Los Angeles Wage and Hour Lawyer
Wage And Hour Attorney in Los Angeles, CA
Our wage and hour lawyer in Los Angeles, Azadian Law Group, PC, regularly represents clients throughout Los Angeles who are the victims of wage theft, denied overtime, misclassified as exempt employees, denied meal/rest periods, and other wage and hour employment issues.
The award-winning Los Angeles Wage and Hour lawyer at the Azadian Law Group, PC, is committed to protecting employees’ rights and has successfully represented numerous employees in wage and hour disputes in individual lawsuits and class actions. Terminating an employee who complains about not receiving all the wages they are owed is also a common form of wrongful termination.
There are hundreds of ways employers cheat employees out of all the compensation they are owed.
What Is a Wage and Hour Violation in California?
A wage and hour violation happens when an employer fails to properly pay an employee under California labor laws. Common examples include unpaid overtime, missed meal or rest breaks, off-the-clock work, employee misclassification, unpaid commissions, unreimbursed business expenses, and failure to pay all wages after termination.
Employees in Los Angeles may have the right to recover unpaid wages, penalties, interest, attorney’s fees, and other compensation depending on the facts of their case.
Some Common Examples Of Wage And Hour Violations
- Having employees work off the clock.
- Misclassifying employees as salaried or independent contractors instead of hourly employees entitled to overtime compensation.
- Having employees work during lunch or rest breaks.
- Prohibiting overtime hours while giving too much work to complete during non-overtime hours.
- Having employees work at home when they are not on the clock.
- Failing to compensate employees for travel that is required for work.
- Not reimbursing employees for business expenses, such as cell phone usage.
- Not paying employees for the time it takes to put on special equipment.
- Not compensating employees for time going through security procedures or bag checks before or after their shifts.
- Altering or changing an employee’s time records to reduce or remove overtime hours.
- Not paying the correct overtime rate to employees.
- Not including all forms of compensation (such as commissions) in calculating an employee’s overtime rate.
Common Wage and Hour Violations in Los Angeles
| Wage Violation | Example |
|---|---|
| Unpaid Overtime | Working more than 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a week without proper overtime pay |
| Missed Meal Breaks | Not receiving a legally compliant 30-minute unpaid meal break |
| Missed Rest Breaks | Not receiving paid rest breaks during the workday |
| Off-the-Clock Work | Being required to work before clocking in or after clocking out |
| Misclassification | Being wrongly classified as exempt, salaried, or an independent contractor |
| Unpaid Final Wages | Not receiving all wages owed after resignation or termination |
| Business Expense Violations | Not being reimbursed for work-related expenses such as mileage, phone use, or equipment |
Why Employees Choose Azadian Law Group, PC
Employees throughout Los Angeles trust Azadian Law Group, PC because the firm focuses on protecting workers against unfair employment practices, including wage theft, unpaid overtime, meal and rest break violations, wrongful termination, and workplace retaliation. Our attorneys understand how employers avoid paying workers what they are owed. We investigate payroll records, timekeeping practices, job classifications, employer policies, and termination details to determine whether California wage and hour laws were violated. Azadian Law Group, PC represents employees in individual claims, complex wage disputes, and class action matters involving unpaid wages and labor law violations.
Not only are we experts in overtime and other wage and hour laws and provide lectures to other employment lawyers on wage and hour issues, but we also fight employers aggressively to ensure the maximum recovery for employees whose rights have been violated.
Federal and California law provides numerous protections related to the payment of wages to employees, overtime compensation, meal/rest breaks, payment of commission, and the prohibition on employers from having employees work “off the clock.”
Common wage & hour claims include:
- Misclassifying employees as “exempt” or “managerial.”
- Not paying overtime wages
- Not providing meal and rest breaks
- Underpayment of wages due to “rounding” time entries rather than actual time-clock entries
- Late payment of wages or commissions
- Not paying or reimbursing employees for necessary business expenses (including mileage reimbursement)
- Not paying employees for time spent working or preparing for work before clocking in and after the shift ends.
- Failing to timely pay all wages owed upon termination (or within three days if the employee resigns)
- Failing to pay all accrued vacation wages at termination
Additional helpful information from the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) can be found here.
Los Angeles Wage And Hour Disputes In The Age Of Remote Work
In recent years, various technological innovations have made it easier than ever for workers in various roles and across various industries to work from home (or anywhere else they wish) instead of reporting to an office. Companies that conducted early remote work policy experiments have consistently found that allowing employees to work remotely typically doesn’t hurt productivity. Some research indicates that productivity may increase when remote work policies are enacted.
The COVID-19 pandemic hastened the shift to remote work within many organizations. Companies that hadn’t yet tested work-from-home policies were suddenly forced to. In the aftermath, many have continued to allow employees to work from home.
This offers numerous benefits to both workers and their employers. However, the shift to remote work can have certain implications for wage and hour disputes.
For example, some workers now perform work tasks at random hours without necessarily alerting their employers. Do they deserve to be compensated for the time spent on these tasks?
That depends. Per the current statutory framework, an employer must compensate an employee for hours they’ve worked if the employer knew about the work being performed or “should have” known about it. Thus, if you believe you haven’t been fairly paid for time spent working at home, you’ll need to establish that your employer was aware of or should have been aware that you performed this work. This may be a task a Los Angeles wage and hour attorney can assist you with.
Other examples of issues or disputes that may arise if you work remotely include (but aren’t limited to):
- Questions regarding whether you should be paid for hours when you felt you were expected to be available to respond to emails, chats, etc.
- Questions regarding how hours worked should be tracked.
- Disputes regarding whether you deserve to be compensated for time spent setting up a home office.
- Disputes regarding whether you should be compensated for time spent installing software required to do your job.
Those are just a few examples. If you work from home and believe your employer might be taking advantage of you, schedule a meeting at our Los Angeles wage and hour law firm. We’ll help you better understand your legal options in these circumstances.
How A Los Angeles Wage And Hour Attorney Can Help You
The specific ways in which a lawyer may assist you can vary depending on the nature of your case. In general, though, an attorney can:
- Determine if you have a valid case.
- Determine how much compensation you may deserve (although they can’t ethically promise you will receive a specific amount)
- File a claim or lawsuit and handle other such administrative tasks on your behalf.
- Apply their familiarity with the relevant statutes to demonstrate that a law has been broken.
- Answer your questions and inform you of your legal rights.
Wage and Hour Lawyer in Los Angeles For A Free Consultation Regarding Your Rights And Recovery
If you believe your employer has failed to follow the law in paying your wages, contact us today for a free consultation with an experienced employment attorney who will evaluate your options under the law to enable you to obtain justice and monetary compensation.
Please call 626-449-4944, 213-229-9031, or 949-662-5405 for a free consultation.
As we never charge our clients a penny out-of-pocket, you can rest assured that when we accept a case, we stand behind our clients 100% and will fight aggressively for their rights.
Everyone deserves to be paid fairly for the work they do each day. However, there are times when employers use various methods to avoid paying a fair wage to employees. At the Azadian Law Group, PC, we are here to help if you need a Los Angeles wage-and-hour attorney. We will investigate what your employer has done and work to secure the compensation you need. Today, we want to answer some common questions we receive about this topic.
There are various ways in which employers commit wage and hourly pay fraud. This can include the following:
- Misclassifying employees as “exempt” or “managerial.” We often see many employees classified as independent contractors or freelancers as a way for employers to avoid many expenses, including the need to pay fair wages.
- Not providing overtime wages.
- Not providing rest or meal breaks.
- Underpaying employees by rounding time entries rather than using actual time-clock entries.
- Late payment of wages and commissions.
- Not reimbursing employees for necessary business expenses.
- Not paying employees for time spent working or prepping for work before clocking in and after their shift ends.
- Failing to pay all wages owed when terminated or when an employee resigns.
- Failing to pay accrued vacation wages upon termination.
The California minimum wage is $16.90 per hour in 2026 for employers of every size.
Employees covered by the City of Los Angeles Minimum Wage Ordinance were entitled to $17.87 per hour through June 30, 2026. The Los Angeles minimum wage increased to $18.42 per hour on July 1, 2026.
Certain cities and industries may require higher rates. Covered fast-food and healthcare employees, for example, may be subject to separate minimum-wage requirements. When multiple wage laws apply, employers generally must follow the requirement providing the greatest protection to the employee.
The statewide increase also raised the 2026 minimum annual salary threshold for many employees classified under California’s executive, administrative and professional exemptions to $70,304. Salary alone does not make an employee exempt; their actual job duties must also satisfy the applicable legal test.
Read our complete guide to the California minimum wage in 2026 for current rates, overtime rules and employee rights.
In many cases, people who experience wage and hour fraud are afraid they will lose their jobs or experience retaliation from their employer by reporting the issue. It is often not easy to find another place of employment, and many would rather take the change on unreliable or unfair wages than risk losing their jobs and having no income at all.
After we have investigated and proven your case, we will move to secure the compensation you deserve for what has happened. At the Azadian Law Group, PC, we know that holding employers accountable for their actions will help prevent this from happening to anyone. We will work to secure:
- Any unpaid wages you did not receive
- Interest on those unpaid wages
- A waiting time penalty
- Court costs and legal fees
When you need a Los Angeles wage and hour attorney, you can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling us at 213-229-9031.
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