Partner

Pascal Benyamini is a partner in the firm's Labor & Employment Practice Group. Pascal’s practice includes defending employers in state and federal courts as well as government proceedings in all aspects of employment law including wage and hour, wrongful termination, retaliation discrimination, harassment, and unlawful employment practices claims. While he seeks expeditious and cost-effective resolutions to disputes, Pascal is an experienced litigator, including jury and bench trials.

Pascal also regularly counsels employers on claim prevention, investigations, discipline, terminations, compliance, employee classification, and employee handbook issues. Pascal speaks and writes regularly and provides training to employers and their management teams on a broad range of employment topics, including best practices seminars and anti-sexual harassment training under AB 1825.

In addition to his employment law practice, Pascal represents clients in shareholder, business and ERISA litigation.

Recent representative matters:

• Lead attorney in several threatened wage and hour class actions resulting in plaintiffs’ attorneys withdrawing class action claims. Cases resolved prior to litigation with favorable terms for client.
• Lead attorney in wage and hour class action resulting in a Class Settlement Agreement with favorable terms for client.
• Lead attorney in multiple wage and hour claims against multiple clients resulting in nuisance value settlement.
• Lead attorney for large company in gender discrimination and wrongful termination claims. Managed all aspects of the case, including deposition of plaintiff, multiple witness interviews, third party depositions and expert witnesses. The case settled for nominal amounts in mediation.
• Lead attorney for large company in race discrimination and wrongful termination claims. Moved case to early mediation, presenting convincing evidence that resulted in a settlement for a nominal amount.
• Lead attorney for mid-sized company and its principals in age discrimination and wrongful termination claims. Following first round of discovery and depositions, resolved case with favorable terms for client.
• Lead attorney for several small companies and their owners in sexual harassment and wrongful termination claims. Resolved cases in mediation with favorable terms for client.
• Defended lawsuit for Serious and Willful claim against employer resulting in dismissal of the claim.
• Assisted employers with Department of Labor investigations of wage and hour practices, resulting in nominal penalties.
• Lead attorney in multiple wrongful termination claims based on pregnancy and other disabilities filed by several employees against same client. All claims resolved for nuisance value.

Pascal was named a Southern California Super Lawyer Rising Star in Labor & Employment Law in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012. He was also one of the featured articles for the July 2010 issue of Southern California Rising Stars 2010, entitled “Ice Man.” Rising Stars are determined via a survey of Southern California attorneys who are 40 years old or younger, or have been in practice 10 years or less. Only 2.5 percent of lawyers in Southern California receive this honor.

In General. Pascal earned his J.D. from the University of California at Davis School of Law (King Hall) in 1999. Pascal served as staff editor on Law Review at King Hall. He also served as an extern to Senior Judge Arthur L. Alarcón, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, during his first summer of law school.

Pascal received B.A. degrees, summa cum laude, in Economics and French Studies from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1996, and received his Diplôme D’Études Collégiales (Diploma of Collegial Studies) in 1992 from Marianopolis (CEGEP) College in Montréal, Quebec, Canada. Pascal is fluent in French, proficient in Hebrew and conversant in Persian.