Stephen Sommers has been practicing in the area of labor and employment law for over ten years. He focuses on representing employees who have been wronged in some way by their employers. He has represented hundreds of clients, from top executives to employees who clean the floors. Mr. Sommers also has successfully litigated several employment focused class action lawsuits. Most recently, Mr. Sommers and his associates settled a class action law suit for employees of a single IHOP franchise for $650,000.
Stephen Sommers currently represents employees in cases involving sexual harassment, disability discrimination, failure to properly pay employees, wrongful termination, family medical leave rights, pregnancy rights, retaliation, employment contracts and severance, and age discrimination.
Stephen Sommers also works with SEIU Local 1021 by being lead negotiator on the union's behalf for collective bargaining agreements with area municipalities.
Stephen Sommers has been twice selected by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star. Not coincidentally, each of Stephen Sommers' associates eligible has also been selected by Super Lawyers as Rising Stars. Every year of eligibility, Mr. Sommers has been selected as a Super Lawyer, which is a process that reviews a mix of case success and other factors.
Stephen Sommers has been actively engaged with the AIDS Legal Referal Panel for ten years. He has been selected for the Hero Award each of the ten years and was Attorney of the Year in 2008.
Before attending law school, Stephen Sommers worked as a union organizer for seven years, mainly in the rural southeastern United States. Stephen Sommers also was the Southwest Pennsylvania Director of Citizen Action, where he led campaigns to strengthen Pennsyvania's environmental laws.
Stephen Sommers was a Peace Corps volunteer in Chad, Africa. He was a water santiation volunteer in the village of Mao, which sits atop a sand dune in the Sahara desert.
2
Practice Areas
24 years | 600 cases
22 years | 12 cases
33%-40%
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Chat withState: California
Acquired: 2003
No misconduct found
411 Euclid Ave, 11, Oakland, CA, 94610
13 Client Reviews
Showing 1 - 1 of 1 review | Communication Style
Posted by anonymous | September 03, 2009 | Employment & Labor
A trustworthy and caring expert
After being targeted for dismissal unjustly by my employer I paid a visit to Steve to discuss my options. Steve spent hours with me uncovering all of the facts. It turned out that my employer had broken several California Employment laws; laws I didn’t know existed. It wasn’t easy to put together t...
"I was lucky enough to work for Steve. Sometimes when faced with a difficult situation I still ask myself "what would Steve do?" If you want an advocate who knows the law, knows the system, and will aggressively fight for you, Steve is your guy. I heartily endorse this lawyer."
"I worked for Steve years back and to this day still use many of the lessons he taught me. He is a tiresome advocate for his clients and is constantly searching for an edge to achieve justice for those he represents. I endorse this lawyer."
"Steve is a people's lawyer and a relentless advocate for his clients. I met Steve in 2005 at the SF Union Lawyer's Conference. Since then I have worked with Steve and referred cases to him. The last client I referred to his office called me back thanking me profusely for the connection stating that he could not get answers from anyone until he called Steve and his partner. I will continue to recommend Steve on a regular basis for employment and class action cases."
"I endorse this lawyer. On his own and while with Kumin Sommers, Steve has shown that he produces favorable results for his clients."
Business lawyer
Employment and labor lawyer
Employment and labor lawyer
Litigation lawyer
2014
Super Lawyer, SuperLawyers
2012
Who's Who, Marquis Who's Who
2011
Rising Star, Super Lawyers Magazine
2010
Rising Star, Super Lawyers Magazine
2008
Attorney of the Year, AIDS Legal Referral Panel
2012 - Present
Attorney and Principal, Sommers Employment Law Group, P.C.
2008 - Present
Partner, Kumin Sommers LLP
2004 - 2008
Owner, Sommers Law Group
2002 - 2004
Associate, Beeson, Tayer & Bodine
2001 - 2001
Law Clerk, Bredhoff & Kaiser
2001 - 2001
Law Clerk, National Labor Relations Board
2000 - 2000
Law Clerk, United Mine Workers of America
1995 - 1999
Union Organizer, UNITE
2008 - Present
San Francisco Bar AssociationMember
2007 - Present
California Consumer Lawyers AssociationMember
2003 - Present
California Employment Lawyers AssociationMember
2003 - Present
United States District Court for Northern CaliforniaAdmitted Member
2003 - Present
United States District Court for Eastern CaliforniaAdmitted Member
2003 - Present
Ninth Circuit Judicial ConferenceAdmitted Member
2003 - Present
San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association
After class certification, settled for $650,000
N/A
law
N/A
undergraduate
2014
Careers in Employment Law
2014
Am I Exempt from Overtime Laws
2008
Awarded 2008 Attorney of the Year
2009
Spanish
English
Legal Answers
Legal Guides
I was shorted on my paycheck by 7 hours this last paycheck....and shorted overtime hours on previous...I told my employer
16 Jun 2013
What penalties does my employer need to pay for not keeping records of hours worked and meal breaks?
14 Jun 2013
California - must employer pay for travel time when I have a different starting time daily?
16 Jun 2013