25+ Years Defending CA Employers
Attorney-Led Training
SB 1343 / AB 1825 / SB 553 Compliant
Free 15 min. Consultation
Does This Sound Like Your Situation?
New supervisors promoted without harassment training (SB 1343)
Two years since last harassment training cycle
No Workplace Violence Prevention Plan training yet (SB 553)
Managers documenting performance issues inconsistently
HR is new or stretched thin and needs procedural guidance
A recent claim revealed manager training gaps
Planning terminations or discipline and want them done right
Want training records that actually hold up in litigation
What's Actually at Stake
Supervisors / non-supervisors, every 2 years, for employers with 5+ employees. Required, not optional.
Even when harassment cannot be proven, employees can win on inadequate training and prevention measures.
Documented training is the cornerstone of the good-faith defense that limits punitive exposure on FEHA claims.
Workplace violence training required at hire, annually after, and whenever new hazards or procedures are introduced.
Training is not a checkbox exercise. It is the single most important evidentiary record an employer builds before a claim arrives. Documented, attorney-aligned training reduces § 12940(k) liability, supports the Faragher-Ellerth affirmative defense, and limits punitive damages under § 3294.
Generic Training vs. Defense-Built Training
Generic Compliance Training
Pre-recorded video module that satisfies the time requirement on paper.
Same content for every industry, role, and risk profile.
Completion certificate filed away. No tie-in to actual personnel records.
Doesn't cover discipline, termination documentation, or the specific behaviours managers actually struggle with.
Provides minimal evidentiary value when a claim is filed.
Defense-Built Training
Attorney-led sessions tailored to your industry, workforce, and known risk areas.
Covers harassment prevention, lawful discipline, documentation, accommodation, and termination process.
Training records integrated into the personnel file and built to support an affirmative defense.
Manager skill-building, not just rule recitation. Real scenarios, real responses.
Designed so the training itself is exhibit-quality evidence.
“Training is the evidence you build before you need it. The cheapest legal protection a California employer can buy.”
How We Train Your Managers and HR Team
Scope the Risk Profile
We review your industry, workforce size, claim history, and existing policies to identify where managers and HR are actually exposed. A retail manager and a tech HR lead don’t need the same training.
Deliver Statutory Minimums
We deliver SB 1343 / AB 1825 harassment training (2 hours for supervisors, 1 hour for non-supervisors), SB 553 workplace violence training, and any role-specific Cal/OSHA training required by your operations.
Train Beyond the Minimum
Most claims do not come from things the statutory minimums cover well. We add lawful discipline, termination documentation, reasonable accommodation process, retaliation avoidance, and complaint-response procedures.
Build the Evidentiary Record
Every training session generates documentation: sign-in sheets, agenda, materials, attendance records, and acknowledgment forms. These integrate with personnel files and form the affirmative defense record.
Refresh and Update
California law changes every year. We set up the bi-annual SB 1343 cycle, the annual SB 553 cycle, and ad-hoc refreshers when major legislation passes (SB 553 in 2024 caught most employers flat-footed).
The cheapest claim is the one your training prevented. The second cheapest is the one your training records helped you defend.
Tell us what you have in place. We'll show you the gaps in 15 minutes.
Training Programs We Deliver
Supervisor Training
SB 1343 harassment prevention (2 hours, biennial). Lawful discipline and progressive discipline. Termination decision-making. Documentation standards. Recognising and routing complaints. Avoiding retaliation. Interactive process and accommodation triggers.
HR Operations Training
Complaint intake and investigation. Privilege structuring (when to involve counsel). Reasonable accommodation process under § 12940(m). Leave administration (CFRA, PDL, paid sick leave under SB 616). Personnel file management under § 1198.5. Separation procedures.
Workforce-Wide Training
SB 1343 non-supervisor harassment training (1 hour, biennial). SB 553 workplace violence prevention (annual + new-hire). IIPP safety training under Cal/OSHA § 3203. Anti-retaliation and reporting channels. Workplace conduct standards.
Training can be delivered on-site, virtual, or hybrid. All sessions are attorney-led and California-specific.
Frequently Asked Questions
We're a small business. Do we actually need formal harassment training?
If you have 5 or more employees anywhere in California, yes — SB 1343 requires it. Supervisors get 2 hours every two years, non-supervisors get 1 hour. There is no small-business exception. Beyond the legal minimum, training is also the single biggest factor in reducing punitive damages exposure if a FEHA claim does come.
Can't we just use the free DFEH (now CRD) online module?
You can, and it satisfies the statutory minimum. But it does not customise to your industry, it does not cover discipline or termination procedures, and the training record it generates is identical to every other employer’s, which gives it limited evidentiary weight in litigation. Attorney-led training built to your workforce holds up better when a claim is filed.
How is attorney-led training different from a typical HR vendor?
Two ways. First, attorneys can structure the engagement under attorney-client privilege where appropriate, which protects sensitive discussions during the training. Second, attorneys train to the affirmative defense standard — we know what training records actually need to look like to support a § 12940(k) defense or limit punitive damages, because we defend the resulting claims.
We had a claim recently. Should we train before or after the investigation closes?
Usually after the immediate investigation, but before the next claim. Training in the immediate aftermath of a claim can sometimes be characterised by opposing counsel as a tacit admission. A structured post-incident review and a refreshed training program, delivered a few weeks later, is typically the better sequence. We will tell you which timeline fits your situation
How much does manager and HR training cost?
It depends on workforce size, the programs included, and delivery format. Most engagements are flat-fee, with on-site, virtual, and hybrid options. The first consult is free and we provide a fixed quote before any work starts. For most employers, a full training cycle costs less than defending a single FEHA claim through summary judgment.
Train Now. Defend Later, If You Have To.
Manager and HR training is the cheapest legal protection a California employer can buy. It satisfies SB 1343, AB 1825, and SB 553. It builds the § 12940(k) failure-to-prevent defense. It limits punitive damages exposure. And it changes manager behaviour before that behaviour becomes the exhibit in a deposition. Tell us about your team. We’ll scope a training plan in a free 15-minute call.
Free. No obligation. Responses within 1 business hour. Employer-only representation, never employees.