Bruce A. Scheidt, Shareholder

Bruce, manager of the firm’s labor and employment practice group, represents private entities in commercial litigation, serves as general counsel for local businesses, and represents lending institutions in lender liability lawsuits, debt collection actions, and bankruptcy proceedings. He also represents private and public sector clients in all areas of employment and labor law, including defending employers in discrimination, harassment, retaliation, disability accommodation, and whistleblower lawsuits, negotiating executive employment agreements, and representing employers in collective bargaining. He is an accomplished litigator, representing private and public clients in federal and state courts at the trial and appellate levels and arbitration proceedings.

Legal Experience

In practice since 1991, Bruce has represented corporate and public agency clients in business, commercial litigation, and labor and employment-related matters. His clients include regional banks, local manufacturing companies, retailers, Fortune 500 corporations, as well as, cities, counties, and special districts throughout the State.

Bruce represents lending institutions, corporations, and partnerships in a broad range of matters, including:

  • Banking law
  • Bankruptcy
  • Breach of fiduciary duty actions
  • Business and commercial litigation
  • Corporate and partnership dissolution
  • Corporate and partnership governance and counseling
  • Debt collection
  • Fraudulent conveyance actions
  • Lender liability

Bruce provides advice and litigation counsel to employers on all matters of labor and employment including:

  • Prevention of sex, race, and other unlawful harassment and discrimination claims through training and day-to-day advice
  • Advise employers on disciplinary actions
  • Negotiate executive employment contracts
  • Public and private sector labor relations, including collective bargaining negotiations, representation of employers before PERB and NLRB proceedings, and grievance processing.
  • Severance and release agreements
  • Medical and personal leaves of absence, workers’ compensation, and disabilities in the workplace, including whether and how to reasonably accommodate employees
  • Hiring and firing employees and managing high-risk terminations
  • Privacy issues in the workplace, such as monitoring computer and internet use, drug testing, conducting workplace searches, background checks, and managing office romance
  • Non-solicitation and confidentiality agreements to protect proprietary information, trade secrets, inventions, and customers
  • Proper classification of employees for overtime and tax purposes
  • Investigation of workplace harassment and discrimination claims
  • Compliance with state and federal laws governing employment, including the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), the California Family Rights Act (CFRA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Civil Rights Act of 1991 (Title VII), the Pregnancy Disability Leave Act (PDL), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Practice Examples

  • Bruce successfully represented a local manufacturing company in a joint venture and trade secret lawsuit, resulting in a $4.1 million settlement payment on the eve of the closing arguments award after a four-week jury trial.
  • Bruce successfully represented a local business in an arbitration proceeding involving a software design dispute, resulting in the software designer’s return of $335,000 in fees for its defective software.
  • Bruce won a complete defense verdict against a beverage brand owner’s royalty and breach of contract claims after a four-week trial.
  • Bruce successfully won a $1.5 million judgment on a breach of contracts claim for a local manufacturing company following a four-week bench trial.
  • Bruce represented the State of California in a commercial lawsuit that resulted in more than $300 million in savings to electric ratepayers.
  • Bruce won a $9 million judgment for a lender in a commercial litigation dispute.
  • Bruce won a fraudulent conveyance judgment involving a transfer of real property by a judgment debtor who owed the bank client $2 million.
  •  Bruce was the prevailing attorney in a fraud and legal malpractice lawsuit that resulted in a trial judgment award of compensatory and punitive damages following a four-week bench trial.
  • Bruce won a million-dollar post-foreclosure deficiency judgment for a bank in a state court lawsuit in which the borrower alleged a violation of the state’s anti-deficiency statute.
  • Bruce successfully represented a national retail chain in a contract reformation and fraud lawsuit against six Northern California union locals that resulted in a credit of nearly $2 million in the company’s health and welfare contributions.
  • Bruce successfully defended a city in a federal civil rights lawsuit of first impression in which the terminated police officer brought a class-based equal protection claim on behalf of similarly situated disciplined employees.
  • Bruce reversed a trial court’s award of punitive damages on appeal of a whistleblower claim.

Professional Activities, Affiliations & Awards

  • Received “Preeminent” AV-peer-review rating from Martindale Hubbell. An “AV” rating is the highest level of professional excellence recognized by peers for legal knowledge, communication skills, and ethical standards
  • Best Lawyers® 2022 Business Organizations “Lawyer of the Year” in Sacramento
  • The Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, Business Organizations, Labor and Employment Litigation (2017-2024)
  • Northern California Super Lawyer (2004, 2008, 2010-2023)
  • Centennial Fellow, Awarded by Sacramento County Bar Foundation on 100th Anniversary of Sacramento County Bar Association for Professional Achievements and Civic Involvement
  • Top Lawyers, Sacramento Magazine (2016-2023)
  • Best of the Bar, Sacramento Business Journal (2015, 2017, 2019)
  • Member, Heart & Stroke Walk Executive Leadership Team (2014 Chair)
  • Board of Directors, Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce (2012-2020)
  • Former Member, Political Action Committee, Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce (Chair 2019-2020)
  • Member, Family Business Association
  • Appointed by Sacramento County Superior Court Presiding Judge Steve White to the Civil Courts Advisory Council (2010 – 2011)
  • Former Chair and 6-Year Member, City of Roseville’s Public Utilities Commission
  • Graduate of Roseville Leadership program, sponsored by Roseville Chamber of Commerce and the City of Roseville
  • California State Bar #155088

Admitted to Practice

  • All California State Courts
  • United States District Courts, Eastern, Central, and Northern Districts of California
  • United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

Academic Background

J.D. University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, 1991

  • Graduated with Great Distinction
  • Order of the Coif

B.A. California State University, Fresno, 1976