About Joe Rose

I’m a California employment lawyer who began my legal career in 2001 after a successful public service career as a firefighter and paramedic. I founded my own law firm in 2004 and have since represented thousands of laborers, tradespeople, professionals, labor organizations, and small business employers, including restaurant and franchise owners, across a wide range of private-sector industries, as well as throughout California’s public sector.

My practice includes unpaid wages and overtime, workplace discrimination and harassment, wrongful termination, trade secrets, employment and civil litigation, class and representative actions, mediation, arbitration, and neutral workplace investigations. I’ve recovered millions for California workers and successfully defended complex, high-stakes cases.

Professional History

Rose Law, A Professional Corporation
Attorney, Managing Shareholder
2004 – present

Lincoln Law School of Sacramento
Adjunct Law Professor
2005 – present

Goyette & Associates, Inc.
Associate Attorney, Labor Relations Representative
2000 – 2004

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire
Firefighter/Paramedic, Company Officer, Fire Inspector/Investigator
1999 – 2001

Cameron Park Fire Department
Firefighter/Paramedic
1989 – 1990

Education

Pepperdine Caruso Law
Mediating the Litigated Case
Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution
2025

Spence Trial Lawyers College
Thunderhead Ranch, Dubois, Wyoming
2013

Lincoln Law School of Sacramento
Juris Doctor, cum laude
2004

David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Center for Prehospital Care (formerly Daniel Freeman Paramedic School)
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)
1988

Cosumnes River College
Associate of Arts
Liberal Studies
1999

Bar Admissions

United States Supreme Court
California Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
U.S. District Court, Central District of California
U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
U.S. Tax Court

Recognition

AV Preeminent® Martindale-Hubbell, 2021-2026
Super Lawyers, 2015 – 2026
Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2013 – 2014
American Board of Trial Advocates, Trial Advocacy Student Award, 2004

Community Service

Cameron Park Community Services District
Director, Board of Directors
1992 – 1993

El Dorado County Fire Protection District
Chairman, Director, Board of Directors
1994 – 1996, 2007 – 2011

A group of four employees stands in a retail store. A man in a red shirt, with a badge, has his head lowered and hand on his forehead, while three colleagues, one in a gray blazer and two in red shirts, observe him. The store features shelves of clothing.

Disability Accommodations

Husband v. Target Corporation: California Court Clarifies When an Employer Is Deemed to Know About an Employee’s Disability

Employers cannot accommodate disabilities they do not know exist. Yet workplace disputes often arise when…

An aerial view of a logistics center surrounded by highways during sunset. The center, with multiple loading docks and parked trucks, is situated near a curving road where several big rig trucks travel. The sky is filled with clouds and the sun is setting in the distance.

Arbitration

Supreme Court Says Local Delivery Drivers May Fall Within FAA Transportation Worker Exemption Even Without Crossing State Lines

A gavel and a set of brass scales of justice sit on a wooden desk alongside stacks of papers and three labeled binders, titled 'Employee Records,' 'Payroll Reports,' and 'Time Attendance.' In the background, a modern building is illuminated by a sunset.

Class Action

California Court of Appeal Throws Out $43 Million Wage-and-Hour Judgment After Nearly Two Decades of Litigation

An image split between a classical courthouse exterior and a modern conference room. On one side, the courthouse features columns and a statue, while the other side shows three professionals discussing an arbitration delegation clause at a sleek table, with a gavel and documents in the foreground.

Arbitration

Ninth Circuit: Severability Clause Does Not Defeat Delegation of Arbitration Validity Questions

A shipping container at a dock with stacked crates of seafood, while a cargo ship is anchored nearby. The background shows an industrial area under a dramatic sky, illustrating themes related to human trafficking civil liability.

Human Trafficking

Ninth Circuit Revives Human Trafficking Claims Against Seafood Importer After Congress Clarifies Civil Liability

Practice Concentration

Employment

90%

Labor

80%

Trade Secrets

40%

Real Estate

65%

Industries Focus

Restaurant and Food Service

85%

Public Sector

90%

Retail

70%

Manufacturing