About
A boutique practice helping California business owners navigate complex legal issues with a proactive and solution-oriented approach.
Patricia DeSantis Belton
Formerly a partner at an AM200 law firm, Patricia Belton set out to establish a boutique California practice helping business owners navigate complex legal issues with a proactive and solution-oriented approach.
The need for experienced employment counsel has never been greater than it is today, especially in California. Strong employment policies grounded in the law and training programs give employers the tools to minimize exposure. However, when challenging situations arise, Patricia Belton acts as outside in-house counsel to her clients, offering legal advice to address issues like disability accommodations, leaves of absence, complying with wage and hour mandates, and implementing other regulations which may affect the workforce. Patricia also acts as neutral investigator handling high stakes investigations involving allegations implicating executives, sexual harassment, privacy violations and other sensitive matters to provide employers information to confidently address inevitable disputes with measured corrections when appropriate.
Patricia Belton uses her broad experience to advise her clients so that they can address legal challenges early and focus on operating their business. Her knowledge and experience spans many industries including, hospitality, retail, healthcare, construction, financial sector, start-up, and government contractors. Her clients have ranged from private households and family offices to Fortune 100 companies. She litigated and advised clients on a wide variety of workplace and business issues including wage and hour laws, discrimination, harassment, terminations, privacy, accommodations, various human resource matters, and relations between management and unions. She has defended wage and hour class actions, Private Attorney General Act (PAGA) representative actions, and single plaintiff cases. She is also experienced with investigations and evidentiary hearings with administrative agencies including the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE), the Department of Fair Employment Housing (DFEH), the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Employment Development Department (EDD), and the Department of Consumer Affairs.
Education
Notre Dame Law School, J.D.
Cornell University, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, B.S.
Admissions
- State Bar of California
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Central District of California
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit