Alert 02.10.23
Employment Law in the Golden State: 2023 Updates
A number of recent case law and regulatory updates—at both the state and federal levels—carry important implications for California employers in the upcoming year.
Pillsbury Employment partner Thomas Liu has more than 30 years of experience in cross-border labor and employment litigation and counseling for U.S. and global clients.
Tom regularly advises on wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment claims; wage and hour actions; employment contracts; employee handbooks; disciplinary policies; and consulting and severance agreements. He also litigates in federal and state courts; appears before the EEOC, California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, California Employment Development Department and federal and California labor departments; and advances his clients’ positions in various arbitration tribunals. Tom’s clients include transportation, hospitality, food, manufacturing, employment and marketing companies.
Representative Experience
- Represented an Asian carrier in an antitrust investigation by the Department of Justice and in related class action lawsuits.
- Advised a client in establishing a flight academy in Northern California.
- Defended an employer in a wage and hour and discrimination class action.
Professional Highlights
- Named an Acritas Star in a survey of more than 4,300 general counsel by Acritas, a division of Thomson Reuters (2021 and 2018).
- Recognized by Super Lawyers and The Legal 500 U.S. for Transport: Aviation and Air Travel – Regulation (2018 – 2020) and the Lawdragon 500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers Guide (2020-2022).
- Presented “Aviation Law: Upfront and Center” at the International Air Transport Association’s 2014 Legal Symposium in San Francisco.
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- Associations
- State Bar of California
- Japanese-American Bar Association
- Chinese Lawyers Association
- Los Angeles County Bar Association
- American Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Section
- Speaking Engagements
- California Employment Law Outlook 2022 Presentation, Pillsbury webinar, December 9, 2021.
- Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman CLE Marathon, Los Angeles, “Employment Law: Impact of the Dynamex Decision,” January 28, 2020.
- California Employment Law Outlook 2020 Presentation, Los Angeles, December 2019.
- California Employment Law Outlook 2018 Presentation, Los Angeles, December 2017.
- California Employment Law Outlook 2017 Presentation, Los Angeles, February 2017.
- Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman Annual MCLE Marathon, Los Angeles, “New Year’s Resolution: Evaluate How Big-Ticket Employment Issues May Impact Your Company in 2017,” January 2017.
- Sex Harassment Training, Irvine, January 22, 2016.
- Minimizing Legal Risk in Employment Practices, March 28, 2015.
- Labor and Employment Seminar, Los Angeles, October 30, 2014.
Education
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J.D., University of Southern California Gould School of Law, 1983
B.A., Stanford University, 1980
Admissions
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California
Languages
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Chinese (Mandarin)