When Sue M. Bendavid-Arbiv was a new partner at her prior law firm, she was asked to lead the firm’s national employment law practice group. It was a testament to Arbiv’s expertise, but it also said a lot about the way that she practices her specialty, representing employers in labor and employment issues. “Sue’s substantial experience with writs, appeals and motion practice, her vast knowledge of employment law and her calm personality and friendly disposition all work together to provide comfort to management when dealing with difficult and stressful employment law matters,” said Keith T. Zimmet, the managing partner at Arbiv’s current firm, Lewitt, Hackman, Shapiro, Marshall & Harlan. Arbiv is a frequent contributor to the Los Angeles Daily Journal, the newspaper of record for attorneys, and she has spoken on employment matters before many professional groups including CPAs, lawyers, women’s groups, employer groups and chambers. In her practice, much of her time is devoted to counseling her clients to avoid problems. “My favorite thing to do is keep people out of court,” she said. “I spend time on the phone trying to document performance problems, counseling on the day to day stuff and try to help them follow the rules of law. Then if they do get sued, at least we’ll have documentation.” Bendavid-Arbiv began her career at international law firm Paul Hastings, but she did not start concentrating on employment law until she moved to Kindel & Anderson (which later merged with Arter & Hadden, now closed). There, she was asked by one of the partners to give a speech on employee handbooks and sexual harassment. “Then I got a case on sexual harassment and I realized this is very suitable for me,” said Bendavid-Arbiv. I really do enjoy the counseling side and keeping people out of harm’s way.” Especially in today’s complex regulatory environment, Bendavid-Arbiv has proven her worth to clients by helping to avoid litigation. “My job is to hire the right attorneys,” said David Hershorin, outside general counsel for Parkview Community Hospital, a facility in Riverside with some 1,000 employees. “I want the best in the field, not only in getting results but in providing the right advice to avoid litigation. Parkview relies on her to properly advise them on the ever changing landscape of labor law.” Not that Bendavid-Arbiv is afraid of a fight. She served as co-counsel on a precedent setting case, Reeves et al. v. Hanlon, et al, which was decided in the California Supreme Court. The case redefined an employer’s responsibilities should it hire away employees from another firm. Bendavid-Arbiv has also represented her employer clients in cases involving wrongful termination, wage and hour issues, leaves of absence, harassment, discrimination and other employment matters before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the California Employment Development Department, the California Labor Commissioner and the U.S. Department of Labor. “It’s one of those fields that is constantly changing,” Bendavid-Arbiv said. “You never ever get bored. Every day cases come down that change the way things are done. So part of my day is spent keeping up to date.” Shelly Garcia
