Every so often a litigation strategy comes along that just makes you stare at the screen, shake your head, and think, “Did a lawyer really decide this was the best idea, and how much did they bill for it?”
Introduction
California enacted several new employment laws in 2025, including enhanced penalties for wage and hour violations, expanded pay data reporting requirements, broadened sexual harassment protections, stronger pay equity and transparency measures, measures addressing tip theft, restriction of employee loan repayment, expanded time off and use of sick pay benefits, additional personnel records requirements, and
If your defense to a harassment complaint starts with “well, technically…” you’ve already lost — even if you win the lawsuit.
The court held that the manager’s
As we move toward 2026, California employers—especially in hospitality—are navigating one of the most complex wage-and-hour landscapes in the country. The 2024 PAGA reform brought meaningful relief, but only for employers who take their compliance obligations seriously and can prove it.
At the same time, technology and AI are beginning to transform what compliance looks
AI use in workplaces is growing quickly. A 2025 global study of more than 32,000 workers across 47 countries found 58 percent of employees report using AI at work, with roughly a third using it weekly or daily. Tech Xplore+1
Many employees say AI improves efficiency, idea generation, and work quality. McKinsey & Company+1
But this
Partner James Sherer’s comments on the growing use of AI in the legal profession were noted in a Nov. 21, 2025, article for Law360 titled “NJ Experts Warn of Evolving AI Pitfalls at Bar Symposium.” Sherer took part in a panel discussion on navigating the changes that AI has brought to attorney-client relationships during the
The Wall Street Journal just profiled EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas under the headline “Trump’s DEI Slayer Is Just Getting Started.” On LinkedIn, Lucas replied, “thanks … that’s right! Buckle up for more…”
It’s… an odd flex.
Title VII protects everyone. Always has. White employees, men, Christians, and cisgender individuals are covered just the same as
As artificial intelligence (AI), particularly generative AI, becomes increasingly woven into our professional and personal lives—from personalized travel itineraries to reviewing resumes to summarizing investigation notes and reports—questions about who or what controls our data and how it’s used are ever present. AI systems survive and thrive on information and that intersection of AI and
On the Professional Practices Alliance (PPA) webinar that I chaired recently, on the topic of succession planning in an age of AI, I mentioned a stat taken from Peter H. Diamandis‘s Moonshot podcast …. that AI intelligence costs are hyper-deflating at 40X p.a. (!!!) This would mean that the cost of AI tools
“The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is expected to rescind guidance that addresses harassment based on gender identity. Should we remove mentions of gender identity from our anti-harassment policy?”
Let me answer it as succinctly as possible: NO!!!
Or, if you prefer, let me rephrase