Shiraz Simonian

Firm: Simonian & Simonian, PLC
Location: Glendale - CA

  • 144 N Glendale Ave Ste 228
    Glendale, CA 91206
    USA
  • Tel : 818-405-0080
  • Fax : 818-405-0082
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Born in 1980 in Los Angeles, California, Shiraz Simonian earned his bachelor of arts in political science with a minor in psychology from University of Southern California in 2002. He earned his juris doctorate and master in business administration degrees from Pepperdine University in 2006.

Mr. Simonian was admitted to the California Bar in 2006 and is a successful trial attorney. His vast legal experience as an attorney includes the following:

Employment Law

Successfully represented employees in various employment claims including, but not limited to: wrongful termination; minimum wage violations; discrimination and retaliation pursuant to the Fair Employment and Housing Act and U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; willful misclassification of employees (W-2 vs. 1099); meal and rest break violations; failure to pay overtime; failure to maintain complete and accurate personnel file; late payment penalties; violation of whistleblower protection laws; and various other violations under California law.

Obtained several large (six figure) settlements for clients prior to filing lawsuits.

Represented two well-known restaurants in separate class action lawsuits involving various employment/labor code violations such as meal and rest breaks, time shaving, improper tip pool, itemized wage statements and minimum wage violations.

Worker’s Compensation

Litigate numerous worker’s compensation cases in front of the California Worker’s Compensation Appeals Board.

State and Local Tax Litigation and Controversies

In a suit for refund of taxes and penalties against the State Board of Equalization (“Board”), assisted in drafting post-trial briefs which ultimately overturned a long-standing policy of the Board that was put to use for 30+ years.

In the same suit, assisted in drafting a successful motion for attorneys’ fees under California Code of Civil Procedure § 1021.5 which ultimately led the Court in awarding over $660,000 in fees and costs.

Argued property tax matters in front of the Los Angeles County Assessment Appeals Board.

Argued business tax matters in front of the Los Angeles County Office of Finance.

Appellate Courts

Draft writs and briefs in preparation of appellate arguments.

Argued in front of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd District Courts of Appeal and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

Draft writs for the California Supreme Court.

Bar Admissions

  • State Bar of California – 2006
  • Supreme Court of California
  • Central District of California
  • Eastern District of California
  • Northern District of California
  • Southern District of California
  • Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • All California Bankruptcy Courts

Education

  • Juris Doctorate, Pepperdine University School of Law – 2006
  • Master of Business Administration, Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business – 2006
  • Bachelor of Arts, University of Southern California – 2002

Awards & Recognition

Mr. Simonian was selected to the 2015 through 2019 Southern California “Rising Stars” list by Super Lawyers Magazine. Only 2.5% of the lawyers in California were selected.

Publications

Attorney at Law Magazine, “Do’s and Don’ts for Starting Your Own Law Practice,” Downtown L.A. Edition, Vol. 2, No. 5, June 2016.

Journal of Multi State Taxation and Incentives, “Court Overturns California Board of Equalization’s Longstanding Policy on Corporate Officer Liability,” January 2010.

Simonian & Simonian, PLC

The attorneys at Simonian & Simonian, PLC represent employees who have been treated unfairly in the workplace. The most common types of claims include:

  • Wrongful Termination – All employment in California is considered to be at-will unless otherwise specified. Under the at-will presumption, a California employer, absent an agreement or statutory or public policy exception to the contrary, may terminate an employee for any reason at any time. However, employees are often terminated or laid-off for unlawful reasons. We investigate each of our clients’ cases to determine whether they have a viable claim for wrongful termination.

  • Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation – Employers are prohibited from discriminating against job applicants and employees because of a protected category, or retaliating against them because they have asserted their rights under the law. Employers are further prohibited from harassing an employee, job applicant, an unpaid intern or volunteer, or a contractor based on a protected category. Protected classes include: Race, color, national origin, religion, age (over 40), mental or physical disability, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, medical condition, genetic information, martial status, and military or veteran status.

  • Employee Misclassification – The misclassification of employees as 1099 independent contractors vs. W-2 employees presents one of the most serious problems facing affected workers, employers and the entire economy. Misclassified employees are denied access to critical benefits and protections to which they are entitled, such as the minimum wage, overtime compensation, meal and rest periods, family and medical leave, unemployment insurance, and safe workplaces.

  • Overtime Violations – The Labor Code requires employers to pay non-exempt employees overtime for all hours worked over eight hours in any workday and over 40 hours in the workweek. If an employee exceeds 12 hours of work in any workday, an employer is obligated to pay him/her double overtime. Employees who have not been compensated for overtime are entitled to such wages in addition to various penalties.

  • Meal and Rest Periods – The Labor Code requires employers to provide all nonexempt employees with one 30-minute unpaid meal period for every five consecutive hours worked. If the employee works more than 10 hours per day, he or she must be given a second 30-minute meal period. Employers are further required to authorize and permit all non-exempt employees to take 10 minutes of net rest time for every four hours of work time or major fraction thereof. Employees are entitled to one hour of premium pay for all missed meal periods in a given day, and an additional hour of premium pay for all missed rest periods in a given day.

Serving the Glendale and Greater Los Angeles, California area, our experienced attorneys can help you with any of the above, as well as help you determine if you have a case against your employer and which of these categories your issue falls under.