Alan Sims concentrates his practice on complex wage and hour class actions and Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) litigation, as well as single plaintiff employment matters arising under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). He regularly defends employers in claims involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, failure to accommodate, and wrongful termination. In addition to litigation, Alan provides day-to-day advice and counsel to employers across diverse industries, with particular experience advising breweries, startups, and sports related organizations.
Alan partners closely with clients throughout all phases of litigation, from early case assessment and discovery through arbitration, dispositive motion practice, and trial preparation. He also counsels employers on risk management, internal investigations, and compliance with evolving employment laws, with an emphasis on practical, business-oriented solutions.
In addition to his litigation and counseling work, Alan works with clients to strengthen workplace compliance through tailored training programs. He regularly conducts workforce and management training on preventing sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation, and provides focused training to human resources professionals and executives on conducting lawful and effective internal investigations.
Committed to giving back, Alan provides pro bono representation through Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), assisting unaccompanied immigrant children in immigration proceedings.
During law school, Alan served on the Pepperdine Law Review, externed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Legal Unit, and was a summer associate in Littler’s Los Angeles office.
Selected Matters
Alan’s practice includes representation in a broad range of employment matters, including the following representative examples:
- Defended employers in complex California wage and hour class actions and PAGA representative actions involving overtime, meal and rest period compliance, pay stub claims, and derivative penalties
- Represented employers in multiple single plaintiff FEHA matters alleging disability discrimination, failure to accommodate, failure to engage in the interactive process, retaliation, harassment, and wrongful termination
- Represented employers in litigation brought by long tenured and executive level employees alleging age discrimination and related FEHA claims
- Advised early-stage startups on foundational employment issues, including worker classification, hiring and onboarding practices, compensation structures, handbook development, and compliance with California employment laws as businesses scale
- Counseled brewery clients on multi state employment compliance, including drafting, reviewing, and updating employee handbooks and workplace policies for operations inside and outside California
- Conducted workplace training for employees and managers on preventing sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation
- Trained human resources professionals and management on conducting lawful and effective internal investigations