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Matthew Pate is an associate in the Employment Law Department of Raines Feldman Littrell LLP. Matthew’s practice includes representing employers in all employment matters including claims for discrimination, harassment, retaliation, failure to accommodate, and wage and hour violations. He also counsels employers on personnel matters and compliance with California’s increasingly complex employment regulations. Matthew’s experience extends to Employment Development Department (EDD) audits, Labor Commissioner hearings, and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DEFH) investigations. 

In addition to litigation and counseling, Matthew crafts employment agreements, policies, waivers, and compensation plans. He has significant experience drafting contracts and policies across industries, including entertainment, home healthcare, food service, education, manufacturing, and retail. Matthew’s goal is to anticipate potential issues in the drafting of employment-related contracts and documents, thereby preventing costly litigation.       

Prior to joining Raines Feldman Littrell, Matthew was an associate in the employment group of a large national law firm in downtown Los Angeles, where he handled a diverse mix of employment litigation matters from inception to final resolution. He has also worked as a law clerk at a Los Angeles-based firm representing labor unions in actions arising under the NLRA and as a law clerk with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Family Violence Division.

 

Significant Engagements & Transactions

  • Matthew has represented clients before various state and federal agencies, in arbitration, and in California state courts, including obtaining favorable results in high exposure cases involving sexual harassment and assault, pregnancy discrimination, disability discrimination, retaliation, and wage and hour claims. Matthew serves as Editor for Raines Feldman Littrell’s Business Brief: California Quarterly Employment Law Update, and frequently contributes to the Firm’s other publications.

    Matthew has also:

    • Successfully obtained complete defense verdict in four-week long jury trial brought against a household employer with claims of racial and national origin harassment and wage and  hour violations.
    • Obtained summary judgment for plastic surgery practice on all 18 causes of action in a case involving claims of FEHA discrimination, Labor Code retaliation, Health and Safety Code violations, individual wage and hour claims, PAGA, and defamation. 
    • Secured dismissal of multiple charges investigated by the EEOC.
    • Obtained a five-figure reduction in threatened taxes and penalties assessed by the EDD for purported worker misclassification during an audit.
    • Argued and won a temporary restraining order and a temporary protective order against a former employee in possession of confidential information, including securing a separate agreement to return the property at issue.
    • Argued and won an injunction barring former employees from communications with their former employer’s clients.
    • Argued and won a motion to strike allegations contained in a publicly filed complaint by a household employee alleging racist conduct perpetrated by young children, an issue of first impression for the court.
    • Drafted senior-level employment contracts for use by multi-national businesses.
    • Assisted multiple clients during the COVID-19 pandemic with successfully implementing mass layoffs, including WARN Act compliance, and redrafting remaining employees’ contracts.
    • Drafted COVID-19 protocols and plans for businesses in numerous industries, including drafting the complete protocols for multiple collegiate institutions.
    • Handled complex wage and hour class action claims and Private Attorney General Act (PAGA) actions through discovery and ultimately settlement.
    • Provided numerous clients with advanced analysis of compensation practices, including identifying potential noncompliance with overtime payments, meal and rest breaks, and the regular rate, and devising remedial measures that cure the violation and mitigate past liability.
    • Successfully defended corporation against 16 cases brought before the Labor Commissioner in which former employees of a shuttered restaurant alleged numerous wage and hour violations, ultimately resulting in a finding of no liability after a week-long hearing.

     

Professional Affiliation

  • Los Angeles County Bar Association
  • Century City Bar Association

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