Kristina Kourasis has throughout her legal career devoted herself to advising and defending California employers.

Kristina has extensive experience representing employers in a wide array of industries such as healthcare, retail, manufacturing, finance, restaurant, hospitality, construction, and non-profits in connection with actual and threatened lawsuits in courts and administrative agency proceedings. She has appeared on behalf of clients in Superior Courts throughout California, including those in Los Angeles, Van Nuys, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, San Francisco, and San Diego. She has also defended administrative complaints involving the California Department of Labor, the Labor Commissioner, the Department of Industrial Relations, and the Employment Development Department.

In recognition that California is perceived to have some of the toughest employment laws and regulations in the country, Kristina has been committed to zealously advocating on behalf of employers in connection with high-stakes disputes such as:

• Class action lawsuits involving alleged overtime/wage & hour actions.
• Cases involving the alleged misclassification of exempt and non-exempt employees, as well as independent contractors.
• Lawsuits brought under Califiornia’s Private Attorney General Act of 2004 (PAGA) (Labor Code Sections 2698, et seq.).
• Individual and multi-plaintiff actions alleging wrongful termination; age, gender, and race discrimination, as well as cases involving alleged pregnancy discrimination and retaliation.

Where possible, Kristina strives to avoid unnecessary litigation and has successfully prevented and shortened disputes; sometimes a crisply written letter or email written or a constructive conversation with opposing counsel will cut to the heart of the matter.

A strong believer in educating and training employers and their employees, Kristina has advised countless employers about how to navigate the complex world of federal and California employment laws. Her advisory and compliance experience includes:

• Creating and updating multi-state Employee Handbooks.
• Conducting sexual harassment prevention training.
• Advising about leaves of absence and workplace accommodation issues.

Kristina has since 2019 served on the Board of Directors of the San Fernando Chamber of Commerce. In that capacity she has delivered an annual update to employers about annual changes to California employment law. Her presentation entitled, Employment Law Update, has garnered thousands of views on YouTube and can be found on the firm’s Youtube channel.

Kristina is also a sought-after speaker by lawyer groups. Her presentations to the CEB (California Education of the Bar) have included:

• “Class Action Lawsuits: What Mistakes Employers Need to Heed.”
• “Employers Mandating COVID-19 Vaccines in the Workplace.”

Her presentations to the San Fernando Valley Bar Association have included:

• “How to Fix Our Client’s Most Expensive Mistakes: Lessons in Defending Class Action & PAGA Lawsuits.”

Kristina volunteers her time supporting some of the nonprofits that she represents such as The Adult Skills Center (TASC) 5K Walk and Fundraiser.

Kristina received her J.D. from Southwestern Law School, where she served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Philip S. Gutierrez of the Central District of California and edited the ABA’s Journal of International Media & Entertainment Law. She received her B.A. with honors from the University of Southern California.