Justin P. Rodriguez

Mr. Rodriguez attended the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, graduating with distinction in 2011 and receiving his Juris Doctorate. Mr. graduated in the top 20% of his class and was a member of the Traynor Honor Society. Other academic achievements include receiving the Witkin Award (top grade) in legal research and writing, the Witkin Award in complex civil litigation, being a member of the Dean’s List from 2008 to 2011, being a Legislative Staff Writer for the McGeorge Law Review from 2009–2010, being an Associate Comment Editor for the Pacific McGeorge Global Business & Development Law Journal from 2010–2011, and being selected as a Sacramento County Bar Association Diversity Fellow in 2009. Mr. Rodriguez was also a member of the Employment and Labor Law Society and an officer for the Latino Law Students Association from 2009 to 2010. Mr. Rodriguez received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and the Departmental Citation for Academic Achievement in the Philosophy program at U.C. Davis.

Legal Experience

Mr. Rodriguez’s practice focuses on all aspects of complex litigation, including wage and hour class actions, Private Attorneys General Act representative claims, Nationwide Fair Labor Standard Act collective actions, and intensely detailed harassment, discrimination, and wrongful termination cases. He is actively involved in nearly all complex litigation for the firm and has obtained excellent results for his clients, recovering several million dollars in class and representative cases for unpaid overtime, unpaid minimum wages, unpaid meal and rest period premiums, wage statement violation penalties, waiting time penalties, and penalties under the Private Attorneys General Act. Mr. Rodriguez achieves these results by utilizing thoughtful and aggressive litigation tactics while maintaining an open, professional, and reasonable dialogue with his opposing counsel.

Mr. Rodriguez’s trial experience includes jury trials, bench trials, de novo trials of Labor Commissioner decisions, and Labor Commissioner hearings. Regularly litigating in both state and federal Court, Mr. Rodriguez is able to navigate the procedural aspects of any case regardless of the forum to achieve optimal results for his clients.

Notable Decisions

Hoang v. Vinh Phat Supermarket, Inc., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 114475 (E.D. Cal. Aug. 12, 2013) – Mr. Rodriguez successfully argued the proper exhaustion of administrative remedies under the Private Attorneys General Act and the individual liability of high level managers and owners under the Private Attorneys General Act.

Kursar v. Mariah Res., Inc., 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 120142 (E.D. Cal. Sep. 9, 2015) – Mr. Rodriguez successfully argued the settling defendants were in contempt for failure to make the agreed to payments and that any further failure to pay would result in civil imprisonment of the defendants until payment was made.

Professional Memberships and Affiliations

Capitol City Trial Lawyers Association Member.

Sacramento County Bar Association Diversity Fellowship Committee Member.

Voluntary Legal Services Program Employment Law Clinic volunteer attorney.

Speaking Engagements

McGeorge Employment and Labor Law Student Association: Workers’ Rights in the Sharing Economy – Panel Speaker (March 2016)

Personal Interest

Mr. Rodriguez spends his free time running around with his kids, running after his kids, and running away from his kids. It’s called “tag”; it’s fun and you should try it. Mr. Rodriguez also enjoys going to local breweries with friends and family and having an IPA on Saturday afternoons.