Lawyers specializing in employment law have a practice that is primarily or entirely dedicated to the practice of employment and labor law. There are many different aspects of the employer-employee relationship that are governed by the law. In the event that an employee has been harmed because an employer broke the law, that employee is entitled to get legal insight from lawyers specializing in employment law. Employment law claims could even entitle that employee to recover compensation and damages through court.
Some of the most common types of employment law claims include:
- Retaliatory discharge allegations
- Issues over severance agreements
- Claims involving non-compete agreements and whether or not they can be enforced
- Arguments over Family and Medical Leave Act claims
- Wage and hour claims, such as unpaid overtime
- Whistleblower cases
- Employment discrimination
- Sexual harassment claims
All of these are serious lawsuits and should always be handled by lawyers specializing in employment law. With so much to consider, the support of an attorney is strongly recommended for an employee, particularly if you are still in the role, this employment law experience matters. If you are currently employed in a role, or your career has been turned upside down as a result of a legal issue with your employer, you need to have someone who understands these sensitive issues, and who will work as hard as possible to protect all of your rights in this type of legal case. Sitting down with an employment lawyer at the outset of your case gives you an opportunity to discuss some of the things that are most important to you.
Since this can vary from one employee to another, you want a lawyer who has been in this position before and one who will take the time to listen to your primary concerns and use that to create an appropriate legal strategy. For example, maybe you are concerned about repairing your reputation after being wrongfully terminated so that you can effectively move into a new position and close this chapter of your life. Perhaps you want your position back because your employer wrongfully took it away from you and you wish to be reinstated with back pay, or perhaps you were trying to raise concerns about bigger issues like those associated with a whistleblower claim when you were wrongfully retaliated against.
Each of these might lead to different possible outcomes in your case, and it's imperative to have an attorney who respects your individual decisions and what you believe to be most important in resolving this claim. Your lawyer should have appropriate experience both in settlement conversations with the other party and in going to trial. Many employment law cases can be resolved in settlement, particularly when the employer does not want to be involved in prolonged litigation. In settlement conversations, your attorney may suggest a settlement amount or the other side may come to the table with a proposed settlement. If you choose to accept that settlement, you would be able to close the case with your agreed upon outcome and move forward with your life and your career. However, signing the settlement agreement also means you waive any further rights to file legal action over this issue. So it is important to be informed about how selecting and approving a settlement offer can influence you because it is difficult to go backwards. It is also helpful to have an attorney who has handled employment law cases before to advise you if and when they believe that a settlement offer is too low for what has happened. It is even more important to retain the services of the dedicated employment law attorney when there are many complex issues at play, such as multiple legal violations or claims involving numerous employees that could turn into a class action lawsuit.
In all of these circumstances, you deserve to have an advocate who will fight hard on behalf of victims and who will help you prepare for what to anticipate in a legal case. An attorney who does not have experience in employment law may not have the necessary resources to lean on to fight as hard as possible for your best outcome. If you find yourself in this situation and have further questions about what to expect, make sure that you contact the employment and labor law attorneys at Morgan & Morgan. With many lawyers specializing in employment law, we've seen many different kinds of situations involving employees and employers and have successfully negotiated settlement offers and achieved positive outcomes in trials as well.