Auto industry expert Halbert “Bert” Rasmussen, who joined The Scali Law Firm in 2017, will share the firm’s title. The change to Scali Rasmussen is a major milestone in the development of the firm Christian J. Scali founded in 2013 to bring to dealerships and other clients a deep understanding of the automotive industry and relevant state and federal laws and regulations.

Each year The Scali Law Firm produces a compendium for clients and colleagues, with an overview of new laws and a review of legal developments in the year that past.

The Scali Law Firm announced today that Jack Schaedel, one of California's leading labor and employment lawyers, has joined the firm as a partner.

On December 14, 2017, the Department of Defense (DOD) published new interpretive guidance of the Military Lending Act (MLA) that affects car dealers who sell GAP contracts and other credit-related services and products.

In the midst of the 3rd largest wildfire in California’s history, we thought you would appreciate a primer on some of your obligations in regards to pay and leave issues during times of natural disaster.

The Scali Law Firm had two articles published in the December edition of ADOMA News Trax. If you missed them in last month's Coffee Break newsletter, don't let them slip by again.

What options do California employers have when departing employees try to take clients and valued co-workers with them? More than you might think.

An employer can be severely impacted by an extended leave of absence taken by a high-ranking or functionally indispensable employee. If such an employee needs a leave of absence that is covered under the Family Medical Leave Act and/or California Family Rights Act, the employer may analyze whether the “key employee” provisions of these acts apply. A key employee designation may impact an employer’s ability to replace the employee and deny reinstatement of the employee to their job after the leave.

Along with many of the new laws effective on January 1, 2018, the California minimum wage is rising once again, this time to $11 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees (those with 25 or fewer employees are on a 1-year delayed schedule, meaning they only go up to $10.50/hour this January). But what if your city or county already requires you to pay a higher hourly wage?

In recent years we have seen increased accessibility and use of service animals at public businesses and on public transportation systems. Workplaces may be similarly affected due to Fair Employment and Housing Act regulations that recognize “assistive animals” as potential accommodations for disabled employees.