Hudock Employment Law Group

Robert Hudock says clients often bring their employment litigation to his firm when they lose confidence in the big law firms that had been representing them.

Those clients call him concerned because their defense firms aren't communicating well. "The clients are very worried because they don't have any information and they're unsure about what's happening with their litigation," he said.

This happened last year when Southern California body armor manyfacturer U.S. Amor asked him to take over defending two cases from a much larger firm. One was an individual plaintiff's disability discrimination and wrongful termination suit and the other was a wage-and-hour class action.

The discovery cutoff was three weeks away when he joined the disability case, and trial was set for a month later. "Within two weeks, we had the trial continued, depositions on calendar and had undertaken significant investigation that hadn't been done before," he said. He also deposed the plaintiff and is readying a motion for summary judgment. "which I think has a really good chance of success." Melendez v. U.S. Armor Corp., 20STCV35362 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed Sept. 16, 2020).

In the wage-and-hour case, he promptly contacted the plaintiffs' attorney to get the case moving. "Now that thing is running along smoothly." Adame v. U.S. Armor Corp., 2OSTCV39693 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed Oct. 14, 2020).

He took over defending one of Colorado's first cannabis companies early last year in a wide-ranging employment lawsuit by its former CFO just as the plaintiff was about to win a default judgment. "We got them out of that mess and litigated the case," he said. "The position they're in now in no way even closely resembles what they came to me with." Gaudio v. Critical Mass Industries LLC, 2:19-CV-08214 (C.D. Cal., filed Sept. 23. 2019).

Hudock started his current firm in 2015 after working at large firms and seeing how they managed their work. "I made myself a student of client service and case handling and ways in which they might be improved," he said.

The main flaw he discovered is that a large firm would often assign a partner. a senior associate and a junior associate to a case, but the three would largely work separately. "There is no one person that can give the client information about the case ... and how it's all working together," he said.

At his own firm, he and his two colleagues work closely together and keep in close contact with their clients.

They make sure that clients "know exactly what they need o know in order to feel comfortable with what's going on, how decisions are being made and how to contribute meaningfully," he said.

Senior associate Eliza Langdon Oliver said the firm's responsiveness to clients differentiates it from many others. A client sued for the first time is scared, she said. "They need an attorney who's going to be responsive to them and also educate them ... so that they aren't just feeling left out in the dark. I think that's something that we do a really good job with."

The firm also consults and advises clients about ongoing employment issues. He advises statewide mental health and social services organization HealthRight 360 on many issues, he said. He also advises Ararat Home of Los Angeles. Inc.. an elder care organization with several facilities, which he guided during the pandemic.

A newer client is Me Gusta Mexican Foods, which manufactures tamales and taquitos. Hudock's firm handled several lawsuits for the company, Oliver said. "Now we're also involved in putting in place various policies and procedures and helping them learn how to run a larger company."