Elaine M. Vukadinovich

Elaine M. Vukadinovich is a partner in the Labor and Employment department of the Firm’s Los Angeles office. She also serves on the firm’s Executive Committee and is co-chair of the Labor & Employment group. For over 25 years, she has represented and advised private and public employers in a variety of industries including colleges and universities, maintenance, security, healthcare, health plans, regional centers, restaurants, religious entities, and various non-profit entities, among others. She focuses on all areas of wage and hour law and counsels employers, audits employer practices, provides training, and develops strategic planning for employers with respect to wage and hour issues.  

Ms. Vukadinovich represents employers in labor and employment litigation in state and federal courts including class actions, PAGA, all forms of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, failure to accommodate, wrongful termination, and individual wage and hour actions (in addition to class and PAGA). Ms. Vukadinovich also represents clients in matters before various state and federal administrative agencies (e.g., Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, National Labor Relations Board, Department of Labor, California Civil Rights Department, and California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement). 

In addition to litigation, Ms. Vukadinovich regularly counsels clients on day-to-day employment issues including on difficult personnel decisions (e.g., discipline and discharge of employees, reductions in force, reorganizations, leaves of absence, and workplace accommodations), and on compliance with state and federal law (e.g., FLSA, California Labor Code and Wage Orders, FMLA, CFRA, ADA, Title VII, FEHA) as well as performing audits to ensure compliance. Ms. Vukadinovich often drafts employee handbooks and all employment-related policies, as well as arbitration and other agreements, for her clients and updates them, as requested, to ensure compliance with rapidly evolving California law. She also provides training in various areas. Ms. Vukadinovich further has substantial experience in conducting workplace investigations including those of a high profile and sensitive nature.  

Ms. Vukadinovich understands business needs and practical solutions and uses this and her substantive knowledge, along with her litigation experience, to effectively recommend actions needed to assist clients in preventing unnecessary litigation and addressing a wide range of issues.

Admissions & Associations

State Bar of California

United States District Court for the Central, Northern, and Eastern Districts of California

United States Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit

Representative Matters

Conducted multiple investigations into discrimination, claims, harassment claims, and/or whistleblower claims, none of which then generated litigation.

Prevailed in individual wage and hour arbitration resulting in dismissal of PAGA action.

Represented a healthcare employer and prevailed on summary judgment in discrimination and harassment claims.

Represented multiple University clients in class actions and resolved on favorable terms.

Represented public entity client in class and PAGA action and prevailed on multiple motions resulting in matter favorably settling on individual basis.

Tried and prevailed on numerous matters in front of the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement on various wage and hour issues.

Conducted multiple investigations into discrimination, claims, harassment claims, and/or whistleblower claims, none of which then generated litigation.