What We Do

Serving public and private sector employers, Shaw Valenza LLP provides employment law advice, training, investigations and representation before agencies and courts. Our competitive advantage is the quality of services we provide and the Firm’s state-of-the-art infrastructure.

We are small by design so we may tailor a unique approach to each client’s individual needs at a reasonable price. However, our communication systems and relationship management tools utilize large-firm technology to support our commitment to responsiveness and communication.

With diverse backgrounds and experience that runs both deep and wide, our lawyers solve clients’ employment law issues efficiently and creatively.

Our partners have a combined 35 years of experience providing preventive counseling, training, investigation and litigation services to employers throughout the country.

Advice

The Firm’s approach to preventive counseling is simple: we listen to the client, analyze the situation at hand, and provide practice guidance on next steps. From the ADA to WARN, from absence management to wage-hour compliance, we collaborate with our clients to fashion strategies that are legally compliant without sacrificing the realities of business operations.

Training

Our founding partner, Jennifer Shaw, has developed a strong reputation for providing innovative training both to management and non-management employees. Through interactive dialogue and humor, we effectively communicate legal principles and practical content. Subjects range from respect and professionalism in the workplace, diversity, disability management, workplace violence prevention, ethics compliance (AB 1234), and equal employment opportunity compliance (AB 1825). We are always developing new modules and updating current materials to ensure a cutting-edge presentation.

We offer on-site sessions for individual employers, as well as “open” public sessions. In addition, our annual “Employment Law Update,” a two-hour breakfast seminar held in November, covers recent legislative and court trends in employment law.

As part of our education and training efforts, we author a semi-monthly column on workplace issues in The Daily Recorder, a legal newspaper with statewide circulation. We also blog regularly on employment law developments.

Investigation

When workplace issues require a high-level investigation, our attorneys respond quickly to analyze the situation and prepare a detailed report of findings. Because of our legal expertise, we are able to identify key areas for questions and resolve inconsistencies. Our attorney investigators are certified by the Council on Education in Management, and they have conducted investigations for public and private employers, including various agencies of the State of California.

We easily collaborate with some clients’ regular outside counsel to ensure investigations are thorough, timely, and do not result in unwanted conflicts of interest or waiver of attorney-client privilege.

Litigation

No employer wants to be sued. However, despite their best efforts, many employers find themselves defending against litigation by former and even current employees. Employment litigation is an emotional and sometimes irrational business dispute. As a result, it is potentially more disruptive, significant, and personal than contract disputes or ordinary commercial litigation.

Founding partner Greg Valenza has extensive experience handling such matters in state and federal court. Greg is respected by clients as an appropriately aggressive and cost-effective litigator. Greg’s knowledge of civil procedure and substantive employment law has earned him the respect of opposing counsel, mediators and judges as well.

Greg also has handled a variety of appellate matters, including merits and amicus curiae briefs before federal and state courts.