CALIFORNIA’S FIRST LAWYERS
By proxy, because California was part of Mexico, Mexicans were the first California lawyers and judges. Prior to statehood, in1830s there were perhaps four trained, capable lawyers in California. Lawyers during this period did not make their services available to the public. They were called asesores, and were legal advisers to governors. The first reference to anything akin to California judging occurred in 1837 when Jose Sepulveda settled legal disputes as if he were a judge. The Sepulveda family came to San Gabriel from Sinaloa, Mexico making their first roots in California the same year the Pueblo, Los Angeles was established in 1781. The Sepulveda family, the namesake of Sepulveda Boulevard that runs from Long Beach to Sylmar, 42.8 miles and reputed to be the longest street in the County, grew over the years settling in several parts of Los Angeles County. In 1863 Jose Andres Sepulveda was admitted to the bar. He later became a judge. Manuel Clemente Rojo was a Peruvian law student who came to California for the Gold Rush. However, by the end of 1848 he was in Los Angeles after a vessel he was merchanting goods on sank near Rosarito Beach. Manuel Clement Rojo established an unusual commercial practice, for the era, in Los Angeles, but left California for Baja in 1854.
For more information on California's first Black and Chinese lawyers, click these links
Our Firm: No upfront fees or costs
Contingency Fee Representation
All employment cases for employees are taken on a contingency basis. We are only paid a fee when and if we win your case, and we advance all litigation costs. Our goal is to make expert legal representation accessible to every hardworking employee.
Serving Los Angeles County
We have proudly served all of Los Angeles County since 1993.
The Employment Lawyers Group has successfully handled
2,000+
Separate California Employment Cases
Media Engagements
KABC
Talk Radio 790
WAVE
The Wave 94.7
CBS 8 SD
Employment Law TV
Daily Journal
Fortune
Magazine
Fox News
New York Magazine
Newsweek
Magazine
The Recorder
Sacramento Bee
SHRM
HR Magazine
WSJ
The Wall Street Journal
Practice Areas
Discrimination
Age, Disability, Family Medical Leave (FMLA/CFRA), Gender, National Origin, Pregnancy, Race, and Sexual Orientation claims.
Unpaid Wages & Overtime
Recovering earnings for Overtime, Bonuses, Commissions, Meal & Rest Breaks, and Prevailing Wage violations.
Sexual Harassment
Compassionate and effective representation for victims of sexual harassment and hostile work environment claims.
Wrongful Termination
Representing employees terminated in violation of public policy, contracts, or California and Federal law.
Leaves & Retaliation
Protecting employees who face adverse actions after reporting illegal activity or taking protected medical leave.
Whistleblowers
Advocating for employees who report fraud, waste, or abuse in their organizations under whistleblower protections.
Our California Locations
Bakersfield
5401 Business Park S, #214,
Bakersfield CA 93309
Los Angeles
Orange County
Riverside
Sacramento
777 Campus Commons Rd, #200,
Sacramento CA 95825
San Bernardino
San Diego
San Francisco
524 Union St, #400,
San Francisco CA 94133
San Jose
Sherman Oaks
Torrance
Ventura
Additional Sites
BostonLaborLaw.com
DcLaborAttorney.com
FresnoEmployeeLawyer.com
JobLawyer.net
MarylandLaborAttorney.com
ModemStud.com
VintageLosAngeles.org
WorkLawyerCA.info
About Firm Founder, Karl Gerber
Firm Founder, Karl Gerber, has been an employment wrongful termination attorney since 1993. He has represented a wide range of employees throughout California.
Mr. Gerber has won 51 of the binding arbitrations and jury trials he first chaired, and a number of his appeals are published. This deep trial experience is the foundation of the firm's strategic approach to litigation.
The employment attorneys employed by the Employment Lawyers Group have worked at the firm well in excess of five years, have also tried many different labor cases, and have all been extensively trained on employment wrongful termination by Karl Gerber.
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