Legal Aid at Work

We, along with co-counsel, secured a $730,000 settlement for 23 Filipino workers who were trafficked into forced labor at a rural hospitality complex. Brought to the U.S. on H-2B visas, these workers were lured with false promises of fair wages, free housing, meals, and visa reimbursementonly to arrive and face extreme exploitation, poverty wages, and broken promises. After more than six years of relentless advocacy, we ensured that every worker received compensation for the harm they endured, reaffirming that no employer is above the law.We reached a historic nationwide settlement with the Department of Defense on behalf of over 30,000 LGBTQ+ veterans discharged under Dont Ask, Dont Tell. The settlement was secured alongside co- counsel at the Impact Fund, King & Spalding LLP, and Haynes and Boone, LLP. It streamlines the process for veterans to upgrade their discharge paperwork to honorable, removes stigmatizing references to their sexual orientation, and provides access to critical VA healthcare and other benefits.We helped set statewide legal precedents, like the groundbreaking decision we and our partners at the Law Offices of Daniel Ray Bacon obtained from the California Supreme Court in Bailey v. San Francisco District Attorneys Office. The Court unanimously held that a single use of the N-word by a coworker can constitute actionable racial harassment, offering stronger protections for employees across the stateWe represented a cook at a small-town restaurant in Northern California who endured relentless sexual harassment from her managersexual objectification, false sexual rumors, and a toxic work environment where co-workers branded her a whore. As a monolingual Spanish-speaking immigrant and a single mother of two children, she was afraid to report the abuse for fear of losing her job. After she finally came forward, the restaurant owner dismissed her as crazy, refused to intervene, and reduced her hours in retaliation.Through amicus advocacy, we helped secure a crucial victory in the California Supreme Court, blocking the Taxpayer Deception Act from the November ballot. The measure would have threatened vital programs, including recent improvements to Californias Paid Family Leave and Disability Insurance programs that we had previously helped pass that increased the benefit rates for Paid Family Leave and State Disability Insurance from 60% to 90% for most low-to-middle income workers.We provided individualized legal advice and counsel to nearly 3,000 workers in the past year, including through 273 Workers Rights Clinics we operated out of 13 locations across the state. We operate our clinics in close partnership with 8 law schools, 145+ law students, 100 volunteer attorneys, and 11 community- based organizations.