# Bakersfield Leave of Absence & FMLA Lawyer | Free Consult > Employees are entitled to 12 weeks of California FMLA leave every year if they worked more than 1,250 hours in a year and the employer has 5 or more employees Source: https://bakersfieldlaborattorney.com/leaves-of-absence/ Firm: Employment Lawyers Group — employee-side employment lawyers since 1993. Serving Kern County, California. Phone: (661) 412-9600 (calling is the fastest way to reach the legal team) Office: 5401 Business Park S, #214, Bakersfield, CA 93309 Contact form: https://bakersfieldlaborattorney.com/contact/ Consultations are free and confidential; cases are taken on contingency. --- ## California Employment Attorney Protecting Your Right to Take Leave in California Many employers don't understand the law when it comes to employee leaves. If your employer denies your request to go on leave or retaliates against you for taking leave, you may be entitled to compensation. If you are having a problem with your employer on any employment issue, contact us to discuss your case and your options. **Call us today at (661) 412-9600 for your [Bakersfield](https://bakersfieldlaborattorney.com/employee-attorney-in-bakersfield/) leave of absence lawyers.** FMLA Lawyer ## Types of Leave in California There are many different kinds of employee leaves in California. Here are some examples: 1. Sick leave 2. Pregnancy leave 3. Maternity or paternity leave to care for a newly born or adopted child 4. Medical leave to care for yourself or a family member DON'T BE CAUGHT IN A BIND ASSUMING ONLY ONE LEAVE LAW APPLIES IN CALIFORNIA. CONSULT AN ATTORNEY AS TO WHAT LEAVE LAWS APPLY. 1. Disability leave 2. Military leave 3. Leave for jury duty 4. Workers' compensation leave due to work-related injury Many employers are confused over the overlapping laws that may apply to an employee's leave. For example, in California your right to take certain types of leave may be protected by the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act and the California Family Rights Act. Since your company's human resources department may not be adequately trained, it's best to consult an experienced employment law attorney to determine your rights under the law. If you are eligible for leave, the law protects you from adverse employer actions for exercising your right to take leave. Examples of adverse employer actions include firing you, demoting you, not promoting you, or transferring you to a less-desirable location or shift. To see if you might have a case, call your Kern County employment lawyers at **(661) 412-9600 toll free**. We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis with no upfront costs. Se habla español. ### Arvin Employment Attorneys Protecting Your Right to Take Family or Medical Leave in California If you need to take time off from work to recover from a serious health condition or to care for a family member who has a serious health condition, you are protected by a law known as the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The California Family Rights Act is a California law that provides similar, but better, protection. If your employer has denied your right to take FMLA leave or had retaliated against you for taking leave, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact us to discuss your case and your options. We are one of the few firms willing to take employment cases to court in Kern County. **Contact us or call (661) 412-9600 for a Bakersfield Trial Lawyer.** **How Much Leave Can I Take?** If you are eligible, the law generally allows you to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave (consecutive or nonconsecutive) in a 12-month period for a serious medical condition for yourself and a limited list of family members. If you are disabled, you may be able to take a longer leave. In addition, you may have medical restrictions that would apply to you upon your return to work. For example, if your job involves lifting, you may be restricted to lifting objects weighing not more than 10 pounds. Only an attorney can advise you whether these restrictions qualify for a particular leave. Many employers do not understand the law and end up violating the rights of their employees. **What Is a Serious Health Condition?** What constitutes a serious health condition and what leave protections may exist is a complicated inquiry for which you should consult an attorney. To speak to a California Family and Medical Leave Act Lawyer employment attorney, call **(661) 412-9600** toll free. We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis with no upfront costs. Se habla español. #### Bakersfield, California Family Rights Act Lawyer If you need to take time off from work to provide the direct care for certain family members or to recover from a serious health condition, you may be protected by a law known as the California Family Rights Act (CFRA). The Family and Medical Leave Act is a federal law that provides similar protection. If your employer has denied your right to take leave or had retaliated against you for taking leave, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact us to discuss your case and your options. If you have worked 1,250 hours for an employer with 5 or more employees in a 75-mile radius, the California Family Rights Act allows you to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year for the following reasons: 1. For the birth, adoption or foster care placement of a child 2. To care for certain family members who have a serious health condition 3. To recover from a serious health condition 4. To treat for a serious medical condition Your employer is required to maintain and pay for your group medical coverage while you are on leave. Go here to learn more about the [Family Medical Leave Act](https://bakersfieldlaborattorney.com/fmla-lawyer/). To speak to a California Family Rights Act lawyer, **call (661) 412-9600**. We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis with no upfront costs. Se habla español. ## Our Firm: No Upfront Fees or Costs ### Contingency Fee Representation All employment cases for employees are taken on a **contingency basis**. We are only paid a fee **when and if we win** your case, and we **advance all litigation costs**. Our goal is to make expert legal representation accessible to every hardworking employee. ### Serving Kern County We have proudly served all of Kern County since 1993. Ready to discuss your case? (661) 412-9600 Submit A Contact Form The Employment Lawyers Group has successfully handled 2,000+ Separate California Employment Cases ## Media Engagements ## Sample Case Results breach of commission contract $1,150,000 Unpaid commissions of two plaintiffs unpaid wages $875,000 For 4 oil field service industry workers whose times worked were not recorded on timesheets and were on-call forced to work without pay standby pay case $800,000 Controlled stand by class action settlement Disclaimer: These results are based on the facts of these specific cases and do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any future case. ## Practice Areas [Discrimination Age, Disability, FMLA/CFRA, Gender, National Origin, Pregnancy, Race, and Sexual Orientation discrimination claims.](https://bakersfieldlaborattorney.com/discrimination/) [Unpaid Wages & Overtime Recovering earnings for overtime, bonuses, commissions, meal & rest break violations, and prevailing wage claims.](https://bakersfieldlaborattorney.com/unpaid-wages/) [Sexual Harassment Compassionate and effective representation for sexual harassment and hostile work environment claims.](https://bakersfieldlaborattorney.com/sexual-harassment/) [Wrongful Termination Representing employees terminated in violation of public policy, contracts, or California and federal law.](https://bakersfieldlaborattorney.com/wrongful-termination/) [Leaves & Retaliation Protecting employees who face adverse actions after reporting illegal activity or taking protected medical leave.](https://bakersfieldlaborattorney.com/leaves-of-absence/) [Whistleblowers Advocating for employees who report fraud, waste, or abuse under California and federal whistleblower protection laws.](https://bakersfieldlaborattorney.com/whistle-blower/) ## Our California Locations ### Bakersfield [BakersfieldLaborAttorney.com](https://bakersfieldlaborattorney.com) 5401 Business Park S, #214, Bakersfield CA 93309 [(661) 412-9600](tel:6614129600) ### Los Angeles [EmployeeLawCA.com](https://employeelawca.com/) 611 Wilshire Blvd, #1023, Los Angeles CA 90017 [(323) 525-1600](tel:3235251600) ### Orange County [WorkLawyerOC.com](https://worklawyeroc.com) 2522 Chambers Rd, #100, Tustin CA 92780 [(714) 210-8000](tel:7142108000) ### Riverside [RiversideEmploymentLawyer.com](https://riversideemploymentlawyer.com) 9496 Magnolia Ave, #208, Riverside CA 92503 [(951) 367-1000](tel:9513671000) ### Sacramento [SacramentoLaborAttorney.com](https://sacramentolaborattorney.com) 777 Campus Commons Rd, #200, Sacramento CA 95825 [(916) 340-0000](tel:9163400000) ### San Bernardino [EmploymentAttorneySanBernardino.com](https://employmentattorneysanbernardino.com) 337 N. Vineyard Ave, #400, Ontario CA 91764 [(909) 663-2100](tel:9096632100) ### San Diego [SanDiegoEmployeeLawyer.com](https://sandiegoemployeelawyer.com) 330 "A" St, #60, San Diego CA 92101 [(619) 320-3000](tel:6193203000) ### San Francisco / Bay Area [BayAreaEmploymentAttorney.net](https://bayareaemploymentattorney.net) 524 Union St, #400, San Francisco CA 94133 [(877) 525-0700](tel:8775250700) ### San Jose / Silicon Valley [SiValleyLaborLawyer.com](https://sivalleylaborlawyer.com) 111 N. Market St, #300, San Jose CA 95113 [(877) 525-0700](tel:8775250700) ### Sherman Oaks [WorkLawyerCA.com](https://worklawyerca.com) 13418 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks CA 91423 [(818) 783-7300](tel:8187837300) ### Torrance / South Bay [JobTerminationLaw.com](https://jobterminationlaw.com/) 3655 Torrance Blvd, 3rd Floor, Torrance CA 90503 [(310) 842-8600](tel:3108428600) ### Ventura / Oxnard [VenturaEmploymentLawyer.com](https://venturaemploymentlawyer.com) 4030 West Hemlock St, Oxnard CA 93035 [(805) 200-0100](tel:8052000100) ### Additional Sites [BostonLaborLaw.com](https://bostonlaborlaw.com) [DcLaborAttorney.com](https://dclaborattorney.com) [FresnoEmployeeLawyer.com](https://fresnoemployeelawyer.com) [JobLawyer.net](https://joblawyer.net) [MarylandLaborAttorney.com](https://marylandlaborattorney.com/) [ModemStud.com](https://modemstud.com) [VintageLosAngeles.org](https://vintagelosangeles.org) [WorkplaceLawyer.org](https://workplacelawyer.org) ## About Firm Founder, Karl Gerber Firm Founder, **Karl Gerber**, has been an employment and wrongful termination attorney since **1993**. He has represented a wide range of employees throughout California. Mr. Gerber has won **51 of the binding arbitrations and jury trials** he first chaired, and a number of his appeals are published. This deep trial experience is the foundation of the firm's strategic approach to litigation. The employment attorneys employed by the Employment Lawyers Group have worked at the firm well in excess of five years, have also tried many different labor cases, and have all been **extensively trained on employment and wrongful termination law by Karl Gerber**. [Meet Karl Gerber](https://bakersfieldlaborattorney.com/karl-gerber/) ## Ready to Discuss Your Case? Your rights as an employee matter. Submit a contact form and we'll get back to you. Submit A Contact Form [Call (661) 412-9600 Now](tel:6614129600)