Christopher is a shareholder in the firm’s San Diego office.
Christopher helps businesses avoid employment-related legal claims by providing California employment law compliance advice. He also defends employers in a variety of litigation matters.
California Employment Law Compliance
California employment law, ever changing and always multifaceted, confounds employers and can deliver bruising liability. Christopher helps businesses thrive in this challenging environment.
Twenty-five years of litigation experience, combined with a long history of advising employers on a broad array of compliance matters, enables him to offer his clients practical, succinct, and creative advice.
Christopher frequently assists clients with issues relating to:
- California wage and hour compliance advice
- Difficult terminations and severance negotiations
- Leaves of absence guidance
- Disability accommodation obligations
- Workplace investigations of harassment, discrimination, and other misconduct
- Handbook creation and updates
- Employment agreements
- Commission agreements and other incentive pay plans
- Non-disclosure agreements
- Preparing EEOC and California DFEH position statements
- Responding to pre-litigation demand letters
- Pay equity audits
- Exempt classification audits
- Merger & acquisition labor practices due diligence
- Sexual harassment prevention training and advice
- “Boot camp” employment law compliance and claim prevention training to management and staff, as well as other attorneys
- Other state and federal law compliance matters
Christopher leads a group of compliance attorneys in the San Diego office. He also serves as a member of Ogletree Deakins’ California Advice Group, a network of California attorneys who lend expertise to the clients of Ogletree Deakins’ attorneys in our offices across the nation.
Christopher has served as an instructor at Cal State University San Marcos, teaching a course titled “Legal Issues for HR Professionals” as part of the Human Resource Management Certificate Program. He is frequently an invited speaker for various industry groups, and regularly publishes employment law articles.
California Litigation
Christopher has 25 years of experience litigating employment law claims. During that time he has helped clients respond to just about every type of employment-related lawsuit that can be filed in California (and seriously, in California it’s a long list!). He works with a team of talented defense attorneys in the firm’s San Diego office, as well as the firm’s other offices throughout the state.
Christopher’s litigation experience includes: California FEHA and Title VII discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims; wrongful termination claims; wage and hour litigation (claims for overtime, unpaid wages, meal and rest breaks, and the like); claims involving California CFRA, federal FMLA, and other leaves of absences; misappropriation of trade secrets, non-competition, and non-disclosure agreements; California and federal ADA accommodation; independent contractor misclassification claims; Labor Commissioner claims (Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement claims), U.S. Department of Labor claims, EEOC and California Department of Fair Employment and Housing claims; EDD and Unemployment Insurance claims.
Christopher has represented clients in state and federal trials, arbitration proceedings, and administrative law hearings. Christopher also has experience representing clients on appeals before California state and federal courts of appeal.
