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Sandra Rappaport

Sandra L. Rappaport

Partner
(415) 995-5053

Intro

Sandy has been practicing labor and employment law for nearly 30  years, and is well versed in all aspects of the practice. She litigates for employers in federal and state court cases involving wage and hour issues, discrimination and harassment claims, disputes over unfair competition and trade secrets, whistleblowing claims, and more. She tries cases to juries as well as in labor arbitrations, and also represents employers in front of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the California Civil Rights Department, the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, the National Labor Relations Board, and the Department of Labor. Her complex litigation experience is also vast, having led teams in the successful defense of federal and state class actions involving overtime, on-call time, meal/rest breaks, and business expenses, to name a few.

Sandy counsels employers to help them avoid litigation on all employee matters. She regularly consults on every aspect of the employment relationship, including wage and hour issues, leaves of absence, union relations, protection of trade secrets, and compliance with complex California labor laws. She also leads teams in employment compliance audits, negotiates and drafts various agreements between employees and employers, and works with clients to develop workable, defensible personnel practices and procedures.

Education

J.D. cum laude UC Law San Francisco (Formerly UC Hastings) ( 1994 )
B.A. cum laude Brandeis University ( 1990 )

Admissions and Courts

California
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
California Supreme Court
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan

Role

Management Committee, Member
Women's Impact Network, Member

Bar Association of San Francisco, Labor and Employment Section, Work Life Balance Task Force

State Bar of California, Labor and Employment Section

Queen's Bench

"KNX In Depth: California and New York Investigate the NFL," KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO (May 2023)

"Jury Rules for Local Cheesemaker in $100M Class-Action Suit," The Business Journal (April 2023)

"KNX In Depth: Some Companies Create Fake Job Titles to Skirt Overtime Laws," KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO (January 2023)

"Judge Issues Narrow Injunction in Challenge to Santa Clara County's Employee Vaccine Order," The Mercury News (July 2022) 

"Covid Spousal Death Case Threatens Workers' Compensation Defense," Bloomberg Law News (January 2022)

"Bay Area and California Public Workers Finding Religion to Avoid COVID-19 Shots," The Mercury News (October 2021)

"Workers Face Growing Pressure to Get Vaccinated Against COVID," The Mercury News (July 2021)

"3 Bay Area Counties Urge Employers to Require Vaccinations," ABC7 News (July 2021)

"Bay Area Counties Urge Employers to Require Vaccinations," The Mercury News (July 2021)

"San Francisco Takes COVID Vaccine Mandate to New Level. Will Others Follow?," The Mercury News (July 2021)

"KNX In Depth: Confusion Over California Reopening Rules And Mask Rules At Work," KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO (June 2021)

"Regulators back down from new California workplace mask rules," The Mercury News (June 2021)

"Santa Clara County's order mandates businesses track the COVID-19 vaccination status of employees," KQED News(June 2021)

"Solano County Unlikely to Follow Santa Clara Business Requirements Order," Vallejo Times-Herald (May 2021)

"Santa-Clara County's New COVID Order Surprises Business Owners," The Mercury News (May 2021)

"Bay Area Employers Wait and See on Mandatory COVID Vaccines," The Mercury News (May 2021)

"California Employers Getting Hit Hard Again with New 2021 Employment and Labor Laws," California Globe (December 2020)

"How Far Will Uber Take its New Legal Framework for Gig Labor?," Quartz (November 2020)

"Uber and Lyft won exemptions from California’s gig-work law through Prop. 22. Here’s who’s still affected," San Francisco Chronicle (November 2020)

"California Gig Workers Still Can Sue for Wages After Prop 22," Bloomberg Law(November 2020)

"Facing wildfires and a pandemic, workers need more than just time off," HR Dive (October 2020)

"As California tightens gig-work rules, U.S. seeks looser ones," San Francisco Chronicle (September 2020)

"Virginia Governor Announces 'First-in-the-Nation' Safety Rules for Business Reopening," HR Dive (August 2020)

"California Localities Take Different Approaches as State Reopens." Society for Human Resource Management (June 2020)

"Can Employers Require Workers to Give Notice Before They Quit?," Society for Human Resource Management (September 2018)

"As Ban-the-Box Turns 20, Compliance Challenges Grow," HR Dive (July 2018)

"State and Local Employment Laws Continue to Pick up Steam," HR Dive (January 2018)

"What Are Your Rights and Responsibilities if Your Business Gets Raided by ICE?," San Francisco Business Times (January 2018)

“Comp Risks Follow Workers Home,” Business Insurance (January 2018)

"California Cases To Watch In 2018," Law360 (January 2018)

"Microsoft, Nodding to ‘#MeToo,’ Says It Won’t Keep Harassment Victims Out of Court," The National Law Journal (December 2017)

"4 Tips For Eliminating Gender Bias From Job Ads," Law360 (August 2017)

"California Supreme Court Clarifies ‘Day of Rest’ Law for Employers," Society for Human Resource Management(May 2017)

"California lawmakers push controversial overtime law where feds failed," San Francisco Business Times (April 2017)

"Big Brother is watching you: How tech is enabling bosses to monitor employees," IDG Connect (January 2017)

"McDonald's Wage Deal May Be Warning to Other Franchisors," Law360 (November 2016)

"Retailers Follow Wal-Mart's Lead on Overtime Rule Compliance," Bloomberg BNA’s Daily Labor Report (October 2016)

"Hanson Bridgett handles water infrastructure company formation," Daily Journal Deals (January 2015)