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California has among the strongest wage protections in the country, daily overtime, mandatory meal breaks, and strict minimum wage rules that exceed federal law. If your employer has violated any of these, you're entitled to your wages plus penalties.
Attorney of the Year — California Lawyers Association No fee until we winCalifornia requires overtime at 1.5x after 8 hours in a single day, not just 40 hours per week. If your employer only applies the federal standard, they likely owe you additional wages.
California requires a 30-minute unpaid meal break for shifts over 5 hours and paid 10-minute rest breaks every 4 hours. Each missed break entitles you to one hour of premium pay.
Most California wage and hour violations have a 3-year lookback period. PAGA claims have a 1-year window. Contact us before the lookback period closes.
California Labor Code §98.6 prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who file wage claims. Demotion, reduced hours, or termination after a wage complaint gives you a separate claim.
California's wage laws are detailed and employer violations are widespread. We identify exactly what your employer owes, wages, penalties, and interest.
Employees working over 8 hours in a day or 40 in a week who are not paid 1.5x their regular rate as required by California law.
Paying below California's minimum wage (higher than federal) or making illegal deductions that reduce effective pay below the minimum.
Failure to provide legally required breaks, or pressuring employees not to take them, entitles workers to one hour of premium pay per missed break.
Requiring employees to work before clocking in, after clocking out, or during meal breaks without compensation.
Withholding final paychecks, making unauthorized deductions, or failing to reimburse required business expenses.
How you handle a wage dispute in the first days matters, both to preserve evidence and to protect yourself from retaliation.
Keep personal records of your actual hours worked, including before and after your official schedule. This is the foundation of any wage claim.
California law requires itemized wage statements. Save every one, they establish what you were paid versus what you were owed.
Write down dates and times when meal or rest breaks were missed or cut short. Each violation has a dollar value.
Severance agreements and arbitration waivers can limit your ability to recover wages. Do not sign anything before consulting an attorney.
Filing an internal complaint creates a record but can also trigger retaliation. Tell us before you do so we can advise you on the best approach.
We analyze your pay records, calculate exactly what you are owed, and pursue the claim through the most effective available channel.
Not only was Arya easy to communicate with, incredibly intelligent with how he planned to achieve the goals, but he was also very warm and caring. I really enjoyed working with Arya. Warm, ethical, and intelligent is a great combo!
I cannot recommend L&F Brown highly enough. From the start of my case they were professional, talked me through the process and genuinely cared about my situation and concerns. My case went far longer than any of us expected, and I was ready to just accept the first settlement, but Arya and Curt fought to get me what I was entitled to. All in all, they went above and beyond at every step and I felt supported throughout my experience with them.
My husband was involved in a car accident back in February, and now that everything has been resolved, I just wanted to say how grateful we are for this amazing team. Everyone was incredibly kind, organized, and easy to communicate with. They always kept us updated, answered every question we had, and made sure we understood what was happening every step of the way. Having someone we could trust took so much stress off our shoulders during an already difficult time.
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California's wage laws give workers powerful remedies, including penalties that go well beyond the unpaid wages themselves.
Every hour of underpaid or unpaid work, calculated at the correct California rate.
One additional hour of pay for each missed or shortened break, going back up to 3 years.
California law adds interest to wages that were not paid on time.
The Private Attorneys General Act allows workers to recover civil penalties on behalf of themselves and other affected employees.
If your employer failed to pay all final wages on termination, daily penalties can add up significantly.
California law typically requires the employer to pay your legal fees if you prevail in a wage and hour case.
Wage & Overtime Lawyers in California
Free consultation. No fees unless we recover your wages.
