< Previous“As attorneys, we get to help immigrant families with their legal problems, but we lose the opportunity to get them involved in the community,” adds Diamante, whose childhood experience as a volun- teer adolescent LAPD Explorer Scout had a tremendous impact on his life. “Volunteering in the community with others builds immigrants’ social skills and much-needed confidence.” Diamante, whose downtown Los Angeles office is comprised of multiple attorneys and a small staff, plus the occasional presence of his Mariachi-loving 16-month daughter, Luna, holds his community in high regard, especially as he reaches his 25th anniversary of practice. “Memories of all the families we have kept together against great- est of odds coupled with the outrage of the status quo motivate me to continue the good fight,” Diamante says. “I think there’s a lot of people who feel something similar.” At a Glance Diamante Law Group APLC 510 West 6th Street Los Angeles, CA 90014 (213) 943-4555 www.diamantelaw.com Practice Areas Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law Education Juris Doctor, Loyola Law School, 1995 Bachelor’s Degree, University of California, Berkeley Professional Memberships Mexican American Bar Association, Board Member & Past-President American Immigration Lawyers Association’s National Consumer Protection Committee, Former Chair Citizens Against the Unauthorized Practice of Law, Former President Los Angeles County Bar Association National Lawyers Guild Honors Mexican American Bar Association, Attorney of the Year, 2003 California Rural Legal Assistance, Ambassador For Justice Award, 2019 “More often than not, anti-immigrant measures are supported by flawed statistics and ‘alternative’ facts.”Solutions to advise service professionals on strategic initiatives for growth. Whether it is advancing the business, differentiating your services, or developing the next generation of business talent, we determine your growth objectives, take into consideration organizational preferences, and deliver a strategic roadmap for increasing top-line revenue. TO LEARN MORE, CONTACT JONATHAN FITZGARRALD AT 424.277.3200 OR VISIT EquinoxStrategy.com FOCUS On the clients you have and the clients you want.T he next time you ask a new client for a check to satisfy their retainer, they just might say, “What’s a check?” The payments landscape is quickly evolving as more and more Millennials along with Generation Z workers enter the workforce. Make no mistake, we are quickly be- coming a cash-less society. As the payments landscape changes, lawyers in particu- lar are adapting by increasing their acceptance of credit card payments. The number one reason is to receive pay- ment faster, thus reducing Accounts Receivable balances. Depending on your credit card processor, some have the ability to deliver fast instant funding directly to your bank within seconds of a transaction. Another reason is to provide clients the convenience to easily pay using their preferred payment method. Credit card payments can be collected traditionally in person, by phone and via Automated Clearing House. Software-driv- en payment solutions allow cards to be accepted online through your existing website, via a mobile device, via a virtual receptionist and via a desktop, as well as by email- ing the client an invoice with a link to pay. Why limit the collection of payments to within business hours when you can extend this convenience on a 24/7 basis? Most working families reconcile their finances in the evening or on the week- ends, not Monday morning at 9 a.m. By mak- ing it easier for your clients to pay, your prac- tice will get paid faster, thus reducing accounts receivable and allowing your staff to focus time growing the practice instead of chasing delin- quent clients. Paying credit card fees is less expensive than devoting payroll hours towards the collection of an out- standing AR balance. Ways to Pay As mentioned, there are a multitude of ways to conve- niently and securely accept credit card payments from your clients: A Virtual Terminal. This allows a desktop PC to be converted into a payment processing terminal. Vir- tual terminals allow businesses to securely store sensitive credit card data, on the processors servers which reduces your PCI scope, for recurring billing purposes. Electronic Bill-Pay Solutions. These eliminate the practice of snail-mailing paper invoices by allowing electronic invoices to be emailed or texted with a click- to-pay link that can track payment progress. This conve- nient solution allows businesses to get paid faster by giv- ing clients the personal choice to pay via their preferred method, whether it be phone, Web, mobile device or in person. Hosted Payment Pages. These simple yet elegant pages allow clients to make online payments any- where, from any device 24/7 (yes, even when your office is closed!). Hosted payment pages have the added benefit of allowing the business owner to charge a convenience fee to offset or completely eliminate payment processing fees altogether. These technology-enabled, software-driven payment solutions are how payments will be handled as we prog- ress into being a cashless society. The shift toward process- ing via technology heightens the need for strong data en- cryption security protocol to prevent financially devastat- ing breaches that have hit big companies and knocked out small companies who do not have the resources to recover from fees as well as negative press. Recent breaches in- clude Capital One which exposed 100 million credit card users, Equifax, Buca di Beppo, Planet Hollywood, Marri- ott Hotels, Kay Jewelers, Macy’s, Lord &Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue—and the impact and list continue to grow. Skip the Middleman When evaluating payment processors, many business owners and law firms are quick to focus on price. How- ever, chasing the cheapest solution can wind up being the most costly to one’s practice. Instead, focus on partnering with a core processor that actually processes the transactions of payments across its secure plat- form. Avoid partnering with a middleman or a re- seller who does not own a processing platform but rather outsources payments to another company for processing. For example, Bank of America and Wells Fargo are the two largest middlemen who resell merchant services. However, nei- ther bank processes a single credit card transaction. Ensure that your processor takes security seriously. The most reputable processors offer the highest level of credit and debit card security available to protect against card- present data fraud and credit card breaches. They achieve this level of security by combining EMV electronic chip card technology to authenticate that a consumer’s card is genuine with end-to-end Encryption technology, which immediately encrypts credit and debit card data as it is en- tered so that no one else can read it. They also employ Tokenization technology, which re- places card data with “tokens” which take the credit card information out of the equation, keeping it hidden from thieves. All of this data security should be backed by an unprecedented breach warranty offered to all merchants included at no additional cost. Whatever method is best for your practice, taking ad- vantage of electronic payments will keep efficiency high and costs and stress level low. Steve Martino is relationship manager for Heartland, a payment processing and technology provider. He can be reached at steve. martino@e-hps.com and (213) 675-4413. Put it on the Card: The New Technologies for Accepting Payments By Steve Martino 1 2 3 ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · LOS ANGELES · VOL. 5 NO. 5 22In September 2019, an unknown whistleblower filed a com- plaint that involved conversa- tions President Trump had with the president of Ukraine. The allegations state that President Trump pressured the Ukrainian president to investigate Joe Biden’s efforts to remove a prosecu- tor while Biden was a sitting vice presi- dent. The details of this complaint are still unfolding. A whistleblower filed the complaint with Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community. Atkinson found that the complaint was of “urgent concern and credible.” The complaint was filed through a 1998 law called the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act which created procedures for employees to divulge misconduct while, according to the Washington Post, guaranteeing that classified information stays classi- fied. This law provides that the intelli- gence whistleblower is “protected from retaliation so long as he or she follows the protocol when filing a complaint.” Generally, whistleblower laws should protect whistleblowers from retaliation against anyone who reports employer misconduct — even if that employer is the U.S. government. The danger of retaliation includes more than just termination of employment. It can also include the threat of crimi- nal prosecution. Federal Whistleblower Laws Most whistleblower claims are brought under the Federal False Claims Act. Whistleblower.org defines these various federal laws as follows: “False Claims Act / Qui Tam — This qui tam law allows for whistleblow- ers to file a claim on behalf of the U.S. government against any entity that has defrauded the government. Whistle- blowers may be eligible for a reward between 15-30 percent of the amount recovered. … IRS / Qui Tam — Allows individuals who provide original in- formation to the IRS about violation of tax laws or the underpayment of taxes to be eligible for a reward conditional on the collected proceeds obtained by the IRS.” Other whistleblower protection laws include: Intelligence whistleblow- er claim, Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) / Qui Tam, Wildlife Whistleblower / Qui Tam, Sarbanes- Oxley Act, Dodd-Frank Act / Securi- ties Qui Tam, and Dodd-Frank Act / Commodities Qui Tam. The Occupa- tional Safety Health Administration’s Whistleblower Protection program is another whistleblower protection law. CA-specific Whistleblower Laws In California, it is the public policy to encourage employees to notify an appropriate government or law en- forcement agency, person with au- thority over the employee, or another employee with authority to investigate the violation or noncompliance, when they have reason to believe their em- ployer is violating a state or federal statute, or violating or not complying with a local, state or federal rule or regulation. This is codified in the California La- bor Code, specifically section 1102.5. Under this section, if an employer retaliates against a whistleblower, the employer may be required to reinstate the employee’s employment and work benefits, pay lost wages, and take other steps necessary to comply with the law. Another Labor Code section 98.6 prohibits employers from taking ad- verse action against an employee who has filed, threatened to file or par- ticipated in claim with the California Division of Labor Standards Enforce- ment. The employee would be protect- ed under jurisdiction from the Labor Commissioner regarding claims for violation of Labor Codes or the Indus- trial Welfare Commission. While not considered a whistle- blower statute, Labor Code Sections 6310 and 6311 provide protection for employees that find themselves work- ing in health and safety violations. Labor Code Section 6310 provides that any employee who has been dis- charged or discriminated against in the terms and conditions of employ- ment because she made a bona fide oral or written complaint to her em- ployer of unsafe working conditions or work practices is entitled to reinstate- ment and reimbursement for lost wag- es. Section 6311 permits the employee to refuse to perform the work where the violation would create a real and apparent hazard to the employee or his or her fellow employees. Health and Safety Code Section 1278.5 similarly provides protections for patients, nurses, members of the medical staff, and other health care workers to notify government entities of suspected unsafe patient care and conditions What Protections are Afforded to Whistleblowers? An employer may not make, adopt, or enforce any rule, regulation, or policy preventing an employee from being a whistleblower. An employer may not retaliate against an employee who is a whistleblower. An employer may not retaliate against an employee for refusing to participate in an activ- ity that would result in a violation of a state or federal statute, or a violation or noncompliance with a state or federal rule or regulation. An employer may not retaliate against an employee for having exercised his or her rights as a whistleblower in any former employ- ment. STEPHEN DANZ AND NAVID KANANI | Employment Law Stephen Danz is founding partner of Stephen Danz & Associates, one of the largest Cali- fornia law firms committed to representing employees in their disputes with employers. Navid Kanani of JS Abrams Law teamed up with Stephen to litigate for employees in the courtroom. Combined, their firms have more than 50 years of experience fighting for employees, including their right to file whistleblower claims. Together they have suc- cessfully represented whistleblowers before federal and state agencies and in federal and state courts in hundreds of cases. They can be reached to file whistleblower claims for any type of fraud or misconduct at (877) 789-9707. The Whistleblower Laws Available to Employees Navid KananiStephen Danz AttorneyAtLawMagazine.com 23AALM: What exactly is Justice HQ, and how is it different from other shared workspaces and lawyer suites? Simon: Justice HQ is an exclusive membership of consumer advocate attorneys. It isn’t a co-working or a shared workspace. Will Members be using the spaces to work with, and in close proximity, to their peers? Sure. But it goes far beyond that. For a monthly membership fee (that is less than your typical office rent in some of these areas), you’ll join a network of prominent attorneys with a wide range of fields of practice and expertise. You also gain access to our list of preferred vendors, who will be offering their invaluable services at a discounted price to Members. AALM: So there are benefits that go along with the membership, beyond just office space? Simon: Absolutely. We want these lawyers set up for success. We know how difficult it is to find the perfect staff member or third-party vendor for your business needs. Included in the membership fee is having all of your mail sorted and scanned with OCR technology. We’ll have an interfaced app that Members can access to reserve conference rooms, mock-trial rooms, or our soundproof phone booths. The app will also include a Members- only chatroom, where you can reach out to other Members with any questions you may have about your cases. And, Justice HQ will have Members-only seminars, community events, and networking opportunities. HQ Robert Simon on Justice ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · LOS ANGELES · VOL. 5 NO. 5 24Law Firm Spotlight Our vendors will offer services like filmed depositions, media and branding, private investigators, court reporting — and, I think the most important aspect — case management. AALM: What compelled you to start something like this? Simon: I went out on my own three years after passing the bar, hiring the only staff I could afford — my fresh-from-college brother, Brandon. We shared a tiny (and extremely expensive) office space in Los Angeles. We quickly realized there is a steep learning curve associated with figuring out how to effectively run your own business, and luckily, we were able to convince my twin brother and fellow attorney, Brad, to help. He managed the business aspects of the firm so that I could focus on doing what I loved — being a trial attorney. Was it easy? Absolutely not. But we were hungry, and I see the same hungry associates every day. Unfortunately, not everyone is lucky enough to have two brothers they inherently trust to run their firm. But fast forward to now. On a daily basis, younger and newer attorneys constantly reach out to me for advice or guidance. We started to realize that this industry didn’t have a way to collaborate in real-time — to strategize with our peers. Justice HQ is your favorite list-serve brought to life. We created Justice HQ to provide these attorneys with all the support they need to thrive and grow their own brand. AALM: What kind of individual would benefit from joining Justice HQ? Simon: I think the beautiful thing about Justice HQ is that it’s not just for one type of individual. It’s for attorneys wanting to go solo, but who are currently afraid of taking the risk. It can be difficult to go out on your own — you’re afraid you may lack credibility, or you think you haven’t built up enough experience. With Justice HQ, you can be solo, but know you’ll never be alone — our network of attorneys are all fighting for the same cause, for the consumer, and we all want you to succeed. Justice HQ is also for you. We offer small- business solutions to those attorneys who have found it difficult to find quality staff and administrative support. Have all the resources of a sophisticated law firm at your fingertips, but still have the freedom of running your own firm. Even if you’re not focusing on having your own practice, you can join Justice HQ just to have access to a reputable and trusted space to outsource clients and cases. AALM: Describe the culture at JHQ. Simon: All our members are vetted to ensure they add to the culture and community that we are building. You have to be driven and motivated to do more. You have to be ethical in the way you practice law and in the way you treat others. You have to be a visionary and realize the potential in introducing the brightest tech minds to the brightest legal minds. We no longer have to compete for cases — we’re collaborating for the common good. All Members need to embrace and embody that notion. I like to say we have a “chill ego-system.” It doesn’t matter if you’ve been practicing law for one or fifty years, each Member is coming to this space to share ideas, to strategize, to empower others and themselves to think beyond the proverbial box. AALM: What changes do you see on the horizon for the legal industry, especially pertaining to this arrangement/organization? Simon: The legal industry needs to change. Traditional law firm settings have run their course, and we’re welcoming in the new age of law with Justice HQ. Gone are the days of having to spend sunup to sundown in an antiquated office, never leaving any free time for your family or for yourself. Imagine every attorney structuring their firm in the way that best suits their lifestyle, with all the support traditionally offered when working for a large firm. You should have the freedom of running your own business your own way. This new age of law is one that is fueled by efficiency, technology, and collaboration. We’re offering cloud-based technology and an integrated app - keeping you organized, on-track, and constantly updated with your cases and clients in real-time. Need to bring on another Member to help you on a case? Members are ideally all integrated with the same case management software, making it easier than ever to collaborate. And what is more fun than being in a space with 50-100 like-minded friends, who are all fighting the same fight? Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that? With Justice HQ, you can be solo, but know you’ll never be alone — our network of attorneys are all fighting for the same cause, for the consumer, and we all want you to succeed.” Out on the Town Iranian American Lawyers Association 25th Annual Installation Dinner at Upper West Azadeh Dadgostar Gilbert, Bernadet Babasi, Saman Rejali, Armand Jafari, Farid Golshani, Golnar Monfared and Sonya Ostovar Brett Bjornson and Solo Scott Ian Fussleman and Morvareed Salehpour Joy Auerbach and Mario Meza Larry Walls, Roman Garagulagian and Laura Adams Michelle Etchebarren, Jade-Alexis Lee and Carmen Sabater Feridoon Monfared, Sasha Rumburg, Golnar Monfared, Yana Pasbyan and Manigeh Monfared Aaron Shechet, Leigh Chandler and Verena Wieditz Tony Brown and Jennifer Millier George Rosenberg and Jim DeSimone Tiffiny Fox, Sunita Popal and Chantelle Ameli Roger Rosen and Jim DeSimone Santa Monica Bar Association Summer Party and SMBA Elections of Officers & Board of Trustee at California Yacht Club ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · LOS ANGELES · VOL. 5 NO. 5 26Thiago Coelho, Justin Marquez and Jodey Lawrence Arash Hashemi, Noel Hamilton and Howard Breuer John Emrani, Roger Sayegh and René Martinez Sabrina Cohan, Leila Mahooti and Maryam Atighechi Ava Faramarzpour and Mitch Tarighati Ahmed Ghadilyali and Roni Gershom Mohamed Eldessouky, Ese Omofoma and Derek Tran Jan Frankel Schali and Mitch Tarighati Shahrooz Shahnavaz, Golnar Monfared and Arash Pershen Kathy Ultreras and Vanessa Hernandez Sharen Ghatan, Evlin Saghian, Michelle Etchebarren and Mario Meza Ron Makarem, Dan Forouzan and Kerry Wright Kathy Foster and Jeremy Lindahl Andy Basseri, Sina Aryeh and Arash Pershen Iranian American Bar Association Los Angeles Annual Summer Mixer at SIXTY Beverly Hills Downtown L.A. Bar Association Summer Rooftop Mixer at 1010 Wilshire Westside Bar Association MCLE: Labor & Employment at Sofitel AttorneyAtLawMagazine.com 27 Jennifer Millier, Santa Monica Bar As- sociation president, has formed Millier Law, a boutique litiga- tion practice focused on product safety, business, employment and intellec- tual property litigation. Rosenfeld Meyer & Susman announced that Robert W. Stanley, a certified family law specialist, will join the firm as a partner to run the firm’s Family Law Group previously run by the now-retired Ovvie Miller. Stanley handles all aspects of divorces and also negotiates and drafts all forms of relationship agreements, including cohabitation, pre-partnership, pre- marital and post-nuptial agree- ments. Wolf, Rifkin, Shap- iro, Schulman & Rab- kin LLP has welcomed corporate attorney Eli Shahmoon to its Los Angeles team. Shah- moon has more than 20 years of experience advising cli- ents in all aspects of corporate law, including public and private financ- ing, venture capital and fund forma- tion, mergers and acquisitions, com- pliance and general business operations. After 50 years prac- ticing law in Beverly Hills, Daniel J. Jaffe has opened Jaffe Fam- ily Law Group in Cen- tury City with five professionals from his previous firm, Jaffe and Clemens . The firm practices family law, including division of property and debts, child support and custody counsel, divorce taxation, prenuptial, post- nuptial and cohabitation agree- ments, paternity/parentage, media- tion and substantial litigation before public and private judges. Also join- ing the team are partners William S. Ryden and Sandra P. Mendell as well as Mara Berke, who is of counsel and attorneys Nancy Braden-Parker and Alysia S. Evans. Signature Resolu- tion announces the addition of Hon. Scott Gordon (Ret.) to its panel of neutrals. With more than 40 years of experience at the local, state, national and interna- tional level, Judge Gordon previous- ly served on the Los Angeles Superi- or Court for 17 years and spent nine years in leadership positions as the Assistant Supervising and Supervis- ing Judge of the Family Law and Criminal Divisions. Alan Friedman has joined Signature Reso- lution’s panel of neu- trals. With more than 50 years of experience as an employment and labor law attorney, Friedman has handled hundreds of employment disputes in California and nationally. Suzanne Natbony has been pro- moted to partner at international law firm Aliant LLP , where she practices are startup/business/corporate, en- tertainment, healthcare, employ- ment and real estate. Kirkland & Ellis announces that Robert M. Keane Jr. has joined the firm’s downtown Los Angeles office as a partner in the Real Estate Prac- tice Group. Mr. Keane concentrates his practice primarily on the repre- sentation of private equity firms, op- portunity funds, domestic and inter- national companies, investment banks, commercial banks, non-regu- lated lenders and pension funds in real estate-related equity invest- ments, joint venture formations, lending, acquisitions and disposi- tions, and debt restructuring, work- outs and reorganizations. Business and real estate law firm Newmeyer & Dillion LLP announces the launch of its new brand, New- meyer Dillion, marking the firm’s 35th anniversary and its continued commitment to providing legal ser- vices that propel clients’ businesses in a broad range of industries. The new brand underscores three and a half decades of steady firm growth and a client-first approach to legal services. The Beverly Hills Bar Association and Foun- dation announced that Marc R. Staenberg will retire as CEO. He will step down on Dec. 31, 2019, after a 16-year tenure with the legal organization. Staenberg, who was appointed CEO in AWARDS ANNOUNCEMENTS PRESS RELEASES EVENTS PROMOTIONS ACTIVITIES HONORS RECOGNITIONS TALK TOWN of the SUBMIT PRESS RELEASES FOR NEXT MONTH’S TALK OF THE TOWN AT WWW.ATTORNEYATLAWMAGAZINE.COM/SUBMIT-TOT/ Robert Stanley Eli Shahmoon Daniel Jaffe Sandra P. MendellJennifer Millier Hon. Scott Gordon Marc R. Staenberg Alan Friedman ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · LOS ANGELES · VOL. 5 NO. 5 282004, will be named CEO emeritus upon his retirement. Kirkland & Ellis LLP announces that Albert W. Stemp has joined the firm’s Los Angeles office as a partner in the Real Estate Practice Group. Stemp ad- vises a diverse group of clients on a broad range of real estate transactions. The Iranian American Lawyers Asso- ciation swore in its 2019-2020 officers and board members as follows: Outgoing President Chantelle Ameli , President Azadeh Dadgostar Gilbert , Presi- dent-Elect Bernadet Babasi, Treasurer Saman Rejali, Secretary Armand Jafari, and board members Farid Golshani , Ashkahn Mohamadi , Golnar V. Monfared , Arameh O’Boyle and Sonya Ostovar . Lathrop Gage LLP announces the formation of its 11th practice group, Intellectual Property Litigation. Part- ner Erica Van Loon leads the new group. An experienced trial attorney, Van Loon’s 15-year practice focuses in the areas of complex copyright, trade- mark, trade secrets and patent litigation. Wolf, Rifkin, Shapiro, Schulman & Rabkin LLP announces that Christiane Kinney has joined the firm’s Enter- tainment group as a partner in the firm’s Los Angeles office. Her practic- es focuses on entertainment law transactions, brand management, and intellectual property litigation. Greenberg Glusker attorney Jeff Krieger and his wife, Wendy, have been named recipients of the Human- itarian Award by Special Olympics of Southern California . The Kriegers have been volunteer leaders for Spe- cial Olympics since 2001, and he has been on the Board of Directors for more than 16 years, serving as chairman of the board from 2016 to 2018. As a partner at the law firm of Greenberg Glusker, Krieger’s firm has been a sponsor of Pier Del Sol, an annual fundraiser held at the Santa Mon- ica Pier, since 2001 and advises SOSC on a variety of matters on a pro bono basis. Mayer Brown announced that it has expanded its Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice with the addition of veteran U.S. Department of Justice prosecutor Jason Linder, who joins the firm as a partner in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Linder advises corporations and execu- tives on government and regulatory actions, internal investiga- tions and corporate compliance matters, and white collar criminal defense. Glenn Vanzura joins Mayer Brown ’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice as a partner in Los Angeles. Vanzura focuses his practice on securi- ties class action and derivative litigation, SEC in- vestigations and enforcement actions, complex business litigation, white collar criminal defense and internal corporate investigations Robins Kaplan LLP announces that its colleague Jennifer Leland has been named incoming presi- dent of the Women Lawyers As- sociation of Los Angeles . Her yearlong term began with an in- stallation dinner and centennial celebration. Additionally, Christina Lincoln was installed as co-chair of WLALA’s Diversity Committee and Lauren Birkenstock was named incoming co-chair of the Young Lawyers Sec- tion. Leland has over 20 years of experience as a litigator. AWARDS ANNOUNCEMENTS PRESS RELEASES EVENTS PROMOTIONS ACTIVITIES HONORS RECOGNITIONS Erica Van Loon Christiane Kinney Jeff Krieger Jason Linder Christina Lincoln Lauren Birkenstock Jennifer Leland Albert W. Stemp Glenn VanzuraNext >