- Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- - SE HABLA ESPAÑOL
- Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- - SE HABLA ESPAÑOL
Reviewed by Simon Elliot Moshkovich, Esq. (CA Bar #323584) | Last reviewed: June 18, 2026
If you work in Irvine and your employer fired you for the wrong reason, refused to pay you what you earned, ignored harassment after you reported it, or punished you for raising a concern, you may have a claim under California employment law. Mercer Legal Group represents Irvine employees in wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, and leave disputes. We serve Irvine from our Woodland Hills office at 21031 Ventura Blvd, Suite 103, and handle Orange County matters in state and federal court.
Most employment cases run on contingency — fees come out of any recovery, not your pocket. Calls answered 24/7. SE HABLA ESPAÑOL. Initial reviews are free.
Call (818) 783-0500 or use the contact form for a free consultation with an Irvine Employment Lawyer.
An Irvine employment lawyer represents workers in disputes with current or former employers under California and federal law. We’re a service-area firm based in Woodland Hills — most communication runs by phone, video, and secure portal, and we travel to Orange County for depositions, mediations, and court appearances when a case requires it.
Matters we handle for Irvine employees:
If you’re not sure whether to call, our overview on do I need an employment lawyer? walks through the threshold questions.
California labor protections run further than federal law. Below are the issues we see most often from Irvine workers.
FEHA (Gov. Code §12940) prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation across more than a dozen protected categories, covers employers with 5+ employees (1+ for harassment), and unlike Title VII has no $300,000 cap on non-economic damages. A hostile work environment claim doesn’t require a firing — severe or pervasive conduct is enough if the employer knew or should have known. See how to prove employment discrimination in California and our guide on choosing a workplace harassment lawyer.
Commission disputes are common in Irvine’s tech and finance roles. See lawyers for overtime for the calculation piece.
FMLA covers employers with 50+ employees within 75 miles; CFRA (Gov. Code §12945.2) covers employers with 5+ employees statewide. Both provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave. Pregnancy disability leave (Gov. Code §12945) adds up to 4 months. See our resource on FMLA rights while on leave.
California employment law has overlapping state and federal statutes, short administrative deadlines, and procedural traps that can extinguish a claim before it reaches the merits. A practitioner who handles California cases daily can identify which statutes apply, preserve evidence early, file with the right agency on time, and negotiate from a defensible position.
| Factor | On your own | With counsel |
|---|---|---|
| Statute knowledge | Self-research; risk of missing applicable law | Daily familiarity with FEHA, Labor Code, CFRA |
| Administrative filings | You track deadlines alone | Firm calendars and drafts CRD/EEOC charges |
| Settlement leverage | Employer’s counsel knows there’s no litigation risk | Counsel demonstrates capacity to file and try |
| Court procedure | You apply CCP and Evidence Code yourself | Counsel handles motions, discovery, trial |
| Cost | Filing fees and costs out of pocket | Contingency common — fees come from recovery |
Calls answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Bilingual intake in English and Spanish. SE HABLA ESPAÑOL.
Irvine’s workforce clusters in a few places: the tech and biotech companies around the Spectrum, the life-sciences and healthcare employers near UCI, and the finance and professional-services firms in the Irvine Business Complex. Those settings shape the cases we see most — equity and bonus fights after a layoff, retaliation against workers who flag safety or accounting problems, harassment HR sat on, and people misclassified as exempt or as contractors. The rights below belong to every California employee, and they hold no matter how large the employer is.
Core rights:
Deadlines decide cases, and missing one can sink a strong claim:
If you think a deadline has already passed, call anyway — equitable tolling and the continuing-violation doctrine can sometimes save a claim. We file Irvine matters with the Civil Rights Department and litigate in Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana, or the Central District of California, when a fair settlement isn’t on the table.
Mercer Legal Group reviews employment law claims carefully, explains available options, and pursues appropriate remedies when the facts and law support them. Every case is different, and no attorney can guarantee a specific result.
What an Irvine employee can expect:
For public sources on the firm and lead attorney, see Google Business, Avvo, and the Cal Bar licensee record at apps.calbar.ca.gov.
Mercer Legal Group offers free initial consultations to Irvine employees and Orange County workers. Calls answered 24/7. SE HABLA ESPAÑOL. Most cases on contingency — no fee unless we recover.
Call (818) 783-0500 or submit the contact form on this page to schedule a free consultation with an Irvine Employment Lawyer.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its specific facts. This page is informational and not legal advice. Reviewing it does not create an attorney-client relationship with Mercer Legal Group.
Common questions from Irvine employees about employment law claims and the legal process in California. Calls answered 24/7 — SE HABLA ESPAÑOL.
Look for someone who litigates in Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana and understands Irvine’s employer mix — the tech and biotech firms around the Spectrum, the healthcare systems, and finance. Each carries its own patterns around stock options, trade-secret claims, and layoffs. Ask whether the lawyer has actually tried cases, not just sent demand letters. First consultations are free.
Almost never. California Business and Professions Code section 16600 voids most non-competes, and SB 699, in effect since 2024, lets you challenge one even if you signed it in another state. Irvine tech and biotech employers often wave these around, but a genuine trade-secret claim is a different thing from an unenforceable non-compete. Have an attorney read the agreement before you walk away from a job offer.
Quite possibly. California’s ABC test, written into Labor Code section 2775, treats you as an employee unless the company can prove you work free of its control, outside its core business, and run your own trade. Misclassification is common at Irvine startups and staffing-heavy firms, and it can cost you overtime, expense reimbursement, and benefits you were owed.
Yes. California’s anti-discrimination law, the Fair Employment and Housing Act (Government Code section 12940), protects you no matter your immigration status, and punishing you for reporting harassment is itself illegal. Many Irvine tech and research workers hold visas, and an employer who hints that your status is on the line may be crossing into unlawful retaliation. That pressure is worth reviewing with a lawyer.
Read it first. Severance deals usually ask you to give up discrimination and wrongful-termination claims, sometimes for far less than those claims are worth. California gives you time to review, and waivers tied to age carry extra rules. If the layoff came right after a complaint, or hit older or pregnant workers hardest, a short legal review before you sign can change the math.
Under California law you generally get three years to file with the Civil Rights Department, a window that AB 9 stretched from the old one-year limit. After that you usually receive a right-to-sue notice before the case moves to Orange County Superior Court. Federal EEOC deadlines run much shorter, often 300 days, so it pays to get advice early rather than wait.
If your situation centers on one issue, these Irvine pages go deeper:
