Employment discrimination attorneys with over 30 years of experience representing employees in San Francisco and across California.
If you’ve been demoted, passed over, or forced out of a job because of your race, gender, age, disability, or another characteristic the law protects, you may have a legal claim worth pursuing. Bloom Fudali has represented employees and plaintiffs in civil litigation since 1992. Our San Francisco, CA employment discrimination lawyer takes qualifying cases on a contingency basis, meaning there are no fees unless we win your case. Contact us to schedule a free consultation.
Employment Discrimination Lawyer San Francisco, CA
An employment discrimination attorney in San Francisco handles civil claims brought by workers who have suffered adverse treatment because of a characteristic the law protects. In California, those protections are broad and include race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, and pregnancy. All of these characteristics fall within the scope of state and federal anti-discrimination law.
Not every difficult or unfair workplace situation constitutes unlawful discrimination. The legal question is whether the adverse action, termination, demotion, pay reduction, or denial of promotion was motivated by one of those protected categories. An experienced San Francisco job discrimination attorney helps you understand that distinction, assess what the evidence shows, and pursue the recovery you may be owed.
Types of Employment Discrimination Cases We Handle in San Francisco
Bloom Fudali represents only employees and plaintiffs in civil litigation. We take no cases on behalf of employers. Below are the types of workplace discrimination matters we regularly handle in San Francisco and throughout California.
- Race discrimination. Employers cannot lawfully base hiring decisions, pay, promotions, or disciplinary actions on an employee’s race or color. We represent workers who have faced slurs, unequal treatment, or terminations that had more to do with bias than any legitimate performance concern.
- Gender and sex discrimination. This includes wage disparities, exclusion from advancement opportunities based on gender, and adverse treatment tied to gender identity or expression.
- Sexual harassment. Quid pro quo demands and hostile work environment harassment are recognized forms of sex discrimination under both California and federal law. Bloom Fudali has recovered tens of millions of dollars for sexual harassment victims, including multi-million dollar jury verdicts.
- LGBTQ+ discrimination. Targeting employees because of sexual orientation or gender identity, including through deadnaming, misgendering, or other hostile conduct, is illegal. We have fought and won for transgender and LGBTQ+ workers in San Francisco and throughout California.
- Age discrimination. Systematically pushing out workers over 40, bypassing them for advancement, or selecting them disproportionately for layoffs based on age is unlawful. We handle claims under both California and federal age discrimination law.
- Pregnancy discrimination. California law protects employees from adverse treatment connected to pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions. We handle denied leave claims, demotions, and terminations tied to pregnancy status.
- Disability discrimination. Employers are required to offer reasonable accommodations for qualifying physical and mental disabilities. We represent workers denied those accommodations or targeted because of a medical condition.
- Religious discrimination. Penalizing an employee for their religious beliefs or practices, or refusing a reasonable accommodation request, is prohibited under California and federal law.
- Retaliation. Firing, demoting, or otherwise punishing an employee for filing a complaint, reporting discrimination, or participating in an investigation is an independent legal violation. It is among the most common claims we see alongside primary discrimination matters.
- Wrongful termination. When a firing is driven by a protected characteristic or follows a discrimination complaint, it may support a wrongful termination claim in addition to the underlying discrimination matter.
Why Choose Bloom Fudali as My Employment Discrimination Lawyer in San Francisco, CA?
A Practice Built Around Representing Employees
Lisa Bloom founded Bloom Fudali in 2010 with a singular focus, to represent employees and victims, never corporations. She has been practicing law since the early 1990s and was admitted to the California State Bar in 1992. Lisa earned her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1986.
Our employment lawyer in San Francisco, CA, she has been named a Super Lawyer every year since 2015. She is a nationally recognized legal commentator who has appeared regularly on CNN, ABC, NBC, and CBS, and is the daughter of nationally prominent civil rights attorney Gloria Allred.
Results That Reflect the Work
Bloom Fudali has recovered millions of dollars for employees in employment discrimination and harassment matters. In September 2025, the firm secured an award of over $1.8 million in a gender pay discrimination case under the California Equal Pay Act. Our employment case results span a range of discrimination and harassment claims, reflecting a track record built through litigation, not just settlement. We take qualifying employment discrimination cases on contingency, which means you pay nothing unless we win.
Understanding Employment Discrimination Cases
Protected Classes, Claims, and Damages in Employment Discrimination Cases
California’s anti-discrimination framework is among the strongest in the country. Employees in San Francisco are protected from adverse treatment based on:
- Race, color, ancestry, and national origin
- Sex, gender, gender identity, and gender expression
- Sexual orientation
- Religion and religious creed
- Physical and mental disability
- Age (California’s state law protections extend beyond the federal threshold)
- Pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions
- Marital status and medical condition in certain circumstances
To establish a viable discrimination claim, an employee generally must show membership in a protected class, an adverse employment action, and a connection between the two. That connection is usually circumstantial, and employers rarely admit discriminatory intent. Cases are built on patterns, such as who was treated differently, when the adverse action occurred relative to a complaint, how the employer’s stated reason shifts over time. Even in an at-will employment state, a firing motivated by a protected characteristic is unlawful.
Damages in successful employment discrimination cases can include back pay and lost wages, front pay for lost future earnings, compensation for emotional distress, and punitive damages in cases involving malicious or oppressive conduct. Prevailing employees may also recover attorney’s fees and litigation costs under California and federal law.
Important Aspects of an Employment Discrimination Case
Discrimination cases are rarely simple. The line between a bad boss and illegal discrimination can seem unclear, but legally the distinction matters and the evidence that proves it is specific.
- What you reported to HR or management, when, and in what form.
- How similarly situated employees outside your protected class were treated by the same decision-makers.
- Whether the stated reason for the adverse action holds up against the actual record.
- Whether retaliation followed a complaint or other protected activity.
- How management responded, or failed to respond, to a hostile work environment after it was raised.
How an employer reacts after a complaint is filed can be as important as the underlying conduct. An investigation that’s cursory, a complaint dismissed without action, or a sudden change in how the reporting employee is treated all become relevant to the claim. We recommend keeping records of everything.
Employment Discrimination Case Timeline
Deadlines for employment discrimination cases matter. Missing the deadline can bar a claim entirely, so it is important to act quickly. Generally, this is how the timeline for employment discrimination cases are processed:
- CRD filing: Under FEHA, employees generally have three years from the date of the discriminatory act to file a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD). Federal discrimination claims carry a 300-day deadline for California employees.
- Right-to-sue notice: After the CRD issues a right-to-sue notice, employees typically have one year to file a civil lawsuit in California court. Federal right-to-sue notices carry a shorter 90-day deadline.
- Discovery: Both sides exchange documents and take depositions, a process that typically takes six to twelve months depending on the case complexity.
- Mediation or settlement: Many cases resolve during this phase, though it is not guaranteed.
- Trial: Cases that don’t settle proceed to a jury or bench trial. We have tried cases and won.
What to Bring to Your Employment Discrimination Consultation
Bring whatever you have to your consultation appointment. A complete file is not required for a first conversation.
- Written communications with HR or your employer about the conduct you experienced or the complaint you filed.
- Performance reviews, disciplinary notices, and any termination or demotion documentation.
- A written timeline with dates, names, and any witnesses you recall.
- Pay records, offer letters, or other documentation reflecting wage disparities or unequal treatment.
California Legal Resources for Employment Discrimination Cases
Workers in San Francisco facing employment discrimination can reach state and federal agencies for information and complaint filing. Which agency handles your claim, and how long you have to contact it, depends on whether your claim falls under California law, federal law, or both.
- California Civil Rights Department (CRD): Handles FEHA-based discrimination complaints and currently accepts filings up to three years from the date of the discriminatory act.
- U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: Enforces federal anti-discrimination statutes and carries a 300-day filing deadline for employees in California.
- California Labor Commissioner’s Office: Provides resources for workers dealing with discriminatory pay practices and related wage claims.
- U.S. Department of Labor: Offers guidance on federal protections for workers facing discrimination in the workplace.
- EEOC Charge Filing Page: The step-by-step process of submitting a federal discrimination charge.
Reach Out to Bloom Fudali to Schedule a Consultation
If you believe you’ve experienced employment discrimination in San Francisco, CA, Bloom Fudali is ready to review your case. We represent employees exclusively and take qualifying cases on contingency, with no fees unless we win. During your free consultation, we’ll discuss what happened, what evidence is most relevant, and what your realistic legal options look like. Contact us to get started.