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    1. Home
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    3. Robert H. PepplePeople
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    2. People
    3. Robert H. PepplePeople

    Robert H. Pepple

    Partner / Co-Leader, Wage & Hour Compliance and Litigation Team


    • Los Angeles
    • Office213.629.6140
    • rpepple@nixonpeabody.com

    I'm a 2023 Nixon Peabody Pro Bono Champion.Read more about our Pro Bono program

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    Introduction

    Robert Pepple is a partner in the Labor & Employment practice group. He represents large, medium, and small employers in a wide array of labor and employment matters, including litigation, alternative dispute resolution, and day-to-day advice and counsel.
     

    Robert has extensive experience defending high-stakes wage and hour class actions, derivative Private Attorney Generals Act lawsuits, and single-plaintiff employment matters of all varieties.

    Practice Areas

    Labor & EmploymentWage-Hour Compliance & LitigationNon-Compete & Trade SecretsCalifornia Labor & EmploymentLabor Relations

    My focus

    My passion is to bring aggressive and high-quality representation to employers of all sizes in all industries—because the Plaintiff’s Bar is after every employer in California. Over the course of my career, it has been my honor to represent employers in numerous industries, including healthcare, hospitality, sales and merchandizing, security, warehousing, employee-staffing, entertainment, telecommunications, retail, manufacturing, and many more.

    Wage and Hour Litigation

    The core of my practice is wage and hour advice and litigation, for which I have developed a suite of tools that allow me to diagnose an employer’s compliance with California law with unrivaled efficiency and accuracy. This allows me to present clients with a clear picture of what’s “at stake” at the beginning of a lawsuit, rather than much later in the case, which is the norm in the industry. It is my belief that this information is vital to developing strategies that make both legal and business sense. My philosophy is to pursue what is best for your business’s reputation, legal exposure, and bottom line.

    This philosophy carries over into the other areas of law in which I have substantial litigation and advice experience, including: discrimination, whistleblowing, harassment, retaliation, violations of family leave, tort claims, and restrictive covenants and cases arising under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, Fair Labor Standards Act, Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, Defend Trade Secrets Act, and National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), as well as the California counterparts to these federal laws.

    Workplace Investigations

    I have significant experience in managing and conducting workplace investigations arising from allegations of discrimination (race, age, sexuality, etc.), retaliation, leaves and accommodations, sexual harassment and hostile work environment, unfair labor practices, and misappropriation of trade secrets. Similar to my wage and hour practice, I create and develop customized tools that assist in the investigation, analysis, advising, and reporting on such investigations to the appropriate government agencies.

    Labor Relations

    In addition, I represent clients in traditional labor law matters including collective bargaining negotiations and union elections, and defending against unfair labor practice (ULP) charges. I help clients meet their business goals without compromising employee loyalty, enthusiasm, or productivity.

    Insights

    • "U.S. Supreme Court in Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. v. Hewitt clarifies "salary basis" test for HCEs paid on daily basis," Client Alert, February 28, 2023
    • "Strategies for severance agreements after NLRB’s decision in McLaren Macomb," Client Alert, February 27, 2023
    • "Ninth Circuit holds California’s attempted ban of mandatory arbitration preempted by the FAA," Client Alert, February 22, 2023
    • "California Court of Appeal clarifies rules surrounding weekend paydays," Client Alert, January 9, 2023
    • "Lemm v. Ecolab — California Court of Appeal holds that “percentage bonuses” based on regular and overtime hours comply with California laws," Client Alert, January 6, 2023
    • “California Enacts Pay Transparency Bill,” Client Alert, October 5, 2022
    • “MacIntyre v Carroll College—The squeaky wheel gets the grease,” Client Alert, October 3, 2022
    • “California’s AB 257 greenlights civilian law-making council for large fast food employers and franchised brands,” Client Alert, September 23, 2022
    • “Seviour-Iloff v. LaPaille provides guidance on numerous California wage & hour issues, including personal liability,” Client Alert, September 9, 2022
    • “NP Impact Pride 2022: LASNNY and Alliance for Housing and Healing,” Client Alert, June 22, 2022
    • “Viking River court holds that employers can compel PAGA lawsuits to individual arbitration—if their arbitration agreements have two key components,” Client Alert, June 22, 2022
    • “California Supreme Court characterizes break “premiums” as wages,” Client Alert, June 2, 2022

    Representative experience

    • "California Labor & Employment Update," Nixon Peabody Annual Seminar, November 17, 2022

    Admitted to practice

    California
    U.S. District Court, Central District of California

    Education

    Pomona College, B.A.
    University of California, Los Angeles, J.D.

    Professional activities

    • American and California bar associations
    • California Freemasons
    • Magician Member, Academy of Magical Arts (i.e., Magic Castle)
    • Nixon Peabody LGBTQA Attorney Resource Group member

    Recognition

    • Southern California Rising Stars: Employment & Labor: Employer (2023, 2022)

    In the News

    • Pomona College Magazine

      Moonshots for Unicorns

      Los Angeles Labor & Employment partner (and Pomona College alum) Robert Pepple is quoted in this article, which highlights NP’s role in the creation of a nonprofit entity, Moonshots for Unicorns, which raises funding for research into cures for rare (i.e., unresearched) genetic disorders. The project came to NP’s attention through Robert’s Pomona College contact, Zach Landman and his wife, whose youngest daughter was recently diagnosed with a rare, but potentially curable, genetic disorder. The heavy lifting pro bono work was enthusiastically undertaken by Intellectual Property practice leader Seth Levy and IP resident attorney Freddy Lopez, both of Los Angeles. Robert also leveraged his contacts to provide the Landmans with free web-design and hosting, social media consulting, and nonprofit governance mentors.

      Jan 6, 2023
    • Law360

      Five major wage and hour cases to watch in 2023

      Los Angeles Labor & Employment partner Robert Pepple provides third-party commentary throughout this article, which details several significant wage & hour cases to watch in the new year.

      Jan 2, 2023
    • Law360 Employment Authority

      A look back at 2022’s biggest wage-hour rulings

      Los Angeles Labor & Employment partner Robert Pepple, co-leader of the Wage and Hour Compliance and Litigation team, is quoted in this article covering five major wage and hour decisions that made a significant impact over the past year. Robert discusses the Boone et al. v. Amazon Services LLC decision and how real-world circumstances, such as a pandemic, can impact employee mandates and their enforcement. He also discusses the complexities associated with the use of time-tracking technology related to the Cadena et al. v. Customer Connexx LLC decision.

      Dec 20, 2022
    • Law360

      Seven wage and hour cases to watch for the rest of 2022

      This article, covering significant wage and hour cases to watch for the remainder of the year, quotes Los Angeles Labor & Employment partner Robert Pepple on David G. Williams v. Amazon.com Services LLC. Robert discusses considerations and factors related to employer reimbursement of employee work-from-home expenses, including the possibility of public policy updates.
      July 6, 2022
    • The Recorder

      On the move - Tracking the ins and outs of California lawyers

      Los Angeles Complex Disputes partner Carlos Becerra and Labor & Employment partners Richard Frey, Robert Pepple, and David Prager are featured in this column for their recent arrivals to the firm.
      April 7, 2022

    Insights And Happenings

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    • Alert

      U.S. Supreme Court in Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. v. Hewitt clarifies "salary basis" test for HCEs paid on daily basis

      Feb 28, 2023
    • Alert

      Strategies for severance agreements after NLRB’s decision in McLaren Macomb

      Feb 27, 2023
    • Alert

      Ninth Circuit holds California’s attempted ban of mandatory arbitration preempted by the FAA

      Feb 22, 2023
    View All

    Professionals in the Practice Area

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    • Tara E. Daub

      Partner / Practice Group Leader, Labor & Employment
      • Long Island
      • Office:516.832.7613
      • tdaub@nixonpeabody.com
      Tara E. Daub
    • Richard J. Frey

      Partner
      • Los Angeles
      • Office:213.629.6177
      • rfrey@nixonpeabody.com
      Richard J. Frey
    • Kimberly Harding

      Partner / Deputy Leader, Litigation Department
      Leader, Labor Relations Team
      • Rochester
      • Office:585.263.1037
      • kharding@nixonpeabody.com
      Kimberly Harding
    • Stacie B. Collier

      Partner / Chief Talent Officer
      • Providence
      • Office:401.454.1018
      • sbcollier@nixonpeabody.com
      Stacie B. Collier
    • Rachel L. Conn

      Partner / Leader, Occupational Safety & Health (OSHA) Practice
      • San Francisco
      • Office:415.984.8216
      • rconn@nixonpeabody.com
      Rachel L. Conn
    View All

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