Computer Sciences Corp. finalized a $24 million settlement earlier this month with 15,000 of its current and former workers who claim they were denied overtime wages.

The workers, whose tech service jobs varied, claim they were misclassified by the El Segundo-based company as exempt from overtime. As part of the settlement, each eamployee is expected to receive between $20 and $7,000 each within the next few months, said James Finberg, a partner at Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP, who represents the class of workers. He said the amount depends on how long they worked there and which state and division they worked in.

To pay for the settlement, Computer Sciences took a pre-tax charge of $14 million in its fourth quarter. “The settlement is finalized, we’re pleased to put this behind us and we’re moving forward,” said CSC spokesman Mike Dickerson.

Moving West


Five partners at Brown Winfield & Canzoneri Inc. are leaving this month to open a Los Angeles area office for Riverside-based Best Best & Krieger LLP.

Best Best & Krieger, the oldest firm in the Inland Valley with about 150 lawyers, is opening a local office to serve its clients in Los Angeles County, said John Wahlin, managing partner at the firm.

“The emphasis would be on municipal work, eminent domain and other litigation,” he said, of the new office. “We have a substantial amount of public agency work and natural resource and environmental work but also a fairly significant client base in the private sector.”

Edward Szczepkowski, the former chairman of Brown Winfield’s litigation department who is joining the firm as a partner, said among the clients he and his colleagues are bringing over are Lockheed Martin Corp., along with several cities and school districts.

The other partners are: Scott Campbell and Brandt Dveirin, who will become partners, and John Holloway and Chris Pisano, who will serve of counsel. They expect to open the office in downtown or Pasadena.

The departure leaves three partners in the litigation department of Brown Winfield, which has about 45 lawyers in total.

Comings & Goings


Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker LLP has added two partners to its Los Angeles litigation department. Terry Garnett and Vincent Yip, former heads of the intellectual property litigation department at Alschuler Grossman Stein & Kahan LLP, are bringing five associates with them.

*Staff reporter Amanda Bronstad can be reached at (323) 549-5225, ext. 225, or at

[email protected]

.