News

DAWN M. COULSON NAMED SUPER LAWYER 2026

Epps & Coulson, LLP is proud to share some exciting news and well-deserved recognition for Dawn Coulson, who has been selected again as a 2026 Southern California Super Lawyer.  Congratulations to Dawn for 20 straight years of being awarded the honor by her peers and colleagues.  Dawn has been designated...

Read More

CALIFORNIA ARBITRATION AGREEMENTS FOR EMPLOYEES LIMITED (AGAIN)

CALIFORNIA ARBITRATION AGREEMENTS FOR EMPLOYEES LIMITED (AGAIN) The recent California Court of Appeal decision of Villalobos v. Maersk held that the employer’s referring to arbitration rules in employee handbooks or agreements is insufficient to designate arbitrability questions to the arbitrator. Many agreements state that disputes will be handled under JAMS...

Read More

UPDATE EMPLOYEE HANDBOOKS NOW

UPDATE EMPLOYEE HANDBOOKS NOW Updating your employee handbook isn’t just about compliance — it’s about connection. With major workplace law changes coming in 2026, now’s the time to refresh your policies. Employers can get ahead of upcoming changes and make their handbooks more engaging. And, California’s wage and hour laws...

Read More

New Employee Minimum Pay Rates

New Employee Minimum Pay Rates Most employers should now know that there are minimum wage requirements mandated by the federal government, state of California and local municipalities.  Keeping up with them is laborious. Here’s the latest: New Minimum Wage Rate •As of January 1, 2026, all employers in California must...

Read More

Federal Court Blocks Key Nursing Home Staffing Mandates

Federal Court Blocks Key Nursing Home Staffing Mandates Earlier this year, a federal judge in Texas struck down significant portions of the Department of Health and Human Services’ (“HHS”) recently finalized nursing home staffing requirements, holding that the agency exceeded its statutory authority. The staffing mandate would have required nursing...

Read More

EMPLOYERS MAY BE LIABLE FOR OFF-SITE HARASSMENT

EMPLOYERS MAY BE LIABLE FOR OFF-SITE HARASSMENT Picture this:  an employee says they do not wish to see, be near or even on Zoom calls with someone else, whom they dated and there was a break-up.  Nothing occurred at the worksite, during work or even about work, but the employer...

Read More

New Overtime Tracking & Reporting Requirements for Employers

New Overtime Tracking & Reporting Requirements for Employers You have undoubtedly heard about the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA”).  One of the OBBBA provisions is the “No Tax on Overtime” (Sec. 70202) terms, which are effective for tax years 2025 through 2028. The OBBBA“No Tax on Overtime” actually...

Read More

NY: Bonuses Owed to Employees After Termination

NY: Bonuses Owed to Employees After Termination Riley worked at a law firm and had an agreement with the law firm for her to receive a bonus if she exceeded a set amount of actual legal fees generated by her work.  The agreement with Riley conditioned payment of the bonus...

Read More