Been Victimized At Work Is The Best Job In The World”
Attorney David Bates grew up as what is affectionately known as an “Army Brat.” He attended schools throughout Europe and America, providing a somewhat disjointed academic experience, however, he proved true Mark Twain’s old saying to “Never let school get in the way of your education,” because while enrolled two years in an Arkansas high school, he was literally the only student who saw something drastically wrong with that State’s enforced educational policy of segregation –apparently travelling the world really does open up your mind.
The idea of becoming a Lawyer came from time David spent with his maternal Grandfather, who worked as an Attorney Monday through Friday, and on weekends would drive young David out to his farm in Cloverdale, Indiana, where he grew corn, soybean and alfalfa crops, to name a few – and, without starting a “Mark Twain” theme here, David’s explorations on his Grandfather’s farm came about as close to the adventures of Tom Sawyer as one can get: let’s just say he was driving a tractor at the tender age of 10.
ATTORNEY DAVID BATES: “I thought to myself my Grandfather lives a pretty good life as a Lawyer. My father was an Attorney in the military, but he really didn’t practice on his own outside the service or make it his living like my Grandfather did.”
HW: “What field of Law did your Grandfather specialize in?”
ATTY. BATES: “He was more of a general practitioner. In those days you really had to know a little of everything to get work.”
HW: “Some of that may have rubbed off on you because in addition to Employment Litigation and Unlawful Terminations, you also handle Personal Injury cases – why did you choose to center on these areas?”
ATTY. BATES: “I think I’ve always had a strong sense of what’s right and wrong. I’m very passionate about not letting individuals get away with hurting people. I mean, with Employment Litigation, you’d be surprised by some of the outrageous behavior employers think they’re entitled to subject their workers to.”
HW: “And I know a lot of companies in California try and hide behind California’s ‘At Will’ policy regarding terminations, so it’s always best for someone to consult an Attorney if they believe they’ve been fired unfairly from a job. ”
ATTY. BATES: “Absolutely. ‘At Will’ doesn’t defend discrimination. Any kind of discrimination is illegal – whether it’s gender, race, age, or disability – I’ve defended clients who were fired because they had cancer.”
HW: “It’s hard to imagine someone being that cruel.”
ATTY. BATES: “The reality is this kind of backward thinking still exists. Discrimination is still going on. Poor people are still being mistreated. Employers are trying to be clever now, and conceal what they’re doing, but they’re not smarter than me. If they’ve done something wrong to my client you can be sure I’m going to find out what it was.”
HW: “You know what, Atty. Bates, you really do have a great job.”
ATTY. BATES: “Thank you… I think I live a good life.”
HW: “You’ve made your Grandfather proud.”
(310) 546-8586 EMPLOYMENT LITIGATION BATES