Rimon Joined in LA Office By Employment Litigator From Nixon Peabody

Los Angeles, California – Rimon is pleased to welcome employment litigation Partner, Robert (“Rob”) Pepple in Los Angeles.

Rob joins Rimon from Nixon Peabody LLP, where he held the positions of Partner and co-leader of the Wage & Hour Compliance and Litigation Team, and the Los Angeles’ office pro bono partner liaison to the national team.

 “We are very excited to welcome Robert to the firm,” commented Juan Zúñiga, Managing Partner of Rimon. “Robert has deep expertise in wage and hour at the national level, and also specifically in California where employment law is notoriously complex. We are thrilled to be expanding our employment practice.”

Robert (“Rob”) Pepple is a partner in the Employment Law practice group, trusted by employers of all sizes throughout the state of California and nationally on federal employment-law issues.  Rob’s practice centers around vigorous and cost-effective defense of wage and hour class action and/or Private Attorney General Act (“PAGA”) actions, law which he has special insight into as the author of a constitutional challenge to PAGA that was dismissed by the court of appeal in 2023.  This intense focus on class actions and PAGA litigation also means that Rob has developed extensive experience drafting and enforcing arbitration agreements with class and/or representative action waivers – a vital area of focus in wage and hour litigation.

Rob is equal parts lawyer and (self-taught) data-scientist, and he has spent the better part of his career not just advising clients and litigating cases, but he has built a reservoir of checklists, tools, templates, excel formulas, quantitative induction models, and – most recently – bespoke relational databases that allow him to scale and deploy next-generation litigation solutions. 

Beyond wage and hour, Rob also advises clients on how to comply with state and federal anti-discrimination, arbitration, whistleblower, harassment, retaliation, leave, and other employment and regulatory obligations (e.g., FMLA/CRFA, WARN Act/California WARN Act, NLRA, FAA,).

Rob also has extensive experiencing conducting on-site investigations for wage and hour compliance, providing required anti-harassment training, and conducting investigations into unlawful harassment, and other bespoke client-solutions.

He also supports clients in collective bargaining negotiations, particularly with respect to how those negotiations impact or align with California wage and hour laws and other existing employer obligations.

On joining Rimon, Robert said:

“Following an event this summer that shocks one into deep-reflection, the necessity to evolve my practice became extremely clear.  This led to an intensive investigation into how to eliminate the waste in litigation but without sacrificing quality of papers or service.  After looking around for products or services that would fill these needs, and finding none, I decide to build them myself.  Out of all the firms I interviewed, Rimon had the strongest profile with respect to these essential firm-attributes: (1) a transparent and un-encumbered structure that honors the attorney-client relationship (2) multiple colleagues in California with wage & hour expertise (a first in my career), (3) and a technology-friendly-platform that would allow me to continue to develop my techno-legal, client-centric, solutions.”   


Judge Gone Wild – Christmas Party Chaos Rocks The Northern Club

Christmasparty

The Northern Club, Auckland’s bastion of exclusivity, became the stage for a Christmas party turned political powder keg that has involved a District Court Judge, Winston Peters, Michael Reed KC and the Attorney General, according to a report in The Post.

Picture this: A district court judge and her reality TV star beau, inadvertently gate-crashing a New Zealand First soirée. What could possibly go wrong?

Judge Ema Aitken, known for her pioneering work in the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment court, found herself in a less-than-judicial predicament. As Winston Peters held court in an adjacent room, DCJ Aitken allegedly couldn’t resist playing fact-checker. “He’s lying!” she reportedly shouted, her voice carrying the weight of her gavel.

Emma Aitken

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Galler Judge

Enter David Galler, (pictured) Aitken’s partner and former Middlemore Hospital intensive care doctor turned TV personality. Not content with being a silent plus-one, Galler reportedly decided to play political pundit. “You’re doing a shit job in government,” he allegedly told Peters, blocking the politician’s exit like a determined paparazzo.

Galler, in a moment of misguided social commentary, allegedly questioned the club’s admission policies to a staff member of Indian heritage. A faux pas that would make even the most seasoned socialite cringe. It was a comment he later denied making, but a fulsome apology for his behaviour followed anyway.

Michael Reed

Meanwhile, in a twist worthy of a courtroom drama, barrister Michael Reed KC, famed for his successful representation of Michael Bain, (both pictured) was caught on camera, apparently refusing to stop photographing NZ First guests. His defense? “I’m a member of the Wellington Club.”

One presumes Reed, who is no longer ‘Wellington-based” as The Post reported, but rather Waiheke- and Parnell-based, was less than contrite. But photography may be a new pasttime.

The fallout? Swift and severe. Attorney-General Judith Collins, not one to mince words, declared herself “appalled.” Chief District Court Judge Heemi Taumaunu issued an apology on her behalf.

Aitken and Galler, realizing their night of political activism hadn’t quite gone as planned, issued apologies. Galler, in particular, penned a mea culpa that could rival War and Peace in length.

As the dust settles on this cocktail of controversy leaves one wondering where it will all end, where judges play fact-checker, doctors turn political commentators, and club rules are mere suggestions?

Welcome to the new normal, where the lines between professional decorum and personal opinions blur faster than a speeding gavel.

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