Litigation Paralegal Labor and Employment Defense- PAGA and Wage and Hour Analysis- 3707693

AMS Staffing•Irvine, CA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Labor & Employment Paralegal will support attorneys in Irvine, California, throughout all phases of employment litigation, with a focus on California PAGA matters, wage-and-hour litigation, class actions, representative actions, and employment-related disputes. The position involves case investigation, discovery, document review, legal research, damages analysis, deposition preparation, mediation, and trial preparation. The successful candidate will understand California Labor Code requirements and PAGA procedures and be able to analyze complex payroll and employment records. The role includes analyzing timekeeping and payroll data, identifying potential Labor Code violations, calculating damages and penalties, preparing litigation documents and damages models, managing case files and deadlines, and coordinating with clients, opposing counsel, court personnel, vendors, and expert witnesses. The position has a 1,700-hour billable requirement and requires maintaining confidentiality when handling sensitive employment information. The job is full-time, 37.5 hours per week. It is fully onsite in Irvine for the first 90 days, then transitions to a hybrid schedule with three days onsite per week.

Requirements

3–5 years of paralegal experience; labor and employment litigation experience is preferred.
Demonstrated experience with California PAGA claims and wage-and-hour litigation.
Strong understanding of California Labor Code provisions, wage orders, and employment litigation procedures.
Experience reviewing and analyzing payroll records, timekeeping data, wage statements, and employee personnel records.
Ability to perform wage-and-hour calculations and identify potential statutory violations.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, Word, and Outlook.
Strong organizational, analytical, research, and written communication skills.
Ability to manage multiple cases and competing deadlines in a fast-paced legal environment.
Strong attention to detail and ability to work independently and collaboratively with attorneys.
Ability to meet a 1,700-hour billable requirement.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting class action or representative action litigation.
Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, formulas, data sorting, filtering, and analysis of large payroll datasets.
Experience with PAGA representative penalty calculations and exposure assessments.
Familiarity with California meal and rest period requirements, overtime calculations, regular rate of pay, minimum wage, and final wage payment requirements.
Experience with class action damages analysis and settlement allocation calculations.
Familiarity with California Superior Court litigation procedures and federal court practice.
Experience with litigation management platforms, e-discovery tools, and document review software.
Experience with Relativity.
State and federal e-filing experience.
A paralegal certificate or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
Strong labor and employment defense background, wage-and-hour analysis experience, PAGA experience, or strong business litigation skills.

Responsibilities

Assist attorneys with the management and development of California PAGA claims and representative actions.
Analyze employee timekeeping records, payroll data, wage statements, pay stubs, and personnel files.
Conduct wage-and-hour analyses involving unpaid wages, overtime, meal and rest period violations, minimum wage violations, off-the-clock work, expense reimbursement, and waiting time penalties.
Identify potential Labor Code violations and calculate applicable penalties and damages.
Review payroll and timekeeping data for patterns of potential violations across employee groups and representative periods.
Assist with PAGA notice preparation, LWDA-related filings, and litigation documentation.
Support PAGA settlement analyses, mediation briefs, damages summaries, and supporting exhibits.
Assist with class certification and representative action discovery and analysis.
Manage litigation files and maintain case calendars, deadlines, and discovery schedules.
Draft and prepare discovery requests, responses, subpoenas, deposition notices, and other litigation documents.
Assist with written discovery, document production, privilege review, and electronic discovery.
Organize, review, and summarize employment records, personnel files, payroll records, and other evidence.
Prepare deposition summaries, chronologies, witness files, and trial exhibits.
Coordinate with clients, opposing counsel, court personnel, vendors, and expert witnesses.
Assist attorneys with mediation, arbitration, settlement negotiations, and trial preparation.
Use Excel and other analytical tools to review payroll and timekeeping data.
Create and maintain spreadsheets analyzing employee hours, overtime, meal and rest periods, wage rates, and potential statutory penalties.
Identify payroll discrepancies and potential violations of California wage orders and Labor Code provisions.
Calculate potential exposure for unpaid wages, premium pay, waiting time penalties, wage statement penalties, and PAGA penalties.
Prepare damages models and supporting documentation for settlement evaluations and litigation strategy.
Work with forensic accountants, damages experts, and other litigation consultants as needed.
Conduct legal research regarding California Labor Code provisions, applicable Industrial Welfare Commission Wage Orders, and employment litigation developments.
Assist with legal memoranda, case summaries, and research materials.
Maintain accurate electronic and physical case files, monitor litigation deadlines, and complete assigned tasks on time.
Maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment when handling sensitive employment and personnel information.