Overcoming Obstacles After Disaster

Our labor and employment team can assist in helping employers understand their rights, obligations and options during the crisis and fallout created by the wildfires in LA.

Employment Rights

We can help you navigate the legal requirements for providing time off if employees need to take paid or unpaid leave to care for their families or recover from fire-related injuries, ensuring compliance with applicable laws. We can also help ensure compliance with state and federal laws, such as the FMLA and the CFRA, and assist in creating clear communication strategies to inform employees about benefits options and changes during the crisis.

Temporary Layoffs or Closures

Employers who are forced to close their businesses or reduce their workforce due to the fires may seek advice on how to legally lay off workers temporarily or permanently. We can ensure compliance with applicable state and federal laws. For employers looking to transition to remote work to ensure employee safety during the fires, we can offer guidance on setting up the proper structure for remote work, protecting both employee and employer rights in terms of privacy and data security.

Union Issues

For unionized workplaces, we can address any concerns related to collective bargaining agreements, such as handling leave, overtime pay, or adjusting shifts to account for the disruptions caused by the fires.

Our benefits and executive compensation team can help employers navigate the challenges of maintaining compensation and benefits systems, ensuring that legal obligations are met while supporting the needs of both the workforce and the company’s leadership.

Benefits Continuation and Eligibility

We can help navigate laws like COBRA and guide employers on maintaining employee benefits during emergencies.

Retirement and Insurance Plans

We can help ensure compliance with retirement plan contributions, vesting and insurance benefits, helping employers manage any impact from layoffs or disruptions due to the fires.

Our construction and real estate litigation team can provide guidance on contract issues, liability concerns, real estate transactions, and navigating changes in local regulations following the fires, helping clients protect their interests and resolve disputes effectively.

Contract Disputes and Force Majeure Clauses

Review contracts for construction projects and real estate transactions, advising on the applicability of force majeure clauses, which may excuse parties from meeting deadlines or obligations due to the fires or the aftermath. We can also assist in resolving disputes between contractors, property owners and tenants regarding delays or non-performance.

Real Estate Transactions

We can advise on how the fires will affect real estate deals — including property inspections, disclosures and contingencies — and guide clients on whether fire damage needs to be disclosed to buyers and how to handle the sale or purchase of affected properties.

Zoning and Permitting Issues

Following the fires, there may be changes to local zoning laws or permitting requirements for rebuilding. Our team can assist clients in navigating these regulatory changes and securing the necessary permits for reconstruction or restoration.

Our tax attorneys can help businesses and individuals manage tax relief, claim losses, navigate government programs, address employee compensation impacts, and handle the tax consequences of restructuring or recovering after the fires in Los Angeles.

Tax Relief and Deductions

We can help businesses and individuals take advantage of any tax relief measures or deductions available in the wake of the fires, such as deductions for property damage, business interruptions and casualty losses, ensuring clients maximize their tax savings.

Business Losses and Insurance Proceeds

If a business or an individual suffers losses due to fire damage, we can advise on how to handle insurance proceeds for tax purposes, how to minimize taxes by timely reinvesting insurance proceeds, and how to account for any financial losses.

Restructuring and Recovery

We can assist with navigating the tax implications of restructuring or reorganization after a disaster, helping clients adjust their operations or tax filings to recover financially from the fire’s impact.

Property Tax

For information about property tax relief please contact Natalie Mackary.

Our property tax attorneys can help businesses and individuals manage property tax relief claims, navigate state and local government agency programs and procedures, and handle the property tax consequences of recovering after the fires in Los Angeles. 

Property Tax Relief

We can help businesses and individuals take advantage of available property tax relief measures available in the wake of the fires.
Recovery. We can assist with navigating the property tax implications of recovery.

Income Tax

For information about federal, state and local income tax relief please contact Stephen Hamilton or Lisa Okragly.

Our government and regulatory team assists clients by ensuring compliance with environmental regulations, guiding them through relief programs, managing environmental liabilities, navigating permitting requirements for rebuilding, and advocating for policy changes related to fire recovery.

Regulatory Compliance and Environmental Impact

We can help businesses and property owners navigate environmental regulations related to fire damage — such as those concerning hazardous materials, air quality and water contamination — and ensure that clients comply with state and federal environmental laws when managing fire debris or handling any toxic substances released during the fire.

Government Assistance and Relief Programs

Environmental and regulatory attorneys can guide clients through state and federal programs designed to assist with disaster recovery, such as those related to emergency environmental remediation or rebuilding efforts. They can help clients apply for funding or resources available to mitigate the environmental impacts of the fires. Our team can guide clients through applying for government aid or relief programs, including grants, low-interest loans or other financial assistance specifically available to businesses affected by disasters.

Advocacy and Policy Issues

If there are ongoing issues related to fire prevention, energy use or environmental protection, these attorneys can advocate on behalf of clients with government agencies or help influence local policies or regulatory changes related to fire preparedness, response and recovery.

Our insurance team can help clients with understanding insurance coverages due to losses related to the fires in Los Angeles.

Filing and Managing Insurance Claims

We can help navigate the process of filing property, business interruption and liability insurance claims, ensuring that they are properly documented and meet all necessary requirements.

Understanding Coverage and Exclusions

We can help clarify complex policy language, helping clients understand what the terms of a policy means, including potential exclusions for fire damage, smoke damage and losses related to evacuation orders or governmental action.

Our real estate team can help with navigating real estate transactions, lease issues, and resolving ownership or title disputes following the fires in Los Angeles.

Real Estate Transactions

If fire damage affects a property that’s in the process of being bought or sold, our team can advise on how to handle disclosures, renegotiations and potential contract amendments. We can also help to address contingencies in purchase agreements related to property damage or safety concerns.

Leases and Tenant Issues

For landlords and tenants, we’ll help navigate lease agreements affected by fire damage, including issues of rent abatement, temporary relocation of tenants and the handling of repairs.