HR Generalist at Law Firm

Estavillo Law Group•Oakland, CA

20h•Onsite

About The Position

Estavillo Law Group is a real estate litigation law firm with offices in Oakland and Newport Beach. The firm seeks a hands-on Senior HR Generalist to partner directly with leadership, own the full employee lifecycle, shape workplace culture, and support compliance as the firm grows. The role combines strategic HR work with practical execution and requires close attention to labor laws, workflow improvements, compliance, and employee relations. This is an in-office position in downtown Oakland, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The office is two blocks from the 12th Street BART station and has an on-site gym. The firm describes its coworkers as friendly and supportive, and invested in team success. The Senior HR Generalist will lead recruiting and onboarding; support employee relations, performance management, and training; process semi-monthly payroll in Gusto; administer benefits and protected leaves; maintain policies and audit-ready records; promote engagement and workplace culture; and manage respectful offboarding. The position also handles additional tasks and special projects as needed.

Requirements

At least 5 years of full-spectrum HR experience in a rapidly growing organization.
Prior experience in a law firm or other professional-services setting.
Knowledge of California protected-leave laws.
Proven conflict-resolution and harassment-prevention skills.
Working knowledge of payroll best practices.
Experience or familiarity with Gusto, NetDocuments, and Microsoft Office.
Unfailing discretion and sound judgment.
Strong organization, attention to detail, and ability to multitask.
Reliable deadline discipline and tactful diplomacy in challenging interactions.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, or a related field is preferred.

Responsibilities

Own full-cycle recruiting, including writing job ads, sourcing and screening candidates, scheduling and conducting interviews, and closing offers.
Design and deliver onboarding from day-one orientation through employees becoming billable contributors.
Address employee concerns, mediate conflicts, and conduct fair, timely, and impartial investigations.
Run pulse surveys, recognition programs, and employee-engagement initiatives.
Coordinate annual and quarterly performance reviews, goal setting, performance improvement plans, and salary adjustments.
Conduct skills-gap analyses and arrange in-house or vendor-led training.
Prepare and process semi-monthly payroll in Gusto, including time entries, PTO, deductions, and expenses.
Perform compensation benchmarking and internal pay-equity analyses, and present data-driven recommendations.
Administer medical, dental, vision, 401(k), protected-leave, and other benefit programs.
Coordinate benefit deductions and employer contributions with Gusto payroll.
Guide employees and managers through benefits eligibility, enrollment, and compliance.
Maintain required notices, filings, and annual disclosures; manage open enrollment, including timelines, vendor negotiations, employee education, and system updates.
Draft, update, enforce, and communicate firm policies.
Maintain audit-ready HR files and records and monitor compliance with federal, California, and local labor laws.
Train supervisors in feedback, documentation, and conflict-management practices.
Champion employee-engagement initiatives, recognition programs, and team-building events, and foster a collaborative, high-performance culture.
Lead respectful separations, including exit interviews, final pay, asset collection, and knowledge transfer.
Analyze exit data and turnover trends to inform retention strategies.
Handle additional tasks and special projects as they arise.