Attorney Highlight: 
Jason Palmer
Where did you go to school/obtain your degree?
Born and raised in SEC country, I went to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville for my undergrad where I received a Bachelor of Science in Logistics/Supply Chain Management. I later attended Cal Northern School of Law in Chico, CA where I obtained my J.D.
What is your primary focus(es) in the practice of law?
I am the Chief Operations Officer at MOBO, so my primary focus is running operations for our seven offices. When I am doing legal work, it is mostly in MOBO’s transactional department.
What has been your most fulfilling or rewarding experience in the practice of law?
Like most attorneys I know, I got into the practice of law to help people. Sometimes clients come to you and they are excited about a new business or opportunity they are pursuing. Other times they come to you for assistance in some of the more troubling times of their life. I get a lot of fulfillment from working with our clients through the ups and downs they are facing and trying to find creative, meaningful solutions to meet their needs.
Where are you originally from and which MOBO Law office to you based out of?
I am originally from Knoxville, Tennessee. For those not familiar, Knoxville is located in East Tennessee in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains (think Dollywood). I am based out of our Zephyr Cove office and I split time between that office and working remotely from my home in Nashville.
Why did you undertake the practice of law?
When I was about thirteen years old, I read The Client by John Grisham and thought that someday I would go to law school. A few years later while pursuing my undergraduate degree, I took a business law class and knew that I wanted to practice law. From that class, I really fell in love with the complexities and the intricacies of the law and knew that I wanted to use the law to help people.
What made you choose MOBO Law?
I met Rich Molsby, one of the founding partners of MOBO, while attending Cal Northern School of Law. After law school, I was working for an attorney in Red Bluff, CA and Rich mentioned that he and Cameron Bordner were starting a firm. He asked if I would be interested in joining a collaborative law firm where I would get guidance and professional development. I had admired Rich while in law school and knew that I wanted to work with and learn from good attorneys during my career. As a result, choosing to work with Rich and Cam, and now everyone else at MOBO, was an easy decision and I haven’t ever regretted it.
What is the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is working with and learning from others. I love the collaboration our firm has. When you are a client at MOBO, you don’t just get the skill and advice from one attorney; you get the benefit of all our attorneys through our collaborative approach. MOBO has some of the best attorneys in the north state and our combined experience in all things civil is hard to beat and I think this allows us to help our clients in ways most other firms can’t.
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First Annual Granby Ranch Military to the Mountains
MOBO Law would like to recognize High Fives Foundation and Granby Ranch for their work in planning the First Annual Granby Ranch Military to the Mountains Program. This program was developed by Granby Ranch in partnership with High Fives Foundation and the Adaptive Training Foundation as a way to give back to our US military veterans who have sustained combat-related, life-changing injuries. The program begins in Dallas, TX at the Adaptive Training Foundation where each participant completes a nine-week physical and mental training program. Thereafter, the group travels to Granby Ranch in Colorado for one week of skiing and snowboarding with their fellow veterans.
The on-snow portion of the First Annual Military to the Mountains took place March 28th through April 3rd, 2021 and was funded solely by the support and donations of various community members, which included a contribution from the MOBO Foundation that funded this amazing opportunity for veterans. MOBO Law contributes a percentage of all revenues to the MOBO Foundation and, in turn, those contributions are then used to help fund programs that have a positive impact on communities, much like the Military to the Mountains program.
Congratulations to High Fives Foundation and Granby Ranch on their massive success with the First Annual Granby Ranch Military to the Mountains and we look forward to many more years of involvement with this program. To watch the recap video of the 2021 Military to the Mountains at Granby Ranch Graduation, visit https://youtu.be/Oicme5QHDN8.
For more information regarding the Granby Ranch Military to the Mountains Program, visit https://highfivesfoundation.org/military-to-the-mountains-granby-ranch/.
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2021 Key Changes in California Employment Law
Paid Time Off for Crime Victims
Effective January 1, 2021, all employers with 25 or more employees are prohibited from discharging, discriminating, or retaliating against an employee for taking time off of work to seek medical care, counseling, or other related services as a result of being a victim to a crime.
The law Expands existing law already in place that provides protected leave for employees who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, to include leave for victims of other crimes or offenses “that caused physical injury or that caused mental injury and a threat of physical injury.” This expansion of the law also provides protected leave for an employee “whose immediate family member is deceased as a direct result of a crime” and it expands the types of documentation for leave eligibility that an employee may provide to verify that crime or abuse occurred.
Who is considered a “victim” under the new law?
The new law defines the term “victim” broadly so that it includes the following:
- Victim of stalking, domestic violence, sexual assault.
- Victim of a crime that caused physical injury or that caused mental injury and a threat of physical injury.
- A person whose immediate family member is deceased as the direct result of a crime.
The new law also broadly defines “crime”.
This change allows an employee to take protected leave as a victim of a crime or public offense, wherever it may have taken place, if that crime or offense would constitute a misdemeanor or a felony if it had taken place in California. The person who committed the crime or offense does not have to be arrested for, prosecuted for, or convicted of, committing the crime or offense.
What documentation must an employee provide?
In order for the employee’s leave to be protected, an employee can provide any of the following:
- Police report indicating the employee was a victim.
- A court order of protection that separates the employee from the perpetrator of the crime or offense.
- Documentation from a licensed medical professional, domestic violence counselor, sexual assault counselor, etc. showing that the employee is or was undergoing treatment or receiving services for physical and/or mental injuries resulting from the crime or offense.
- Any other form of documentation that reasonably verifies that the crime or abuse occurred.
Additional obligations for employers with 25 or more employees.
Additionally, employers with 25 or more employees must provide leave for an employee who seeks to take time off from work for any of the following purposes:
- To seek medical attention for injuries caused by crime or offense.
- To obtain services from a domestic violence shelter, program, rape crisis center, or victim services organization or agency as a result of the crime or offense.
- To obtain psychological counseling or mental health services related to an experience of crime or offense.
- To participate in safety planning and take other actions to increase safety from future crime or offense, including temporary or permanent relocation.
Employers may wish to revise applicable policies and circulate them to employees. Employers also may wish to educate supervisors, managers, and human resources personnel regarding these changes.
Statute of Limitations for Labor Code Complaints
Effective January 1, 2021, employees who believe they were discharged or discriminated against by an employer in violation of any law enforced by the Labor Commissioner are now able to file a complaint with the Department of Labor Standards Enforcement for up to one year, rather than 6 months, after the alleged violation.
For further information regarding the recent changes to California laws regarding paid time off for crime victims or the statute of limitations for Labor Code complaints, please visit the links provided below. If you have questions regarding these modifications or any other employment-related matter, please contact MOBO Law, LLP.
Paid Time Off for Crime Victims- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB2992
Statute of Limitations for Labor Code Complaints - https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB1947
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MOBO On the Weekends
When the MOBO Law crew isn’t hard at work in the office, many of us choose to spend our time engaging in a variety of outdoor recreational activities, such as skiing and hiking. Below are two photos of some members of the MOBO team enjoying the outdoors in their free time.
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MOBO partner, Craig Weaver (middle); Chad Zeitner, co-founder of Montucky Cold Snacks (right/front); and Brian Velategui, long-time friend and fraternity brother of Craig’s from his time at the University of Idaho (left). The photo was taken after the three had summited Mount St. Helens as they rewarded themselves with a Montucky Cold Snack before skiing down from the crater rim.
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MOBO partners/attorneys, Rich Molsby (left), Jennifer Schaller (middle), and Jason Palmer (right), taking a break to enjoy the views during a bluebird day of backcountry skiing at Mount Olsen.
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