughout Palo Alto, including wildfires
  • First responders, including emergency medical technicians, paramedics, corrections officers, park rangers, and other people who help communities in times of need.

What types of employment claims do your Palo Alto employment lawyers handle?

We handle employment claims for law enforcement officers, firefighters, and first responders that require litigation to obtain compensation when your employee rights and/or civil rights are violated.

In addition to discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims (which we discuss in the next section), we handle:

  • Wage and hour claims. These claims ensure employees receive the pay they deserve based on federal, state, and Palo Alto laws, their employment contracts, and any collective bargaining agreements.
  • Executive compensation claims. These claims demand that employees be paid the severance packages, salary, work benefits, retirement benefits, bonuses, and stock options they bargained for.
  • Qui tam/whistleblower claims. These claims permit employees the right to a percentage of any recoveries for disclosing governmental fraud and other illegal conduct.
  • Whistleblower retaliation claims. Our Palo Alto employment lawyers represent employees when police departments, fire departments, and other employers punish or try to intimidate whistleblowers.
  • Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) violations. We represent employees when employers retaliate because a parent wanted to exercise their legal right to spend time with a newborn or an adoptee, or a family member needed to take care of another family member.
  • Workers’ compensation retaliation. At McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, we file employment claims if your employer retaliates against you for asserting your right to compensation after a workplace injury or illness.
  • Wrongful termination. Employers can’t fire you unless they comply with the federal and California discrimination laws, retaliation laws, employment contracts, collective bargaining agreements, and any employer policies.

What is employment discrimination, harassment, and retaliation?

At McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP, our employment lawyers fight aggressively and quickly when a police officer, firefighter, or first responders suffer any type of adverse employment consequences based on discrimination, harassment, or retaliation.

Discrimination

There are generally two key requirements for filing a discrimination claim. The first is that your employer must affect your employment status and benefits in some way. The second is that you must be a member of a protected class. These terms are defined as follows:

  • Adverse employment decision. Your employment status and benefits are affected if you:
    • Are not hired for a job you’re qualified to do
    • Don’t receive the pay you deserve
    • Aren’t given the training or job opportunities other workers are given
    • Are transferred to a less favorable location
    • Don’t receive the reasonable accommodations you need if you’re disabled or if you’re pregnant
    • Fail to receive a promotion
    • Don’t receive your share or benefits, leave, and retirement benefits
    • Are suspended
    • Are fired
  • Protected class status. There are federal laws, California laws, and court decisions that protect employees based on the following:
    • Race, national origin, and skin color
    • Gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation
    • Disability
    • Age (40 or older)
    • Pregnancy
    • Military or veteran status
    • Religion
    • Genetic information
    • Weight

Harassment

Title VII of the US Civil Rights Act defines harassment as offensive conduct where:

  • “Enduring the offensive conduct becomes a condition of continued employment” (quid pro quo harassment). For example, sexual harassment involves demanding sexual favors for favorable employment conditions.
  • “The conduct is severe or pervasive enough to create a work environment that a reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive.” Sexual harassment involves being present where there are sexual discussions, sexual jokes, sexual materials, and other offensive conduct.

Harassment under Title VII also includes suffering retaliation for filing a discrimination complaint, testifying for yourself or another worker, opposing discriminatory practices, and other violations.

Palo Alto employees can file a harassment complaint (if they’re offended), even if they’re not the focus of the offensive conduct.

Retaliation

At McNicholas & McNicholas LLP, we believe no one should be punished for doing their job, standing up for their rights, or defending the rights of a coworker. We file employment claims against city and county employers (and any private employers) who retaliate against police officers, firefighters, and first responders who:

  • File a discrimination, harassment, or retaliation complaint
  • Support another worker’s claim
  • File a whistleblower claim, workers’ compensation claim, or a family medical leave claim
  • Assert any other legal right

What laws protect police officers, firefighters, and first responder employees from discrimination?

At McNicholas & McNicholas LLP, we use every federal and state law and local Palo Alto regulation that supports your employee rights. These laws include the following:

Other federal laws that protect the rights of employees include The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

We’ll explain the eligibility requirements for filing a complaint. For example, Title VII generally requires that your employer have 15 or more employees, while California law generally requires that your employer have five or more employees. The CFEHA also provides some protections for independent contractors.

Where will my Palo Alto employment claim be filed?

Employment claims that involve discrimination, harassment, or retaliation are normally filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or the California Civil Rights Department.

If your complaint cannot be resolved before these agencies, we’ll file your complaint with the state and federal courts in Santa Clara County. Some complaints, such as executive compensation disputes, can be filed directly with the courts without having to go through the EEOC or the California Civil Rights Department.

How do your Palo Alto employment lawyers fight for the compensation I deserve?

At McNicholas & McNicholas, we’re respected for our preparation, understanding of the federal and state laws, our ability to obtain the necessary evidence to support our client’s claims, our negotiating skills, and our ability to persuasively argue your case in court. We’re also respected for our ability to fully and properly itemize all your damages.

We’re respected across Palo Alto and California for our impressive record of settlements, judicial rulings, and jury verdicts.

Practice Areas

Our Successes

$300,000,000
Class action settlement on behalf of consumers against Epson America, Inc. for installation of a “smart chip” in its printers that shut down when there was still a substantial amount of ink left on the cartridge.

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What is the value of my Palo Alto employment claim?

At McNicholas & McNicholas LLP, our lawyers are skilled at showing every way employer discrimination, harassment, and retaliation is affecting you – financially and personally. We demand compensation for the following:

  • Back pay (lost earnings to date) and front pay (future earning losses)
  • Lost benefits, including health, seniority, and retirement benefits
  • Emotional distress and reputation damage
  • Injunctive relief requiring employers to hire, promote, or rehire you – and to train you and provide reasonable job advance opportunities
  • Legal fees and court costs
  • Statutory damages
  • Reasonable accommodations for anyone who is disabled
  • Punitive damages when justified

Do you have a Palo Alto employment discrimination lawyer near me?

McNicholas & McNicholas meets police officers, firefighters, and first responders at our Los Angeles office located in Westwood at 10866 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1400. Our family of lawyers also conducts consultations by phone and through video conferences.

From the time you first speak with us, we're ready to answer all your questions and guide you step-by-step through the claims process.

Speak with our accomplished Palo Alto workplace discrimination lawyers today

Police officers, firefighters, and first responders risk their lives and work hard to help Palo Alto citizens. When employers punish you for what you look like, for asserting your rights, or for other improper reasons, McNicholas & McNicholas, LLP has the experience and record of successfully protecting your employment and civil rights. Our Palo Alto employment lawyers fight to enforce your rights in federal and California courts. We demand full compensation when employers violate the laws and your employment contracts. Call our office or complete our contact form today to schedule a consultation. We’re ready to fight for your employee rights today.