Some employers take advantage of the naivety of their employees when refusing benefits, shorting them on pay, or even firing them. Unfortunately, they often succeed because most employees are not aware of their rights.
If you find yourself in either of the above situations, you’ll need an employment attorney to help you enforce both the federal and state laws to protect you from illegal actions by your employer. Employment attorneys are especially instrumental for non-unionized employees who are relatively powerless against their bosses.
This leads us to the question, when do you need a lawyer?
Call your Fort Lauderdale employment attorney if any of these happen to you:
- When your employer or boss asks you to sign a document (like an agreement) that you aren’t fully conversant with – especially if it’s confidentiality, non-compete or employment agreement.
- When your current or former employer sues or threatens to sue you
- When you are held responsible for a crime – in such cases, you should get a criminal defense attorney
Other situations that might need an attorney;
- If you think that your current or former employer has gone against the employment regulations
- If your employer retaliates against you after complaining about discrimination or any other illegal acts
- If your employer doesn’t pay you your dues
Here is a list of five reasons why you need an employment attorney:
They’ll help to analyze your employment contract
Whether you are just getting started with a new job or renegotiating your employment contract, you can use the services of an employment attorney to look at the proposed contract. Lawyers have a professional eye, and they’ll leverage their expertise and industry knowledge to uncover issues like arbitration agreements and incomplete clauses that you may want to reconsider.
They’ll let you know if you have a case to pursue
There are times when you aren’t sure whether your case is worth pursuing or not. Better yet, there are times when you know that what the employer did was wrong, but are skeptical about following up with the case only for the judge to rule out that it was legal. An employment attorney will tell you what your options are, and help you make an informed decision.
They’ll file any discrimination complaint on time
If you are charging your employer against discrimination, you have to file a case within six months. And while this is very possible to DIY, there are a lot of things that can go wrong. An employment attorney will be instrumental in guiding you on the allegations and details to include, and help you file it the correct way. Otherwise, you might end up being barred from suing due to lateness.
They’ll represent you
If your case ends up in court, your lawyer will be the one to represent you. They have the knowledge, zeal, resources, and passion to do that. This not only frees up your time but also gives you an edge over your employee. Your lawyer will also represent you if you chose the mediation or arbitration route.
They’ll negotiate a settlement with your employer
In case of fallout, both you and the employer are disgruntled, so it’s difficult to see each other eye to eye. An employment attorney will act as the third-party who can soberly negotiate a settlement.
