California Employment Law 2025

James J. McDonald, Jr., J.D., SHRM-SCP, is a partner in the Irvine, California, office of the labor and employment law firm Fisher & Phillips LLP. His practice involves trials, arbitrations, and appeals of employment law claims. He also has more than 30 years' experience advising California employers about all aspects of labor and employment law, strategic human resource issues, and how to avoid employment claims and lawsuits. He has spoken before at many human resource, business, and industry organizations and he taught labor and employment law in the Human Resources Management Program at the University of California, Irvine, for 16 years. He received his undergraduate degree from New College of Florida and his law degree cum laude from Georgetown University.

• Chapter - 01: California Employment Law: How Did This Become So Difficult?;Chapter - 02: Employment at Will: What It Really Means;Chapter - 03: Arbitration of Employment Disputes;Chapter - 04: Employee Handbooks;Chapter - 05: Employees or Independent Contractors?;Chapter - 06: The Hiring Process;Chapter - 07: Paying Employees Correctly;Chapter - 08: Overtime;Chapter - 09: Meals, Breaks, Pants, and Seats: Other Rights of Employees;Chapter - 10: Employee Privacy Rights;Chapter - 11: Protecting Trade Secrets;Chapter - 12: Employment Discrimination;Chapter - 13: Harassment;Chapter - 14: Accommodating Employees with Disabilities;Chapter - 15: Leaves of Absence;Chapter - 16: Conducting Workplace Investigations;Chapter - 17: Avoiding Retaliation Claims;Chapter - 18: Rightful Terminations;Chapter - 19: Unions and Labor Relations;Chapter - 20: Workplace Safety and Health;

"If you're looking for the definitive guide to California workplace laws and employment protections, this is the reference to have!"