California employment contracts that fit California law.
Offer letters, employment agreements, executive compensation packages — drafted to comply with the Cal Lab Code, FEHA, and the at-will doctrine California actually applies.
Drafting from $1,495 (S3) — flat-fee + costs
What "employment contract" means in California
California is an at-will state — most employment relationships are presumed terminable at any time, with or without cause, by either side. The "employment contract" in California is usually an offer letter that confirms at-will status plus the substantive terms (title, compensation, benefits eligibility, start date) and sometimes a separate agreement covering IP, confidentiality, and dispute resolution.
Where it gets specific: executive-level employment agreements, agreements with severance triggers, agreements for partners or owner-employees, and agreements where the at-will presumption is being modified.
What we draft
Offer letters
California-compliant offer letters covering at-will status, compensation, benefits eligibility, start date, exempt/non-exempt classification, and the IP-assignment language California Labor Code §2870 requires.
Employment agreements
Longer-form contracts for executive or strategic hires. Compensation (base, bonus, equity), severance triggers, confidentiality, IP assignment, dispute resolution, change-of-control protections.
Executive compensation packages
Equity grants, RSUs, performance bonuses, deferred compensation. Coordinated with tax and securities counsel where applicable. We handle the contract; specialized 409A and securities work goes to specialty counsel.
Restrictive-covenant exceptions
California Business and Professions Code §16600 makes most non-competes unenforceable. Where exceptions apply (sale of goodwill, partnership dissolution, owner-shareholder buyouts under §16601), the agreement has to be drafted carefully to fit the narrow exception.
California-specific drafting issues
California Labor Code §2870 — IP assignment carveout. California limits employer claims to employee-developed IP that wasn't developed using employer resources. Every IP-assignment clause in California employment contracts has to acknowledge §2870 — or the entire assignment can be void.
Wage-statement requirements. Cal Lab Code §226 requires specific information on every wage statement. Mistakes are PAGA-eligible — meaning private plaintiffs can collect statutory penalties on behalf of all affected employees. Worth getting right at hire.
Arbitration clauses. California's stance on employment arbitration has shifted. The federal Arbitration Act preempts most California restrictions, but specific carveouts (PAGA, sexual-harassment claims under federal Ending Forced Arbitration Act) need careful drafting.
Non-disparagement and confidentiality limits. California's STAND Act and SB 331 limit non-disparagement clauses regarding workplace harassment and discrimination. Generic non-disparagement language is no longer enforceable.
Other work in employment.
Independent contractor agreements
AB 5 / ABC test classification work — different document, different scope.
See the serviceEmployee handbooks
California-compliant handbook drafting.
See the serviceSeverance agreements
What employment contracts often reference but don't include.
See the serviceTerminating employees
Where the at-will doctrine meets practical reality.
See the serviceThe questions buyers actually ask.
Tell us what you're working on.
Transactional matters start with a short discovery call. We figure out whether the work is one we can take and what it costs — before any retainer.