Practice Area

At Harrison Patterson & O’Connor, a significant portion of our practice is dedicated to offering reliable advice and effective representation to victims of workplace harassment, employment discrimination, wrongful termination, wage and hour violations and other disparate treatment by employers in San Diego and Southern California. As San Diego employment lawyers, we dedicate significant resources to employment discrimination matters and are committed to protecting the rights of those victimized by unlawful employment practices, harassment, discrimination, and unfair treatment based upon legally protected status, such as age, race, sex, disability, national origin, religion, medical condition and pregnancy.

The dedication we have to our clients as San Diego employment discrimination attorneys is founded on our belief that everyone is entitled to fair treatment in the workplace. Few things in life are more important that one’s ability to earn a living, such that a person and his or her family can enjoy life with the knowledge that, with hard work, one’s job can continue to provide for both the necessities and comforts of life. However, employment discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination and other forms of unfair treatment in the workplace can have a severe impact on a person’s emotional and financial well-being. As employment discrimination lawyers in San Diego, we are committed to protecting the rights of not only San Diego employees, but those employees in the greater Southern California area who are not properly compensated, retaliated against or are harmed by individuals and organizations responsible for illegal discrimination and harassment whether that is based on race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, medical condition, pregnancy or some other protected classification.

At Harrison Patterson & O’Connor, our San Diego employment discrimination attorneys have extensive litigation and trial experience in both federal and state courts and remain focused on the ever-developing laws that affect employment claims and require those who are the victims of employment discrimination to retain an employment lawyer that will fight for their rights. Our employment attorneys are fully familiar with the provisions of and protections afforded by California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In addition to the pursuit of redress through the courts, our employment discrimination lawyers assist clients in the preparation and filing of claims with the Department of Fair Employment & Housing (DFEH) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

For those employees that were the subject of harassment, discrimination and/or wrongful termination, we currently accept cases in situations where employer engaged in disparate treatment based upon:

• Age
• Race
• Gender
• Disability
• Sexual Orientation
• National Origin
• Religion
• Medical Condition
• Pregnancy

Our employment lawyers in San Diego also represent employees who raise legal questions about the behavior of their employers or oppose conduct they reasonably believe to be illegal. Such employees are often referred to as “whistle blowers,” and are protected under the law for reporting or raising questions about conduct ranging from witnessing and reporting discrimination or harassment, to speaking out against or refusing to participate in illegal conduct, such as fraud or deceptive reporting practices.

California law also requires employers to properly compensate their employees and many employees are entitled to compensation for overtime and entitled to break and meal periods. Frequently, employers fail to pay requisite wages or commissions, provide necessary meal and rest breaks, or properly compensate employees for their overtime because of their lack of understanding of the law or by misclassifying workers as exempt, management personnel or independent contractors. However, California law prohibits such conduct, which conduct is generally referred to as a “wage and hour” violation. At Harrison Patterson & O’Connor, our employment attorneys regularly represent San Diego and Greater Southern California employees who have been refused appropriate compensation and/or benefits and are dedicated to maximizing the recoveries of those who have been subject to unlawful employment practices.

As in our accident and personal injury practice, we regularly accept the representation of our employment discrimination clients on a contingency fee basis and often agree to advance costs, such that we are compensated only upon the successful conclusion of the case. Unlike some employment discrimination lawyers and to the extent we are able to secure a separate recovery of our attorneys’ fees pursuant to the terms of a contract or in conjunction with a state or federal statute; we regularly limit our compensation to a percentage of the gross recovery or the fee award. Our fee structures and retainer agreements reflecting the same are straightforward and it is our goal to bring an unmatched comfort level to our San Diego and Southern California employment discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination clients, who are often strangers to litigation. To us as San Diego employment lawyers, our first priority is always the best interest of our clients. Contact us today to discuss your case.