Lisa V. Ryan

Lisa’s long-term relationships with her clients are based on trust because she recognizes that any time business owners or their managers spend dealing with a workplace claim is time not being spent on productivity and the bottom line.

In times of crisis – whether it’s a sexual harassment, wage and hour PAGA/class action, discrimination, retaliation or labor law claim – they trust her to explore options that suit their specific situation and budget. They know she will weigh the decision to litigate carefully and if undertaken, budget it for economic efficiency with success defined at the outset.

Lisa began her career as a policy consultant on labor and employment issues for the California State Legislature. Prior to her years in the Legislature, she was appointed by Governor Pete Wilson to serve in the Trade and Commerce Agency. She is a graduate of the University of Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, where she wrote for the California Initiative Review and earned honors in trial advocacy.

Lisa is admitted to practice before all California state courts.

In addition to employment litigation, Lisa is an experienced investigator called in to investigate workplace complaints and regularly conducts AB 1825 Sexual Harassment and Employee Conduct trainings for public and private sector employers.

Results

• Won complete summary judgment on behalf of university against charges of race discrimination and sexual harassment.
• Obtained favorable coverage determination in potential public works case.
• Successfully represented state agency in complex matter of first impression related to applicability of Labor Code 203 to seasonal employees.
• Won labor arbitrations upholding employment terminations by national food processor.
• Obtained favorable trial and appellate court rulings for affordable housing developers in Northern and Southern California.
• Successfully sought dismissal of putative wage and hour class action against electrical contractor.

Publishing

• What Should an Employer Do When an Employee’s Social Media Runs Afoul of Its Code of Conduct?
• Public Employers Not Subject to PAGA, Private Employers Must Still Comply
• Aren’t You Ready to Retire?
• Court: Termination Justified After Warning Supervisor Against Unprofessional Behavior Following Investigation
• Leaving Work to Avoid Stress Found Not to Be a Reasonable Accommodation
• How California Employers Have Handled Competition in the Absence of Non-Compete Agreements
• Must Employers Pay When Employees Claim They’re Too Busy for Rest Breaks?
• Owners’ Personal Liability for Minimum Wage Violations  
• “Have a Seat” California Employees!
• ADA Claims Could Apply to Businesses With Fewer Than 15 Employees
• Customer’s Solicitation of Male Manicurist Enough to Establish Hostile Work Environment
• PAGA: Employee with Outdated Individual Claim May Proceed with Representative Claim
• California Employers Permitted to Drop Mask Mandate for Vaccinated Workers
• Employers Must Provide Notice of Free COBRA Coverage
• New COVID Sick Leave Mandate Requires California Employers to Provide an Additional 80 Hours of Supplemental Paid Sick Leave
• SB 1159 Expands Workers’ Compensation for COVID-19 Claims
• California Requires Employers to Provide Workplace COVID Notifications (AB 685)
• ADA Web Accessibility is the Next Frontier of Accommodation Litigation
• Governor Signs Expanded Supplemental COVID-19 Sick Pay Bill for Large Employers
• Employers May Search Employee Personal Property on Company Premises
• Recent Decisions and Interpretations Expand FFCRA Paid Leave Rights
• Complying with Form I-9 Requirements During COVID Shutdowns
• Employers Have the Burden to Prove COVID-19 Was Not Contracted at Work
• Layoff Considerations in the Coronavirus Era
• These Boots are Made for Working
• Lactation Accommodations Expanded in 2020
• Shhh…Employers Can Ask for Confidentiality in Open Investigations Once Again
• Work Authorization Forms and Notices
• “Clean Up” Legislation Gives Employers Another Year to Implement New Sexual Harassment Training Requirements
• Podcast: The Dirty Secret of Rivals
• California’s Duffy Decision: In-Home Caregivers Are Owed Overtime
• Podcast: Employee Travel Time Compensation
• Overview for ‘19: California’s New Employment Laws
• California Employers Face New Requirements in the #MeToo Era
• Are You Calculating Overtime Correctly?
• California Labor Commissioner Takes a Stand on Contractor and Subcontractor Wage Theft
• Not Really as Easy as ABC
• New Parent Leave Now Applies to Small Employers
• 2018 Is Here … Are You Ready?
• Short-Term Layoffs Subject to California WARN Act
• Construction & Ag Employers – Are Your Porta Potties in Compliance with California Law?
• Podcast: Three Reasons Employers are More Likely to Be Sued in California than Employers in Other States
• Rest Break Law Class Actions, California: It Won’t Get Easier
• The Election Season: Don’t Expect Employees to Leave Their Opinions at the Door
• California’s Sick Leave Law: A Challenge for Construction Industry Despite Clarifications
• The California Fair Pay Act
• California’s Paid Sick Leave Law: Governor Signs Clarifying Legislation
• Attributing Commissions to Minimum Wage Obligations: Court Sets Limits
• Workplace Bullying: California Supervisors Must Trained to Prevent “Abusive Conduct” on The Job
• Confidentiality and Social Media Policies of Employers Found to Violate Federal Labor Law
• Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act: Pre-Employment Physicals Can be a Violation
• NLRB Rulings Impose Limits on Non-Union Workplaces
• ADA Reasonable Accommodation and Light Duty: Don’t Forget California FEHA

• California’s Fair Pay Act, Wage Statements, and More: Six New Year’s Resolutions for Employers in ‘16

• Applicants’ Criminal Background — Just How Far Back Can You Check?, HRCalifornia Extra
• Joint Employment Might Be Your Most Complicated Relationship, HRCalifornia Extra
• Stemming the Tide of PAGA Litigation: An Ongoing Battle for California Businesses, BFBA, LLP
• Mistaken Application of Company Policy Triggers Disability Discrimination Liability, California Chamber of Commerce
• Avoiding the Pitfalls of Travel Pay,  CalChamber’s California Employer Update

Speaking

• Annual Legal Update for Sequel Insurance Services on Dec 11 2024
• Mason Contractors Association of California Labor & Employment Webinar on Mar 17 2021
• Handling Leaves of Absences in 2021 Webinar on Jan 28 2021
• Best Practices to Get the Workplace Working During the COVID Crisis on Jun 18 2020
• American Association of Political Consultants Webinar – Understanding the Legal Ins-and-Outs of Reducing Your Workforce on Jun 3 2020
• 2020 Employment Law Update with Owen-Dunn Insurance Services on Jan 15 2020
• California Chamber of Commerce HR 2019 Symposium on Nov 8 2019
• 2019 Legal Update at the Sacramento Regional Builders Exchange on Jan 9 2019
• Annual Labor and Employment Law Update on Nov 15 2018
• CalChamber 2018 HR Symposium Presents One Informative Day by San Francisco Bay on Nov 2 2018
• What HR Professionals Should Know about Harassment and Pay Equity Claims, CUPA HR on May 31 2018
• Sexual Harassment Claims: Owners and Executives at the Front Lines on Feb 21 2018
• Annual Labor and Employment Legal Update: A Look at 2018 on Nov 16 2017
• Annual Labor and Employment Legal Update: A Look at 2017 on Nov 17 2016

• Cook Brown Breakfast Forum: Sexual Harassment Claims – Owners and Executives on the Front Lines
• Best Practices for Workplace Investigations, The State Bar of California Association, Intellectual Property Section
• 2018 Legal Update, Western Electrical Contractors Association (WECA)
• 2017 Hiring Practices Update, Cook Brown Executive Roundtable
• Employment Law Practice 2016 Year in Review, Continuing Education Bar of California
• Legislative Update: New Construction Laws in 2016, Federation of California Builders Exchanges
• Legislative Update Webinar: Laying the Foundation for a Successful 2016, Associated Builders and Contractors
• Labor & Employment Legislative Update 2016, Cook Brown Annual Breakfast Forum
• Class Action Litigation in the Public Sector: Top 5 Things Your Agency Can Do to Avoid Class Claims – 2011 CALPELRA Conference
• Television Appearance on NEWS10@9 On the Topic of New Laws
• Other available presentations include:
  • Staying Golden When Doing Business in the Golden State: Tips to Avoiding Employment Lawsuits
  • Weingarten and Other Sorrows: What to do When Your Witness Requests Representation
  • Harassment Prevention Training: Non-Supervisory Employee
  • Old Rules, New Traps for Construction Employers

Community

• Pro Bono Committee of the Sacramento County Bar Association
• Employee Relations Committee of the California Chamber of Commerce
• Anthony M. Kennedy American Inn of Court
• Gordon D. Schaber Mock Trial & Moot Court Competition for High School Students
• Folsom City Library Commissioner (2005 – 2014)
• Voluntary Legal Services Program, Employment Law Clinic
• Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC), Race for Justice Committee
• St. John Notre Dame Advisory Board
• Youth Coach, Little Dribblers Basketball and Middle School Cross Country

Honors