Judith Droz Keyes

Judy Keyes is a labor and employment lawyer who partners with employer-clients to navigate the complex system of laws and regulations that govern the California workplace. She is recognized for her “out-of-the-box” thinking, and her ability to solve complex human resource and labor relations problems in effective and efficient ways. She counsels clients in areas such as avoiding and responding to claims of discrimination and harassment, deciding whether and how much time off to grant (e.g., leaves of absence, disability accommodation, PTO, vacation and sick leave), complying with wage and hour laws (e.g., exempt vs. nonexempt, independent contractor, rest and meal periods) and protecting assets (e.g., employment agreements, trade secret protection). Judy represents employers in all forms of dispute resolution—from mediation and arbitration, to federal agency investigations and litigation, to class actions in federal and state court. She also represents employers in union-related matters, including NLRB proceedings, grievance handling and contract negotiations.

Practice Highlights

• Advises employers in a variety of nonprofit and for-profit industries (e.g., financial services, telecommunications, healthcare, entertainment) about developing sound personnel policies and practices, responding to threats of violence, investigating claims of harassment and discrimination, and assessing demands for disability accommodation.
•  Advocates for human resource best practices, including elimination of routinized performance reviews.
• Assists employers and their executives in negotiating executive employment agreements, including change-in-control agreements, severance agreements and separation agreements.
• Trains human resources personnel and managers in managing within the law and in recognizing, preventing and responding to claims of discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
• Mediates and arbitrates employment and labor disputes.
• Defends employers in lawsuits involving claims of failure to accommodate disabilities; sex, race, age and religious discrimination; sexual harassment; wrongful termination; invasion of privacy; and defamation.
• Works with employers to respond to government wage and hour audits and to conduct self audits.
• Represents employers in wage and hour class action lawsuits in federal and state courts.
• Represents unionized employers in grievance handling, negotiations and NLRB proceedings.