A wrongful termination lawyer is someone who can help you if you have been wrongfully terminated from your job. Wrongful termination often takes place when an employer fires an individual for an illegal motive, usually for discrimination. For example, an employer may not discriminate against a black or Hispanic employee because of the employee's race, gender, religious beliefs, or national origin. However, some employers do this more than others. In at will employment states, for example, employers are allowed to fire individuals for illegal reasons, including retaliation or discrimination, in at will states.
If you have been illegally terminated, you should consult a wrongful termination lawyer to determine the next step. In New York City, there are many lawyers who specialize in this area. In addition, there are several local court houses and prosecutors who handle these cases. If at first you do not know where to find a New York City wrongful termination lawyer, you can go to the New York State Bar Association website, where you will find listings of all New York lawyers.
The attorney you choose will need to know about state and federal laws that protect employees who are discriminated against based on race, religion, gender, national origin, age, or disability. In addition, he or she must be familiar with New York City's own Fair Employment Practices and Procedures Act, or FPEPA. This act protects individuals from being fired for submitting written complaints about illegal discrimination. You can go to the LSC website to find out more about filing a complaint for wrongful termination. If you were fired for filing a complaint under the FPEPA, you should forward copies of the signed complaint and the termination notice to the employer for his or her records.
Once you have decided to file a claim for wrongful termination, you should contact the New York City wrongful termination lawyers. If you have been fired, you should find out whether you can send a letter to the company requesting a meeting to discuss the circumstances of your firing. If you are able to meet face to face with the company's legal representative, then you should present a formal request to have your firing properly investigated. If you cannot connect with them in any way, or they refuse to meet with you, then you should consider hiring an attorney. If you hired an attorney, you will probably have much better luck winning your case.
Many people falsely believe that proving a wrongful termination suit is easy. However, you need to do your research before you sign on with an attorney. First of all, you need to prove that you were laid off unfairly. Every state has different laws about how an employee is considered to be laid off. Therefore, you will have to do your research so that you know the wrongful termination settlement varies depending on the state.
Next, you will have to show that discrimination occurred against you. You may be able to prove this with photographs, video footage, or audio recording of the conduct that you believe to be discriminatory. If you were harassed by your supervisor or employer, these can also be used as proof. For instance, if you were called by your supervisor repeatedly because he told you that you are not interested in working anymore, you may be able to prove that he was discriminating against you. You will want to hire an attorney who has experience dealing with employers who discriminate against employees like yours.
Your attorney will need to do more digging to uncover any other evidence of discrimination. This includes interviewing witnesses and investigating whether there is anything that happened during your employment that would make your firing unjustifiable. If you are being unfairly dismissed for reasons related to your gender, race, sexual orientation, age, religion, or medical history, you will need to hire an employment law attorney. In these situations, you will have many additional documents that you will need to provide your attorney.
Wrongful termination can result from many situations, but an attorney will be able to help you deal with them. You do not want to go through a wrongful termination situation without a legal representative. If the circumstances are right, your attorney can help you file a lawsuit and receive money damages for not only wrongful termination, but also any other forms of harassment or other discrimination that might have taken place during your employment. An experienced attorney will know what to do and how to deal with employers who try to avoid paying for legal liability.