What Sagaser, Watkins & Wieland PC does

Sagaser, Watkins & Wieland PC is a private California Professional Corporation and employer-side employment law and business litigation firm headquartered in Fresno with additional offices in Bakersfield, San Luis Obispo, and Hanford. The firm represents private and public sector employers across California — with particular depth in the agricultural sector (growers, packing houses, dairies, farm labor contractors) and cross-industry employers in manufacturing, healthcare, retail, transportation, and food processing — before state and federal courts, the NLRB and ALRB, OSHA, EEOC, DFEH, the Labor Commissioner, and other agencies. Its practice spans seven interconnected service lines: Employment Defense, Wage and Hour Class Action Defense, Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining, Administrative Proceedings, Business Litigation, Employer Counseling, and White Collar Defense and Investigations.

The firm operates on a professional services model with hourly, fixed-fee, and project-based billing. It does not develop proprietary technology and relies on standard legal practice management software and a FindLaw/Internet Brands website platform. Business development runs through attorney reputation, professional referrals, community involvement (Fresno Chamber of Commerce, Central California SHRM, Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board), and educational seminars for HR professionals and agricultural employer associations, with a parallel content marketing engine via the firm's California Employment Law Blog.

The firm fields 23 named attorneys including founding-level partners Howard A. Sagaser (practicing since 1976) and Cal B. Watkins Jr. (since 1976), managing shareholder Ian B. Wieland, and a growing bench of junior and mid-career attorneys. Differentiators include a cost structure well below Los Angeles/San Francisco firms, multiple Super Lawyers honorees, AV-rated Martindale-Hubbell credentials, an aggregate 500+ class action/FLSA/PAGA matters defended, and landmark appellate work (notably Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2021).

Name

Sagaser, Watkins & Wieland PC

Legal name

Sagaser, Watkins & Wieland PC

Website

https://sagaserlaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sagaser, Watkins & Wieland PC is a Fresno-headquartered employer-side employment law and business litigation firm with four California offices, representing businesses and public-sector entities across the Central Valley and Central Coast in wage-and-hour class actions, labor relations, and administrative proceedings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services - Employment Law

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Employment & Labor Law (BPAHAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Labor Relations & Employment Practice Advisory (BPAHAGAK), White-Collar Defense & Investigations (BPAHAAAJ)

Keywords

• Employment law services
• Business litigation defense
• Wage hour defense
• Labor relations counsel
• Class action defense

Headquarters

HQ city

Fresno

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Fees: The firm generates revenue by providing legal representation and counsel to businesses and employers in employment law and business litigation matters. Services include employment defense, labor relations, wage and hour class action defense, business litigation, administrative proceedings, and employer counseling. Fees are structured around hourly billing, fixed-fee arrangements for specific matters, and project-based engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sagaser, Watkins & Wieland PC is a California employment law and business litigation firm that represents private and public sector employers in defending employment claims, wage and hour class actions, labor relations matters, administrative agency proceedings, and white collar investigations. The firm also provides preventive employer counseling, collective bargaining, and compliance training, with particular depth in agricultural labor relations before the ALRB and NLRB.

Product overview

Sagaser, Watkins & Wieland PC is a unified employment law and business litigation practice offering multiple legal service lines. The firm provides counsel and representation across seven interconnected practice areas: Administrative Proceedings, Business Litigation, Employer Counseling, Employment Defense, Labor Relations And Collective Bargaining, Wage And Hour Class Action Defense, and White Collar Defense And Investigations. These services work together to address the full spectrum of labor relations, employment law matters, and business litigation needs for employers throughout California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Administrative Proceedings Representation in state and federal business and employment-related administrative proceedings before agencies including OSHA, Department of Labor, NLRB, ALRB, EEOC, DFEH, DLSE, and others.
• Business Litigation
• Employer Counseling
• Employment Defense
• Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining
• Wage and Hour Class Action Defense
• White Collar Defense and Investigations

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 NLRB and ALRB elections handled by Howard Sagaser alone; successful decertification of union at Boghosian Raisin Packing Company; multiple favorable appellate decisions in ALRB and employment matters.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FindLaw (Internet Brands)minorOthersThe firm partners with FindLaw, an Internet Brands business, for website hosting, development, and business development solutions. FindLaw provides the firm's website platform and online presence management. This is a vendor/service provider relationship for website and marketing infrastructure rather than a product or strategic partnership.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Jackson Lewis P.C. One of the largest U.S. employment and labor law firms, with deep California presence. Directly comparable as an employer-side employment defense practice; competes head-to-head with SW&W for mid-market California employer work.
• Littler Mendelson P.C. Largest U.S. employment and labor law firm. Comparable in core employment defense and class action practice, with significant California presence that competes for the same employer-side matters.
• Fisher Phillips: National labor and employment boutique with California offices. Directly comparable in employer-side employment defense, PAGA, and class action work, and actively competes for California mid-market accounts.
• Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart: Major national employment law firm with strong California offices. Closely comparable practice mix (employment defense, wage-and-hour class actions, labor relations) and a direct competitor for the same mid-market employer client base.

Direct peers

• Carothers DiSante & Freudenberger LLP: California-based employment law boutique serving employers in wage-and-hour class actions, PAGA, and traditional labor. Closely comparable in size, practice mix, and California mid-market focus.
• Dowling Aaron & Keeler: Fresno-based full-service firm with employment and business litigation practices. Comparable Central California competitor, with shared alumni and overlapping employer-side client base.
• Coleman & Horowitt LLP: Central California (Fresno/Visalia) business and employment litigation firm. Comparable in geography and employer-side employment defense work, with overlapping mid-market and agricultural clients.
• McCormick Barstow LLP: Fresno-based full-service firm with a strong employment law practice. Closely comparable as a Central California legal competitor, with overlapping employer-side employment defense and labor relations work.

Regional players

• Walter Wilhelm Bauer Attorneys at Law: Fresno-based employment defense boutique. Comparable as a regional employment defense peer in California's Central Valley, with direct overlap in mid-market employer clients.

Others

• Barsamian & Moody PC: California employment defense boutique representing employers in wage-and-hour, discrimination, and labor matters. Closely comparable regional peer in size, practice mix, and California employer-side focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SagaserWatkinsWielandPC

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sagaser, Watkins & Wieland PC