Private Employees

Chantene has years of experience representing employees who faced employer discrimination, were not paid their fair wages or had their rights violated at the workplace, and who needed help navigating their employment contracts. Chantene has represented plaintiffs in large class action lawsuits against Fortune 500 companies and obtained successful outcomes even when facing large law firms with multiple attorneys on the defense.

Chantene can help you if you are dealing with:

• • Harassment and/or hostile work environment
  • Reasonable accommodations for disabilities
  • Employer discrimination based on your age, gender, sex, race, religion, national origin or medical leave
  • Retaliation for medical leave, reporting discrimination or harassment
  • Negotiating offer contracts, severance packages, salary raises, and bonuses.
  • Breach of employment contract
  • Nondisclosure agreements, non-compete agreements, non-solicitation agreements
  • Unpaid wages and/or overtime
  • Denied rest breaks or meal breaks
  • Improper characterization as an independent contractor and/or other issues relating to Assembly Bill 5
  • Workplace injury
  • Unemployment insurance and benefits assistance (including COVID-19 related employment issues).

Government Employees

Before opening her own law firm, Chantene spent five years advising management officials at a large federal agency on employment and labor matters, including disciplinary actions and terminations. Chantene knows what to expect in these cases and how to properly counter and address agency tactics and work with agency lawyers. Chantene knows how to prevent the agency from escalating matters and resolving employment disputes as early as possible. She also knows how to build your case and prepare you for an appeal if your employer takes an adverse employment action against you.

Chantene represents employees from any public agency- local, state, and federal. She represents everyone from clerical staff to management officials and agency directors.

Merit Systems Protection Board

Chantene has extensive experience before the Merit Systems Protection Board, handling matters such as:

• • Performance-based actions
  • Allegations of misconduct (including conduct unbecoming allegations and criminal acts)
  • Disciplinary actions based on drug-test results
  • Retaliatory discipline (such as actions taken against an employee for whistleblowing)
  • Discrimination (actions taken against an employee based on discriminatory motives)

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Chantene also has extensive experience before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), representing clients and helping them obtain payment or other remedies in matters such as:

• • Discrimination: Your employer took an action against you based on:
    • Age
    • Disability
    • Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
    • National origin
    • Race
    • Religion
    • Gender
    • Sex/Pregnancy

• • Reprisal or Retaliation: Your employer took an action against you because you filed or participated in a prior EEOC matter, were a witness in an EEOC case, or alerted your employer to prohibited discriminatory acts.

Reasonable Accommodations

If you have a disability and need an accommodation at work, Chantene can help you ensure your reasonable accommodation request is handled properly by your agency, and will help lay the groundwork for an appeal if your reasonable accommodation is denied or mishandled.

Employee Discipline

Chantene’s expertise extends to assisting public employees in negotiating or addressing proposed disciplinary actions as soon as possible to prevent an employer from taking the proposed action. She has worked with labor unions and agency representatives to reduce disciplinary penalties or prevent them altogether.