Daniel Palay

Daniel J. Palay has been practicing of law in Ventura County since 1992. A native from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, he worked his way south. After extensive trial work, Dan became a partner in the law firm of McTague & Palay, where he practiced employment law.

In 2008, after the retirement of his long-time partner, Dan opened the Palay Law Firm. Dan oversees the employment litigation department of Palay Law Firm. He represents individuals in single-plaintiff and class-action cases. Examples of his cases include claims for wrongful termination, unpaid overtime, employment discrimination, hostile work environment, racial discrimination, and, most recently, unpaid commissions.

Dan has a history of success in class action cases. He is responsible for some of the largest per-person recoveries in California class action history. He has taken class actions through class certification and to trial, and has fought (and won) high-value appeals. For example, he successfully opposed an appeal brought by Ecolab, Inc. over an arbitrator's award of $51 million to Dan's clients (Roe v. Ecolab).

Dan has been nominated for Ventura County Trial Lawyer of the Year three consecutive years, finally winning the honor in 2007. Dan has been on the Board of Directors of the Ventura County Bar Association and currently chairs the Ventura County Employment Law Bar.

In the last ten years he has been involved and/or supervised over 500 litigation matters or contested administrative hearings. Dan not only oversees our employment litigation practice, but his office also overlooks all of downtown Ventura, as he occupies the once-bell tower of the Bard Memorial Hospital.

When not in the office, Dan is usually playing basketball or spending time with his wife and children.