California Labor Lawyers

Labor Law

402 W Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101, USA

Since 2000, Ryan Blackstone-Gardner has practiced law in state, federal, bankruptcy and tribal courts in the areas of employment, business, intellectual property, and general civil litigation. He has extensive experience in every aspect of these areas of law, including all areas of discovery, mediation, law and motion, trial preparation and the trial of cases, as well as defending matters through binding arbitrations. The primary focus of Mr. Blackstone-Gardner’s current practice is the provision of wide-ranging legal services to employers, including publicly-traded and privately-owned businesses and public entities, defending businesses and helping them navigate against an array of legal claims involving wrongful termination, retaliation, harassment, discrimination, individual and class action wage and hour claims and claims brought under the Private Attorney General Act. He provides interactive counsel and training to clients regarding compliance with wage and hour laws, employee discipline, leaves of absence, and the creation and maintenance of company handbooks and policies to promote workplace cultures free of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. Mr. Blackstone-Gardner also assists employers and businesses in responding to agency charges and investigations, including those conducted by the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, Department of Fair Employment &Housing, Labor Workforce Development Agency, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, Employment Development Department, Franchise Tax Board, Department of Labor, Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, and Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board. He also provides guidance to clients to ensure compliance with public contracting, the Brown Act, HIPAA, Stark and anti-kickback statutes. As a registered patent attorney before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Mr. Blackstone-Gardner represents clients in preparing and prosecuting provisional and non-provisional patent and trademark applications and represents clients in trademark infringement and cancellation proceedings. Outside of the law, Mr. Blackstone-Gardner is actively involved with the Immaculata Parish on the University of San Diego Campus and the Notre Dame Club of San Diego and enjoys playing golf and watching college football and basketball with his friends and family.

Labor Law

28632 Roadside Drive, Suite 100, Agoura Hills, CA 91301

Timothy B. Sottile is an experienced litigator and trial attorney with the firm Sottile Baltaxe. Mr. Sottile has utilized his diverse background in complex business and employment litigation to obtain excellent results for his clients in difficult employment cases. Since 1994, Mr. Sottile's practice has focused on employment law. Mr. Sottile has published numerous legal articles, and served as a lecturer at the USC School of Law on trial advocacy, as well as making presentations to other attorneys regarding employment law. From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Sottile served on the Executive Committee of the California State Bar Labor and Employment Law Section. Mr. Sottile is active in the legal community, and is a member of the California Employment Lawyers Association, the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Ventura County Bar Association, and the Italian American Lawyers Association. He earned his B.A. from the University of British Columbia before attending Loyola Law Schoo, where he earned his J.D.

Labor Law

402 W Broadway ste 2600, San Diego, CA 92101, USA

Area of Practice: Labor and Employment Law Vincent Paul Sorrentino obtained his Bachelor's of Science in Civil Engineering from UCLA, where he played club baseball, leading the nation in regular season stolen bases and placing top 10 in multiple other stats. After trying his hand at some low-level pro baseball, he started his professional career as an engineer in San Diego, California. Vinny found he wanted to be able to help people more than he could as an engineer, so with the top scholarship--The Justice Anthony Kennedy Scholarship--at California Western School of Law, Vinny went on to graduate a semester early as Magna Cum Laude in the top 8 of his class. While attending law school, Vinny received the highest grade in the class in approximately 30% of his classes, wrote for his school’s Law Review Journal, and appeared in trial competitions as well as Superior Court trials as a Certified Law Clerk where he interned ? Vinny has worked for a Federal Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California and for attorneys in various practices ranging from Patent Prosecution to Personal Injury Litigation. The bulk of Vinny's early legal career was spent at a large firm in San Diego doing Labor & Employment defense litigation. ? Vinny is a licensed attorney in California, Arizona, and Nebraska as well as with the United States Patent & Trademark Office. ? Vinny has been a part of leadership of multiple firms and practicing at a high level in all areas of civil litigation since founding Sorrentino & Associates PC

Labor Law

1000 Wilshire Blvd #1500, Los Angeles, CA 90017, USA

Area of Practice: Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation & ESOPs Zachary Wertheimer is a member of the Corporate, Tax, Benefits and Estate Planning group at Buchalter LLP. His practice focuses on employee benefits and executive compensation, including the design and implementation of qualified retirement plans, a wide range of incentive compensation arrangements, nonqualified deferred compensation programs, executive employment agreements, and fiduciary compliance matters, with particular experience advising on Internal Revenue Code Sections 409A and 280G. Mr. Wertheimer regularly counsels clients on employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), including transactional matters and ongoing plan compliance, and advises on benefits-related issues arising in mergers and acquisitions.

Labor Law

16133 Ventura Blvd suite 1200, Encino, CA 91436, USA

Attorney Kelsey M. Szamet is a Partner of the firm. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from the University of California San Diego, where she majored in Human Development and minored in Communications. She received her law degree from UCLA School of Law. While in law school, Ms. Szamet was active in the Women's Law Journal and various community-based legal clinics. Ms. Szamet has been honored with several prestigious awards, including the 2023 Women in Law Award and recognition as a 2023 "Super Lawyer". She has also been named one of "America's Top 50 Lawyers" and is a recipient of the "Lawyers of Distinction" accolade.