Carney Shegerian of Shegerian & Associates Proves Liability of School Bus Company in Fatal Collision that Killed 13-Year-Old Jonathan Hernandez

Carney Shegerian of Shegerian & Associates, Inc., a Santa Monica-based litigation law firm, teamed with Nancy Doumanian of La Crescenta-based law firm Doumanian & Associates and Nicholas Rowley and Courtney Rowley of Beverly Hills-based personal injury law firm Carpenter, Zuckerman & Rowley to successfully convince a California state jury to hold First Student, Inc. liable for negligence and the wrongful death of a 13-year-old boy.

A trial for damages will follow, with the same team of attorneys representing the boy’s family.

The jury voted last week, determining defendant liability in the civil lawsuit for the wrongful death of Jonathan Hernandez, who was fatally struck by a school bus owned by First Student, Inc. The bus was operated by a First Student employee who was driving while impaired by prescription drugs.

“It has been an honor to have had the opportunity to represent Jonathan’s family in their painful legal journey thus far,” said Cortney Shegerian. “This was a senseless tragedy that could have been avoided had the impaired driver been properly screened and supervised. She was not fit to drive and a precious 13-year-old boy’s family has suffered a devastating loss as a result.

“Due to the negligence of First Student, Inc., Jonathan’s family can never get their beloved child back,” Shegerian added, “but hopefully the jury’s decision in this case will serve as an important message to transportation companies on a national level that all drivers must be regularly screened and trained appropriately.”

Source: http://www.shegerianlaw.com/news/carney-shegerian-of-shegerian-associates-proves-liability-of-school-bus-company-in-fatal-collision-that-killed-13-year-old-jonathan-hernandez

Fighting Multi-Billion Dollar Corporations For Employee Rights

Shegerian & Associates is an employee rights firm not afraid to hold multi-billion dollar corporations accountable to the law. The firm has made a name for itself with over 72 jury trial wins, including over 30 wins with seven or eight figure verdicts. Cortney Shegerian, an attorney at the firm, took some time recently to share her thoughts on successfully fighting multi-billion dollar corporations for employee rights.

“It takes more than a law degree and a bar certificate to win big money verdicts when your client is wronged,” says Shegerian, a graduate of Whittier Law School. “Jury trials are major undertakings, with each side investing plenty of time and money into a successful verdict. This often means countless hours spent researching, planning and strategizing.

“The most involved aspect of any case is placing the client’s needs center stage and building a sound legal strategy around the best possible arguments for each issue.”

Shegerian, niece of the firm’s lead attorney Carney Shegerian, handles all aspects of case management including trial preparation, mediation, and tries cases when settlements can’t be reached. Under Carney Shegerian’s leadership, the firm has seen a considerable amount of action against heavy hitter corporations.

This includes a nearly $8 million dollar verdict against Rite Aid where a client was harassed and ultimately fired after sustaining a neck injury during a store robbery. It also includes a whopping $26 million dollar verdict against office supply giant Staples.

“To win against big corporations, it’s important to know how to thrive in your professional element and how to perform well under pressure,” says Cortney Shegerian. “The intensity can sometimes be nerve-wracking, but the successful outcomes always make things worth it in the end.”

Fighting MultiBillion Dollar Corporations

True, going against a multi-billionaire corporation can be an intimidating endeavor for any attorney. These companies do not take employee lawsuits lightly. They’ll hire the best of the best to represent clients’ interests and take every precaution to ensure that those interests are litigated to their advantage.

So what’s an employee rights attorney to do when their client is the underdog battling a Goliath corporation? The answer may not be what you think. As in many instances in life, to win a fight against a huge corporation, it’s not what you know, but who you know.

This is not to imply that winning against large corporations is an inside job, requiring nefarious pursuits to reach desired objectives. Rather, successful attorneys’ quote time and time again the value of reaching out to colleagues and senior partners for advice and encouragement when the stakes are high.

“I’m fortunate to be working with an expert group of trial lawyers, each with his or her own unique level of experience and expertise,” says Shegerian. “When I hit a roadblock in case analysis in the wee hours of the morning or when I need a sounding board for a risk-taking litigation strategy, my colleagues are an invaluable resource.”

Another element involved in high profile cases is, as always, successful attorney-client relations. When attorney-client relations are out of sync, the entire operation could go awry with costly consequences.

Even though an attorney should always get the last word when it comes to legal strategy, Shegerian stresses being consistently forthcoming and willing to communicate both the strengths and weaknesses of a case to a client, keeping a high level of trust carefully intact.

Employee Rights Boons for Attorneys with the Right Stuff

“One of the best and most successful ways to approach a case against a well-backed employer is to stay on top of the trends of the law,” says Cortney Shegerian. “For instance, right now, courts are really making the effort to broadly construe the dictates of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This means these types of cases can provide tons of room for clients’ claims to land a successful verdict if an attorney knows her stuff.”

Indeed, several areas in employee rights law are soaring right now. Wage and hour disputes are on the rise, and the Obama Administration’s recent changes to national overtime laws will surely advance overtime-related lawsuits in the very near future.

Also, on the rise are disputes regarding sex discrimination. “Sex discrimination is an area that is constantly growing and reshaping itself. The rising issues of sexual orientation and gender identity disputes characterized as sex discrimination should open the door to a very new and real side of sex discrimination involving the LGBT community,” says Shegerian.

Upholding Client Rights When the Stakes are High

What’s the best advice for attorneys going toe-to- toe with multi-billion dollar corporations? “Stay the course,” says Cortney Shegerian. “Always remember to put your clients’ interests first, and understand the law enough to know that, no matter how high the stakes, you’re fighting for the rights of someone who deserves justice according to the law.”

Source: http://abovethelaw.com/?sponsored_content=fighting-multi-billion-dollar-corporations-for-employee-rights

Are Anti-Harassment Efforts Falling Short” Yes, Says EEOC

Folks, loyal readers, here is a guest post blog from an esteemed, experienced trial lawyer in Los Angeles. Cortney Shegerian practices employment law in Los Angeles, California at her firm, Shegerian and Associates. She has mediated over 100 cases. Let’s hear what she has to say:

Sexual and non-sexual harassment is currently the number one reason why employees file complaints against their employers with the EEOC, and a new report may have discovered why these complaints are filed so frequently.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently released a report that showed anti-harassment strategies in the workplace are not as effective as they should be. The report showed that training efforts, which have been in place for over 30 years, are not effective in actually preventing harassment since they focus more on avoiding legal liability than stopping the behavior.

Harassment can happen to anyone, but the EEOC did identify a number of factors that could put employees more at risk of being a victim to harassment. These risk factors include:

• Lack of diversity in the workplace

• Workers who do not conform to workplace norms

• Cultural or language barriers

• External events that could impact employees’ prejudice (for example, terrorist attacks could cause some people to harass Middle Eastern employees)

• A workplace full of young workers

• Workplaces with significant power disparities

• Employees who receive tips or work in customer service

• Employees who do low-intensity tasks

• Isolated workspaces

• A culture that encourages alcohol consumption

The report also found that simply having a harassment policy in place is not enough to prevent it from occurring. In fact, many employees do not file complaints because they fear retaliation from their employers. According to the report, three out of four employees who are harassed because of their sex, race, religion or disability do not report it because they fear they will be blamed, called a liar or punished.

How can employers put an end to harassment? It is the employer’s responsibility to create an open and honest culture within the workplace where employees are encouraged to do the right thing and speak up when they are being harassed. Company culture is built at the top and makes its away down through the organization. Senior level executives and upper level management need to be responsible for setting the tone in the workplace.

To stop harassment, the EEOC also suggests a complete revamp of training procedures to include courses on bystander intervention and the basics of workplace civility. The latter will not focus on the specifics of harassment, but rather on how to respect one another in the workplace. Bystander intervention courses teach employees the importance of reporting inappropriate behavior and supporting their peers. It has been used on college campuses and proven to be successful, according to Chai R. Feldblum, Commissioner of the EEOC.

Finally, the EEOC has a number of resources available to employers, including a toolkit of compliance assistance measures for employers. The agency also plans on launching a campaign called “It’s On Us” to target harassment in the workplace. This campaign will be similar to the one that they launched to raise awareness about sexual assault on college campuses.

For more information about employment law in California, see http://www.shegerianlaw.com.

Source: http://www.sanantonioemploymentlawblog.com/2016/07/articles/discrimination/guest-post-are-anti-harassment-efforts-falling-short-yes-says-eeoc/

Cortney Simone Shegerian

Cortney Shegerian is an associate attorney with Shegerian and Associates. Her work includes all aspects of case management, with a particular emphasis on mediation, trial preparation and law and motion. Cortney Shegerian has drafted and argued in court numerous substantive motions, including Motions for Summary Judgment, Demurrers, Post-Trial Motions and Motions to Compel.

Cortney Shegerian places special emphasis on actively listening to clients and giving them an understanding of the legal process. Her goal is to enable all the firm’s clients to have the understanding and tools they need to assist the firm in vindicating their rights.

Cortney Shegerian – California Employment Attorney

Cortney Shegerian is an attorney at Shegerian & associates in Los Angeles County California. She has expertise in all aspects of legal management, with a particular prominence on law and motion, trial preparation and mediation. She has an aggressive approach to fighting for the rights of her clients, who contain victims of workplace harassment, sexual harassment, Physical disabilities, and personal injuries both inside and outside the workplace. Cortney Shegerian also takes care of company’s marketing efforts and contribute her distinctive and innovative techniques to maintain Shegerian & Associates one of the most well-known employment and injury law firm of California. 

How have you started this business? What was the inspiration behind to start this business? 

Shegerian & Associates was founded in 2000 by my uncle Carney Shegerian. He has put his effort to give a strong foundation to the firm and grow the firm from one employee to 20. I have joined the firm in 2013 helping firm marketing department to find opportunities for its growth. Later after graduating law school in 2013 became an associate attorney with the firm.

How do you gain money? 

The basic concept behind making money is a traditional compensation model where we typically retain a percentage of cases settled or won in trials.

In How much time frame you make a profit? 

The law firm is in a profitable place and successful since it has been founded by Carney Shegerian. Exponential growth has been marked over the years with the increase in employee strength. 

Was there ever a time when you have started your career you doubted it would work? 

I have lost my first ever trials in 2014, that was a jury trial. That client was wronged by their employer and we felt devastating that we did not win the case for our client. It was a setback for me but I handled it by discovering more, acquiring more valuable experience and acquiring a deeper understanding that law can be more of an art than a science. 

What is your best marketing strategy that you are using that works really well to generate new business? 

I strongly admit referrals are always on top but paying referral fees to other attorneys and law offices can get expensive. Other strategies which are working well is blogging, SEO, paid ads all are online traditional things, however, doing things right, with the right budget and the right people. 

What do you think the reason for your success is? 

I would say, I have a great education and great teachers around me. Despite my knowledge and amount of experience, a strong drive to get justice for my clients what really help the law firm be successful. 

Share your most satisfying moment in business? 

I feel satisfied when I see the true happiness on the client’s face after winning a trial or a settlement after years of emotional trauma from being wrong in the workplace.