Something happened at work, and no one at the company will take it seriously. Maybe you spoke up about harassment and got pushed out the door. Maybe you were demoted or fired right after asking for a disability accommodation or reporting something wrong. You need to know if what happened to you was against the law, and what it will take to fix it.
As a Huntington Beach employment lawyer serving workers across Orange County, California Employment Counsel, APC represents employees only, never employers, and has done so for 35 years.
We have taken more than 30 employment cases to a jury verdict, including a $2,791,785 win against a Southern California restaurant for workplace harassment and a $7,500,000 verdict that included $6,000,000 in punitive damages.
Employers often negotiate differently with a our firm they know will actually try the case, and that is where we start with you.
When you call, we’ll help you understand what your case may be worth and what it takes to get there.
Contact California Employment Counsel to find out where you stand, before you say anything more to your employer.
| 35+ Years Employment Law | Super Lawyers Since 2009 | 30+ Jury Trials | Employees Only, Never Employers |
Employees across Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, and the rest of Orange County contact our office when an employer has crossed a line the law does not allow.
Our Huntington Beach employment attorney team handles:
We regularly hear from workers at hospitality and retail employers along Pacific Coast Highway and Beach Boulevard, as well as employees at Huntington Beach aerospace and manufacturing companies, since discrimination and wage violations show up the same way across industries.
If your situation does not fit neatly into one of these categories, reach out anyway.
Many of the strongest cases start as a conversation about something that felt wrong before anyone called it illegal, and a short call is usually enough for us to tell you which of these categories your situation falls into.
Contact Now 714-462-8376
Losing a job over discrimination or harassment costs more than a paycheck. It can mean lost health coverage, a gap on your resume you have to explain in every interview, and months of income you cannot get back on your own.
California law makes it illegal for an employer to fire, demote, harass, or retaliate against you for your race, sex, age, disability, or pregnancy, or because you reported misconduct (Gov. Code § 12940). What does that protection get you? Back pay, front pay, emotional distress damages, and in some cases punitive damages large enough to change how an employer treats the next employee who speaks up.
These protections cover most workplaces, large or small, no matter what your offer letter said. Most of them require an employer to have at least 5 employees, though harassment is covered no matter how small the business is.
Many employees wait to come forward because they are afraid of what happens at work next. That fear is common, and it is also why we handle consultations confidentially and build the case quietly, before your employer knows one exists.
This reflects California law as of September 2026.
Two verdicts show what building a case for trial can produce:
| Outcome | Case Type |
| $2,791,785 jury verdict | Sexual harassment, Orange County Superior Court |
| $2,944,707 jury verdict | Pregnancy discrimination against Amazon, Los Angeles Superior Court |
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome in your case, but they show how we build a claim, from the first intake call through a jury’s verdict.
For Huntington Beach employees, that same trial-ready approach applies whether your case eventually settles or goes in front of a jury in Orange County.
Raymond E. Hane III has practiced California employment law since 1990 and has been named a Southern California Super Lawyer in employment law every year since 2009, a distinction reserved for a small percentage of attorneys chosen through peer nomination and independent review each year.
He also serves as a delegate to the Los Angeles County Bar Association and sits on a panel of mediators and arbitrators appointed by the Superior Court.
Ray and Nick were an amazing team to work with during a very hard time in my life. Both worked diligently on a resolution and I am happy to say…
I was lost and calling around for advice to help me with my work situations. Nick was there to help me through it all even when he wasn’t my lawyer…
When I first reached out to Ray and Melissa, I had been terminated from my position for complaining of sexual harassment. Immediately I knew I was in good hands with…
Every case is different, but we have taken employment cases to jury verdicts of $2,791,785 and $2,944,707, along with a $7,500,000 verdict that included $6,000,000 in punitive damages, and we have handled more than 30 trials overall. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in your case. Tell us the facts of your situation and we can talk through what it may realistically be worth.
In most California discrimination employment and harassment cases, you must file a complaint with the Civil Rights Department within three years of the last incident (Gov. Code § 12960). Some claims, like unpaid wages, run on a different clock entirely, so the deadline that applies to you depends on what happened. Waiting even a few months can weaken evidence and witness memory, so the sooner we talk, the more options you keep.
Most unlimited civil employment lawsuits from Huntington Beach and the rest of Orange County are filed at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana, since the Civil Complex Center is reserved for class actions and other complex litigation.
We represent employees only, never employers, and handle nearly every case on contingency, which means you owe nothing in attorney’s fees unless we recover money for you. If you win, California’s fee-shifting rules can also require the employer to pay a share of those fees. We can walk you through the specific fee agreement on your first call.
If your question is not listed here, that usually means your situation needs a direct conversation, not a general answer, so reach out and we will go through it together.
You do not have to figure out on your own whether what happened to you was legal, and you do not have to decide anything about your job today.
California Employment Counsel, APC represents employees only, has taken more than 30 cases to a jury verdict, and knows Orange County’s employment courts from the inside.
Whether you are still working there or already gone, the sooner we understand your situation, the more we can do about it.
Contact us to schedule a confidential consultation and find out where your case stands.
Contact Now
714-462-8376
555 Anton Blvd., Suite 150,
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
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