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Category: Hallie L. Von Rock

The Question of Uniforms in the Workplace and Reimbursement Policies in CA

If you were asked to name a few chains, restaurants, or business that required their employees to wear uniforms, chances are several brands would come to mind. In various sectors, whether it be the hospitality industry or fast food chains, employees’ outfits identify them to clientele in need of assistance and serve advertising purposes. For […]

How to Tell If I Am An Employee or an Independent Contractor

Often times when you land a job, you are just happy to be hired and not so much concerned with what your status is with them so much as the size of your paycheck. However, there are huge differences between if your employer refers to your as an “employee” versus if they just call you […]

How Sexual Abuse Fosters Culturally

It seems like today’s media climate, whether one is a Democrat, Independent, or Republican, is reflecting some out-dated viewpoints that favor a cultural viewpoint about dominance. Our political scandals involve apologizing for sexual harassment as “locker room talk” and hosts of media CEOs faced litigation for sexual harassment. When political leadership and their legal teams […]

Exempt vs. Non-Exempt Classification for Workers in California

Although there are labor laws in California designed to shield workers from unfair conditions, misclassification of work status remains a widespread problem that leaves many workers unable to benefit from the state’s rules and regulations. Many workers in the state are incorrectly labeled as either an exempt or non-exempt employee, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation […]

Sexual Harassment: When Is It Time to Contact a Lawyer

Sexual harassment is rampant in many workplace environments–even environments that should be considered “safe.” You should never have to be uncomfortable at work due to a coworker’s off-color jokes or continuing pursuit of you even after you’ve let them know that their behavior is making you uncomfortable. Unfortunately, getting rid of the negative behavior isn’t […]

Am I An Employee Or Independent Contractor?

If you have been in the working world any length of time, there is no doubt you have heard the term ‘independent contractor’ used. The majority of the country’s workforce are classified as employees, rather than independent contractors. Simply put, that means that they report to a particular location(s) at a set time determined by […]

Sexual Harassment and Women in the Tech Industry

The Tech Industry has a reputation for not treating women as equals and peers who bring as much to the industry as their male counterparts. While some may find it difficult to believe that a double standard still exists, recent allegations of sexual harassment at two tech giants – Tesla and Uber – show that […]

Workplace Discrimination & Harassment Learn the Different Types

If you are discriminated against in your workplace, then you have an unenviable choice: Do you act to eliminate the employment or the discrimination? While neither is an easy path, even if you decide to seek work elsewhere, the difficulties that discriminatory actions can inflict on a career, finances and emotions often outlast the employment under which they […]

What Are Workplace Discrimination and Harassment, and What Can Employees Do About Them?

Both federal and California laws specifically prohibit discrimination and harassment in the workplace. For example, under California law, employers cannot discriminate against workers on the basis of several protected categories, including “race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, age, or sexual orientation”. Harassment, that is, offering […]

Bank of Marin Alameda Running Festival 2016: Hallie Von Rock

Our resident Rock Star Runner Hallie made the news. Attorney Hallie Von Rock of Aiman-Smith & Marcy participated in the Alameda inaugural Bank of Marin Alameda Running Festival. Furthermore, Ekene Ikeme of Almeda Sun says Hallie is “…the first woman and Alamedan to complete the distance.” This is very exciting to us and we congratulate […]

Contact Our Oakland Workplace Discrimination and Harassment Lawyer

If you believe you are a victim of workplace discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, contact Aiman-Smith & Marcy for a free consultation. Our Oakland workplace discrimination and harassment lawyer can help you understand your rights and determine the best option for pursuing justice. Let us help you fight for your rights and preserve your dignity.

Address

7677 Oakport Street Suite 1000
Oakland, California 94621

Telephone

(510) 760-7005

Email

[email protected]

Lisseth Bayona

Attorney

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Education and Background

I am a Los Angeles native and daughter of Salvadorian immigrants. From an early age, my parents instilled the value of hard work and education in me and my two siblings. Their perseverance enabled each of us to graduate from college and earn professional degrees.

My interest and commitment to workers’ rights have roots in my parents’ experiences as undocumented workers in Los Angeles. Witnessing the challenges they faced inspired me to pursue a career where I can help individuals confronted with similar struggles. To help someone in those moments is very satisfying. I love connecting with people and learning about their stories. I believe that dignity in the workplace is a right of all workers, not a convenience or privilege reserved for employees of a certain race, gender, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

Legal Experience

I received my J.D. from the University of Southern California (USC) Gould School of Law. While there, I served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Patrick J. Walsh of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Also, while at Gould, I served as an extern for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Criminal Division. As an extern, I worked closely with a trial team of Assistant U.S. Attorneys in prosecution of a web-based platform used to promote human trafficking.

I am a member of Aiman-Smith & Marcy’s class action litigation group. As part of that team, I have successfully fought high-stakes legal battles against well-resourced and highly competent defense firms. See, e.g., Cal. Labor & Workforce Dev. Agency ex rel. Raymond v. CompuCom Sys. (E.D.Cal. Mar. 9, 2023, No. 2:21-cv-02327-KJM-KLN) 2023 U.S.Dist.LEXIS 40710.

Personal Interests

In my free time, I enjoy urban vegetable gardening, traveling, and spending time with my nephew and niece. I also love to spend time at San Onofre Beach learning to surf, although admittedly, I am not very good.

Education

 

Hallie L. Von Rock

Attorney (SBN 233152)

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Education and Background

I moved to the Bay Area from Washington after graduating high school. I had been accepted to UC Berkeley through a program where I could defer for two years while getting my California residency and attending community college, which was significant since I was paying for college on my own. I began working for Randall Aiman-Smith and Reed Marcy in 1996 as an office manager while taking night classes. My first foray into the legal world was soon after starting at the firm when I was ready to transfer to UC Berkeley. Rather than accepting my resident status, the Board of Regents took the position that California residency required a student to be in California “two calendar years.” Randall and Reed took up my case with the same verve as they helped their actual clients and I got the chance to comb through the UC Berkeley library to read their codes and regulations to support my position. In that experience, I learned what is was like to feel helpless against a big organization and then to have dedicated attorneys in my corner to take up my cause.

After a break to pursue my major in art history, I went to UC Hastings College of Law and continued working with Randall and Reed. Having worked together now for over 25 years, we have a unique ability to work collaboratively and finish each other’s sentences. I have strived throughout my career to make a difference in the lives of our clients. At the end of the day, if I am helping someone to get compensation for losses they suffered, then I know that all the work put into a case has been worth it.

Legal Experience

I have extensive experience in civil litigation and class action cases, including conducting discovery and depositions, calculating damages analysis, preparing motions for certification, writing appellate documents, and overseeing claims administration. We have handled several class actions against retailers where plaintiffs claimed they were forced to purchase clothing to wear to work and were not compensated for these purchases, including against Abercrombie & Fitch, Hugo Boss, Armani Exchange, Uniqlo, Dollar Tree, and Ross. Recently, I was trial counsel in a defamation claim against Bank of America on behalf of a former employee who claimed the Bank blacklisted her with future employers. The jury found Bank of America liable, including for punitive damages.

Personal Interests

Aiman-Smith & Marcy has sponsored me in the Boston Marathon and New York Marathon. When I race, I often wear a “Rockstar Ronan” shirt to support research for childhood cancer through The Ronan Thompson Foundation.

Education

University of California, Berkeley, B.A., 1999

Hastings College of the Law, University of California, J.D., 2004

Randall Aiman-Smith

Abogado (SBN 124599)

Aiman-Smith & Marcy. Oakland consumer fraud attorneys.
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Educación y antecedentes

Fui afortunado. A pesar de no haber terminado la escuela secundaria o la universidad, pude -aunque con mucho trabajo- ser admitido y sobresalir en una de las mejores escuelas de derecho del país: La Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad de Berkeley. Mientras estuve allí, tuve el privilegio de ser editor de la California Law Review y miembro del Moot Court Board, asesorando en la redacción de escritos y en la defensa de apelaciones a otros estudiantes. Después de salir de la escuela de derecho, en mis primeros años de práctica, enseñé la escritura legal y la defensa de apelación en la Universidad de California, Hastings College of the Law. También, a lo largo de los años, he sido presentador en eventos de educación legal continua.

Experiencia legal

He sido abogado durante 35 años. He dedicado mi práctica exclusivamente a representar a empleados, consumidores e inversores en los tribunales estatales y federales de primera instancia y en los tribunales de apelación. Me gusta ir a los tribunales por mis clientes y he llevado muchos casos con jurado en los tribunales estatales y federales.

¿Ejemplos? En 2010, fui la abogada principal, junto con los otros abogados del bufete, en el caso Williams v. Union Pacific Railroad donde, después de cuatro años de preparación, el bufete obtuvo un veredicto del jurado de 1.670.000 dólares para una empleada afroamericana. En Rivero v. Surdyka, fui el abogado principal en el juicio y la apelación de un caso de derechos civiles que duró 15 años, incluyendo un juicio completo y tres apelaciones al Noveno Circuito, concluyendo finalmente con una sentencia para los demandantes de más de 2.300.000 dólares. Estos casos ilustran el lema del bufete: compromiso – resultados. Hay que comprometerse con un caso, a veces durante mucho tiempo, para obtener el resultado que el cliente merece.

No siempre ganamos en el juicio. Cuando eso ocurre, el compromiso significa llevar el caso al siguiente nivel y recurrirlo. En el caso Rivero, antes mencionado, eso fue lo que ocurrió: el tribunal desestimó el caso -habíamos perdido- pero apelamos y conseguimos una victoria para nuestros clientes que mantuvimos a través de dos apelaciones más. Desde entonces, el bufete ha conseguido muchas victorias en apelación que reivindican los derechos de los empleados y los consumidores.

A lo largo de los años he sido abogado de los demandantes en numerosos casos individuales y acciones colectivas. Puede sonar cursi, o difícil de creer, pero después de todo este tiempo, y después de todas las grandes experiencias que he tenido, mi parte favorita de ser abogado es cuando consigo dar un cheque a mi cliente.

 

Educación

Facultad de Derecho, Universidad de California, Berkeley, J.D., 1986