If you’re looking forward to a bit of New Year’s Eve partying, we’ve got you covered for any after-effects of all that reveling. There are plenty of union-made items to help you get back to yourself and face 2026 with a clear head and some pep in your step. Fill up your system, your pantry,…
If you’re looking to a bit of New Year’s Eve partying, we’ve got you covered for any after-effects of all that reveling. There are plenty of union-made items to help you get back to yourself and face 20261 with a clear head and some pep in your step. Fill up your system, your pantry and…
Happy Holidays! As we close out 2025, I’m reflecting on an incredible year at Zaller Law Group. This year brought both challenges and opportunities for California employers—from navigating new 2026 legislation to managing the ongoing wave of PAGA litigation, to embracing AI tools that are transforming how businesses operate.
Despite the complexity of California’s regulatory environment, our team at ZLG remained committed to one mission: educating, convening, and supporting California employers through every twist and turn. Here’s a look back at how we showed up for you in 2025:
1. 14 Masterclasses with Over 3,000 Participants
In 2025, we expanded our educational programming significantly. These sessions covered everything from PAGA reform strategies to AI compliance in hiring, giving employers actionable insights they could implement immediately. As a State Bar of California-approved multi-activity provider, many of our masterclasses were eligible for MCLE credit for attending attorneys. We also offered SHRM credit for HR professionals in attendance. If you would like to receive notice of our upcoming Masterclasses in 2026 – subscribe to our newsletter below.
2. Four Invitation-Only Employers Summit Events with 100+ Attendees
We hosted four exclusive, in-person events throughout the year at premier venues (and client locations) including Gran Blanco, TopGolf, American Beauty, and Castaway. These summits brought together over 100 California employers, CEOs, HR leaders, and in-house counsel for live education, networking, and candid discussions about the challenges facing California businesses today. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and we’re already planning our 2026 summit series.
3. Monthly Newsletter Reaching 9,000+ Subscribers
Our monthly newsletter continued to be a vital resource for staying current on California employment law updates, litigation trends, curated resources and videos, and details on upcoming events like our Employers Summit. With over 9,000 subscribers, this newsletter has become a trusted source for employers across industries who need reliable, timely information.
4. 52 Weekly Blog Posts Read by 8,000+ Subscribers
Since 2007, I’ve published weekly Friday posts offering practical guidance on California employment law developments, litigation trends, and compliance challenges employers face. This year, our blog reached 8,000+ readers who rely on these posts to stay ahead of regulatory changes and emerging legal issues. We are also proud to see many other defense attorneys subscribing to the blog—we are honored to be trusted by so many people to keep up-to-date with California employment law developments and thought leadership. Subscribe to the blog here.
5. YouTube Channel: 3,000+ Subscribers, 88,000+ Views, 770,000+ Impressions
Our YouTube channel, “The Legal Lineup,” saw tremendous growth in 2025. We shared insights from masterclasses, live events, and interviews with industry leaders, reaching over 3,000 subscribers. The channel generated 88,000+ views and 770,000+ impressions, making it an increasingly valuable resource for California business leaders seeking accessible legal education. Subscribe to the channel here.
And one more for 2025: New Office Space!
We’re excited to share that we relocated to our own space at 721 N Douglas Street, El Segundo, CA 90245. This move reflects our continued growth and commitment to serving California employers from a dedicated, professional environment. When looking for an office, it was an easy decision to stay in El Segundo. We are honored to be a part of the amazing business ecosystem developing here in El Segundo.
The work described above reflects the dedication of our entire team at Zaller Law Group—attorneys, paralegals, and staff who work tirelessly not only to defend employers in litigation but also to proactively educate and empower them to avoid legal pitfalls in the first place.
Thank you to our clients, partners, and community for an impactful year. Wishing everyone a prosperous and compliant 2026—we’ll see you at our next summit!
If you’re not already subscribed to our blog or newsletter, now’s the perfect time: Subscribe here
The post Zaller Law Group’s 2025 Year in Review appeared first on California Employment Law Report.
With the holiday season upon us, there are some important tips for employers to keep in mind for holiday gatherings and celebrations. Meagan Bainbridge and Nikki Mahmoudi discuss these best practices in this special edition of California Employment News.
Watch this episode on the Weintraub YouTube here.
By Sandy Southivilay
Before we get into the warm months, Labor 411 has one more recipe for those cold days that are hanging around: vegetable beef soup! It’s jam-packed with lots of vegetables to help boost the immune system; plus, its delicious ingredients will support good jobs.
By Linda Dao
Do the holidays have you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside? No, not yet? Well how about trying our holiday spiked eggnog recipe to help you feel all RUM AND BUZZY!
There’s nothing like biting into a warm gooey cookie during the holiday season. If you need cookies for an ugly sweater party, a snack to get you through finals (no, we didn’t forget about you college kids!) or a treat to leave for Santa, we’ve got a recipe for you. When you buy the ingredients…
For most California employers, employee time and pay data has historically been treated as a legal obligation—something you keep because the law requires it, not because it creates value.
That mindset needs to change in 2026.
After years of defending employers in wage-and-hour class actions and PAGA cases, I have seen firsthand how employee data can either become an employer’s greatest liability or its strongest asset. The difference is no longer about company size or resources—it is about whether employers are using modern tools, including AI, to unlock the value of the data they already have.
Here are five reasons why this shift matters now more than ever.
One of the primary reasons I became involved with Scaled Comp is simple: I saw how broken—and inefficient—the old approach was.
When employers were sued, we often had to:
This process was painfully slow, extraordinarily expensive, and created unnecessary risk. By the time data was analyzed, employers were already on their back foot—reacting instead of defending.
What struck me most was that this kind of analysis should not be reserved only for companies with massive IT teams and unlimited budgets. Every employer deserves access to tools that make compliance manageable and defensible.
AI has fundamentally changed what is possible.
What once took teams of lawyers, paralegals, and weeks of manual work can now be done in hours. AI-driven platforms can:
In 2026, employee data is no longer static. With AI, it becomes dynamic, actionable, and predictive—allowing employers to address problems before they become lawsuits.
This is not just about avoiding liability. It is about understanding how your business actually operates day to day.
The 2024 PAGA reforms changed the calculus for employers—but only if they can prove it.
Employers who can demonstrate reasonable efforts to comply with wage-and-hour laws may limit penalties to 15% of the total potential exposure. That defense does not come from good intentions; it comes from documented, ongoing data analysis.
Employers using software like Scaled Comp can show:
In other words, AI-powered data analysis turns compliance from a one-time audit into an ongoing process—exactly what the law now rewards.
Another major shift employers must recognize is that this data is not just for lawyers.
When properly analyzed, employee time data allows employers to:
AI makes it possible to move from hindsight to insight. Employers can use historical data to fix recurring problems and real-time data to prevent new ones from developing.
Compliance and efficiency are no longer separate conversations—they are driven by the same dataset.
California law requires employers to maintain detailed time records.
The Wage Orders mandate records showing when employees begin and end work, meal periods, split shifts, and total daily hours worked. Labor Code section 1174 requires employers to keep records of hours worked and wages paid. And because wage-and-hour claims can reach back four years, employers must be able to produce accurate, readable records long after the fact.
The mistake employers make is stopping there.
In 2026, compliance is the floor—not the ceiling. The employers who succeed will be those who ensure their records are not only compliant, but usable, searchable, and defensible.
Employee data used to be a necessary burden. In 2026, it is a competitive advantage.
AI has made sophisticated analysis accessible to employers of all sizes. The question is no longer whether you can use your data—it is whether you are willing to continue treating it as a liability instead of the asset it has become.
That shift in mindset is exactly why tools like Scaled Comp exist—and why employers who embrace this approach will be far better protected, better informed, and better positioned for what comes next.
The post Why Smart California Employers Are Treating Employee Data as an Asset in 2026 appeared first on California Employment Law Report.
Utah’s notorious ban on collective bargaining has been reversed. The Associated Press reports: “Utah has repealed a collective bargaining ban passed earlier this year that prevented labor unions serving teachers, firefighters, police and other public employees from negotiating on behalf of their workers. Republican Gov. Spencer Cox on Thursday approved the repeal of a policy that experts…
The affordability crisis can be solved, according to America’s top bank official. It’s simple: Give Americans a raise. This is not news to us, as the productivity gap has become wider with each year. But to see the Fed Chair make the argument is a newsworthy moment to say the least. We hope that his…