I was very pleased with the services of Jonathan Jackel of Rousso & Jackel. Without too much detail, I was employed for many years by a large out-of-state corporation who forfeited my unused vacation hours each year. When I resigned from the company I requested payment of my forfeited hours of vacation but was rebuffed. I retained Jonathan Jackel after interviewing several other law firms. I hope he is not offended by my comments, but I choose Jonathan because he was the most down-to-earth individual of all the attorney's interviewed. He didn't appear to have a huge ego and he came across as genuine and trustworthy. Also, in my opinion it is important in wage claims cases, particularly in front of the DLSE, to have an attorney who knows the system and who doesn't come off as a slick corporate attorney. On to my story, the company fought my claim and at a DLSE hearing Jonathan represented me while a large corporate law firm attorney from Los Angeles represented the employer. The result was a victory in the DLSE hearing for $33K. But all was not over. Of course my former employer appealed the case to the Superior Court of CA. This meant we started all over again and it eventually ends up with a trial. Although the process took about 3-years due to the court system, we eventually went to trial in front of a Judge, known as a "De Novo" or "bench trial." Again, the slick corporate attorney from LA representing my former employer and Jonathan Jackel representing me. We met beforehand to prepare, even meeting on a Sunday for several hours (wow). Jonathan was well prepared with a trial binder with all exhibits numbered, organized and easy to find. He encourages his client to participate and read all of the materials. Come Monday we start trial, Jonathan makes his opening statement and then I take the stand for the next 4 1/2 hours. Just like the movies, the defense attorney tries to get me to slip up on the witness stand, Jonathan does what he needs to do when appropriate and by the end of the day the judge said she was ready to give us her verdict. Despite the tactics of the defense attorney and their witness who lied, Jonathan stuck to our case and we were victorious, winning a judgement of $48K plus attorney's fees which I am guessing will be about another $17K back to me, for a total of approximately $65K. I highly recommend Jonathan, he is ethical, intelligent, witty and most of all, effective. He knows labor law and how to present an argument on behalf of a plaintiff. read more

I highly recommend both Nora and Jonathan. From my first meeting with them I knew that they would be keeping my best interests at hand. I worked predominantly with Jonathan over the course of several months and his perspective was always transparent and encouraging. It's not often that you find yourself in the position of 'taking on' a former employer, and from personal experience, that feeling can be overwhelming. Should you find yourself in a similar situation, do not hesitate to give Nora or Jonathan a call. read more

I had an employment issue with a startup company I worked for about a year and they tried to gauge about $60k of my wages & travel expenses. After interviewing a few employment attorneys, I chose Jonathan because he was very patient at listening to my cases and showed me how the process works and how he would approach the case. All other lawyers would like to have me pay some up front, and take 40% of the eventual winning. Jonathan instead gives flexibility of payment options, and I ended up choosing the hourly based plan for my case. He submitted my claim to DLSE and then my previous employer hired a law firm in LA to represent them. After a few well prepared negotiation rounds by Jonathan and some wait time to get on DLSE hearing calendar, things happened. Right before the scheduled hearing date Jonathan received a call from the other attorney expressed they wanted to settle the case. After considering a number of factors (including how stable the company's financial was), I accepted the offer of about 70% of the total owned amount. Given how long it may take to get through the entire process (up to 3 years) and my previous employer might choose to fight all the way through the trial, this was a wise choice and it worked out well. Throughout the negotiation and trial process, Jonathan was very professional and easy to communicate with on all the legal matters that I am not familiar with. He was patient to explain the different options and let me make my own judgement after understanding different legal aspects to my case. He is also very good at preparing materials to articulate. I would strongly recommend Johnathan if you need an expert to help you manage through the employment dispute you may have. He is professional, intelligent, flexible, and easy to communicate with. He knows labor law well and most importantly how to effect it to be applicable on your specific situation. The last, he has different fee options you can choose that may help with how you want to settle the case in the end. read more

What a great team! Nora was super responsive and knowledgable about the matter. She helped clarify a lot of noise and provide sound advice. Extremely friendly, patient and highly professional. Can't recommend enough! read more

Nora was very responsive to my message when I inquired about small business advice. She was honest and kind, and told me what I needed to do without sounding pushy or condescending. Although I won't be needing her services right now, she provided me with a referral that I need for the next step in my small business. Now that is the type of service all attorneys should model after - honesty, integrity, kindness and resourcefulness. Thank you, Nora! read more

Nora was a huge help in a recent year-long civil case we had. She provided unbelievably useful, realistic, practical advise and guidance. We always felt she listened to us before weighing in, and felt Nora really understood us and our situation. She was always available no matter how busy she was, never making us feel (as so many other people do) like we had to chase down our attorney. Most importantly, she was extremely knowledgeable about the law and we truly felt 100% comfortable letting her guide us through the difficult journey. It is important to trust ones attorney and feel that they are working in ones best interest, and this was always the case with Nora. Do not be fooled by her overall kindness and gentle demeanor...Nora is a fierce, brilliant attorney who fights a great fight and wins! She will never guide you into battle unnecessarily, however, as she is a skilled mediator and believes in minimizing the emotional and financial damage in a legal battle. It never felt as though she put money or billable hours ahead of our best interest and great advise. We are happy to now be able to call upon a trustworthy, competent, brilliant attorney if we need legal advice again. read more

When I received an " invitation" out of the blue from the Labor Commission, to discuss an Employment issue regarding an ex employee...I went into a tail spin. Luckily, based on all the great Yelp feedback I decided to call and took advantage of the free telephone consultation with Nora. We spoke for about 30 mins and I was immediately convinced I had made the right choice. I then met with Nora and had detailed discussion and she put mind at rest and explained the best way to navigate our way forward. She and Jonathan helped us to work out what info to prepare for the case, and Nora came with us to the Labor Commission, which made us feel confident and resulted in a very positive outcome. She is a wonderful wordsmith and a master at explaining the law in layman terms. Every good thing that has been said in other Yelps about Nora and Jonathan, in our experience, is absolutely true. We have already recommended them to a close family member and would highly recommend them to anyone else in need of Labor or Contract law help. Many thanks to the both of you. read more

"Free legal consultation" but talked to me over the line like I was stupid and shouldn't be filing a case. Then ended the call while I still had questions. Don't recommend. read more

Great work!!! I received a referral from my Trust Attorney and am so glad I did. Nora was able to quickly assess an employment issue and provide very satisfactory guidance that ended in a successful resolution of my matter. Additionally, she went the extra mile to keep her hours well within my budget. Thanks for a job very well done, Nora! read more

I consulted with Nora about the furlough and my job offer. She clarified my rights, it was a pleasure talking with her.

Nora provided great advice and assistance regarding my sole proprietorship. She is responsive, knowledgeable, and thorough. She took what could have been a very stressful situation - and made it almost pleasant! I like that she worked via email, and phone, in addition to in-person meetings. Nora's flexibility respected my professional time. Most importantly she explained exactly what was going on, what my rights were, and recommended the best options for my claim at every step of the way. She was respectful of my limited budget, too. I hope I never have to make another wage/employment complaint again, but if I do it will definitely be with Nora Rousso's help! read more

Nora Rousso was outstanding. She gave me excellent advice to help solve an employment problem. She made sure I fully understood all of the information given to me and was genuinely looking out for my best interest (what a breath of fresh air). I've referred Nora to people in my network - she's excellent at employment law. Thanks again! read more

I'd definitely recommend them to anyone going through a labor dispute. I've been very cautious about going to a lawyer because I've heard many horror stories and don't have much money to spend. These two are wonderful! They walked me through my options even though my case wasn't going to be lucrative for them. They spent the time to really understand my situation and listen to my concerns which I really appreciate! read more

I highly recommend Rousso & Jackel for your business law and employment law needs. I have recommended a few friends to this fine company and they all have been very satisfied. The couple works fabulously together and they know what they are doing re: the law. They are a small company which is wonderful because they put all their effort on YOU! Please consider Rousso and Jackel for your business &/or employment needs. read more

I recommend Nora wholeheartedly. I was under time pressure to have an agreement reviewed and Nora returned my call and reviewed and discussed the agreement with me within 24 hours! She was knowledgeable and an expert advisor. I would definitely use her again read more

I enjoyed working with Nora because I felt she had my best interest at hand throughout my entire use of her counsel and legal representation. She explained legalese to me in a way I could understand - thank goodness, because we all need that! I was impressed with the tenacity of her representation and her knowledge of the law. She also was empathic and "understood" me which is a great sense to get from someone who's representing another in issues that are high-stakes, as most legal issues are. I would recommend anyone to work with Nora for legal counsel and representation. I look forward to calling upon Nora in the future should I need legal representation. Thank you, Nora! read more

Ms. Rousso takes care of business. I had a great experience working with this firm!

Nora and Jonathan provided me with tremendous advice. Their legal expertise and professionalism gave me the confidence I needed to make sure I was being treated fairly. read more

I called to ask a simple question and got so much more. She was able to advise me about my current issue. It was nice to know I had someone on my side. Amazing!! read more

Nora was amazing. She was prompt with her responses, gave very sound advice, and assisted me with all of my questions. She was also knowledgable with all the laws pertaining to my situation. I would recommend her to anyone having questions or issues pertaining to their employer. I will definitely go back to her if other issues come up. I was very pleased. Thank you Nora! read more

I hired Nora to help me review and negotiate an agreement with my employer that needed some changes. Despite working on a flat fee arrangement, Nora was very thorough and went above and beyond the call of duty to be sure that all my concerns about an agreement were addressed thoroughly. She went well beyond the expected amount of time involved and even took calls from abroad on her vacation during the process, without charging me any additional time. In additional to being very knowledgeable, she is an excellent communicator and was very helpful with putting things in an appropriate perspective. She was quite willing to share her advice, which was insightful, reasonable, and grounded, and she clearly had my best interests in mind. I would recommend her very highly read more

Nota Rousso is an expert advisor and will give you a straight and realistic assessment of the situation. She listens, gets the whole picture, is sensitive to your particular circumstances and takes a cautious approach. She always extremely responsive. In my case, she laser-focused on the core issue and got a successful outcome. I would wholeheartedly recommend Nora for any legal question. read more

I used Nora regarding a separation agreement and she was great. Very response, explained everything I had questions on, and reasonably priced for what she was offering. Would definitely use her again. read more

I have worked with Nora on two issues in the past. She is brilliant, kind, and warm. I felt like she took the time with me to really unpack my options. She is the perfect person to have by your side during a difficult time. read more

Nora is both personable and knowledgeable. She has a keen grasp of the subject matter and explains the technicalities of the law in very clear terms. She is generous with her time. I trust her advice and count on her sound judgement. read more