Ellen M. Bandel is a trusted advisor and experienced attorney in the Labor and Employment practice, counseling both unionized and nonunion employers on all aspects of employment law. She provides strategic and compliance-focused guidance on workplace matters including recruitment, employee performance and discipline, workforce reductions, leaves of absence, wage and hour compliance, disability accommodations, and risk mitigation for terminations. Ellen is a go-to resource for drafting and implementing employee handbooks, personnel policies, employment agreements, non-competes, and severance agreements, and regularly conducts workplace audits, investigations, and training to ensure discrimination and harassment-free environments. Her experience spans the full employment life cycle and covers a range of industries and geographies, with particular depth in California law and “trending” state and local legislation, such as paid sick leave, paid family and medical leaves, pay transparency, pre-employment restrictions, and workplace violence prevention mandates.
Ellen is also frequently engaged to support employment-related issues in mergers and acquisitions, including post-merger employee integration.
Ellen is recognized for her practical, tailored approaches to complex employment issues and her ability to work closely with business and HR leaders to develop actionable strategies that fit each client’s unique needs and culture.
She is also a co-author of PLI’s California Employment Law treatise and a panelist at PLI’s annual Cutting-Edge Employment Law Issues conference, reflecting her thought leadership in the field.
Concentrations
•Wage and hour compliance
•Designing and implementing workplace compliance programs
•Employment/HR compliance and workplace counseling
•Employee and management training
•Employment audits and risk mitigation
•Workplace investigations
•Non-compete, executive employment, separation, and other agreements
•Mergers and acquisitions
Recognition & Leadership
Awards & Accolades
•Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, 'Ones to Watch,' Labor and Employment Law - Management, 2021-2025
