Varouj N. Arabian is a Partner and Co-Chair of the labor & employment practice group at Bartko Pavia LLP. Located in the Los Angeles office, Varouj has an active employment litigation practice focused primarily on defending clients against claims of discrimination, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, retaliation, FMLA, wrongful termination, defamation, whistleblower claims, unpaid wages, and meal and rest break violations. Varouj’s labor and employment practice is wide-ranging as he guides businesses on employment-related issues from employee onboarding through post-termination disputes.
In addition to his active litigation practice, Varouj has spent his career, including at an Am Law 100 law firm, providing comprehensive litigation services and advising clients on best practices to avoid future litigation. Varouj regularly counsels employers on hiring practices, terminations, workplace investigations, reduction in workforce issues, and litigation avoidance practices. Varouj also provides guidance to employers regarding the negotiation of separation agreements, drafting employment handbooks, policies, and procedures, and various issues related to wage and hour compliance. Through creative and productive collaborative discussions with clients, Varouj works to focus his practice on assisting clients with an eye towards avoiding actionable conduct related to employment issues.
Varouj has represented and advised both small businesses and large corporations in the hospitality, security, financial services, startup, real estate, advertising, publishing, automotive, retail, information technology, apparel, performing and visual arts, construction, luxury brand, cosmetics, and healthcare industries, among others, as well as in the nonprofit, education and municipal sectors.
Varouj also has extensive experience in developing and delivering custom-tailored management and employee training seminars and is routinely asked to serve as a guest speaker by groups on a variety of employment-related topics, including, but not limited to, harassment, hiring, disciplining, firing, wage-hour compliance, discrimination, interviewing, and family medical leave.