Age Discrimination

As the current workforce ages in place, issues of discriminatory actions increase exponentially. Age discrimination continues to plague many corporations. Our employment law attorneys specialize in such cases; they have the skills and experience to advocate the rights of all protected age group individuals. Corporations continue to associate more former employees with a propensity to […]

Pregnancy Discrimination in the California Workplace

The laws governing pregnancy-related discrimination are very complex and challenging. There are federal laws and state laws that provide specific protections; the law that applies will usually depend on the type of harm alleged. Attempting to navigate these laws without an attorney who is practiced in these matters may cause you to lose benefits to […]

How to Work With Your Employer for Disability Accommodation

Millions of Americans live with a disability every day and figure out how to make their lives work around the medical condition. From paraplegia to ADD, there are many different types of disability and most of them do not stop a person from effectively pursuing a career in something they know and love. But the […]

Do California Employers Reimburse People For Mileage?

Most of us have to drive to get to work, but some types of employment require driving in order to perform job duties. For instance, sales people sometimes have to travel between stores to make their sales, and caregivers have to chauffeur their charges to appointments. This can become expensive for positions where you drive […]

Four Signs of Pregnancy or Childbirth Discrimination

Bringing a new life into the world is a beautiful event of which you should be proud. Unfortunately, some California employers may not agree. The State of California strongly prohibits any type of discrimination because of pregnancy, childbirth, or anything related to such events. Some employers may walk a very fine line and try to […]

Discrimination for Pregnancy and Post-Pregnancy

People with virtually every kind of encumberment are likely to find themselves as a victim of some kind of discrimination. What does human rights law say about pregnancy? The Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) is an amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1963 (Title VII of the Civil Rights Act). Women who are pregnant have […]

The Rights of Caregivers

The role of being a caregiver for someone who needs intensive assistance is a deeply demanding role that can cut a person off of her or his personal needs. Part of the rights of a caregiver has to do with the basic attention to personal needs. These basic rights may or may impact on the […]

What Does Family Responsibilities Discrimination Look Like?

Family responsibilities discrimination, also known as FRD, is when an employee is discriminated against because they have to care for a family member. Though most people think about working parents, you may also be facing family responsibilities discrimination if you are caring for your aging parents or a spouse with a serious medical condition. You […]

Employers Cannot Discriminate Against Pregnant Employees

Congratulations on your pregnancy. Your employer cannot fire you if you are pregnant under the California Family Rights Act and federal laws. This is very important if you are planning to return to work after you have your baby. A business in California must give a new mother up to 16 weeks of unpaid leave […]

Can You Be Discriminated Against as a Working Parent?

Working moms are less likely to be hired and are almost one hundred percent less likely to be promoted. This is an amazing statistic, knowing how much working moms can bring to the table. They are often great at multi-tasking and getting a lot done in a short amount of time! However, the truth is […]

Lisseth Bayona

Attorney

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, where I drafted a criminal judicial opinion. Also, while at Gould, I served as an extern for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. As a Criminal Division Extern, I had the opportunity to work closely with a trial team of Assistant U.S. Attorneys on a money laundering case which further sparked my interest in litigation.

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)

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.

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