Employment Lawyers in California
Employment lawyers represent workers in disputes with employers: wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment, retaliation for reporting problems, unpaid wages and overtime, denied leave, and the documents that bracket a job — offer letters, non-competes, and severance agreements. One honest ground rule shapes all of it: most US employment is at-will, meaning you can be fired for a bad reason or no reason — just not an illegal one. Illegal reasons include your race, sex, age, religion, disability, pregnancy, complaints about harassment or safety, wage claims, and protected leave. The lawyer's first job is sorting unfair from unlawful, and the second is timing: discrimination claims usually require filing with the EEOC or a state agency within strict windows — as short as 180 days from the discriminatory act — before you can ever sue.
Verified employment lawyers licensed in California
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When to hire an employment lawyer
Three moments matter most. First, before signing anything: severance agreements waive your right to sue and are negotiable more often than people assume — have one reviewed before the deadline in the offer. Second, while it's happening: if you're being harassed or singled out, report it in writing through official channels and keep copies at home; contemporaneous documentation is what wins these cases. Third, immediately after a firing that followed protected activity — a harassment complaint, a wage question, a medical leave — because retaliation timelines are often the clearest evidence, and agency deadlines start running at once. Forward nothing from work systems except your own records; taking company documents can create problems of its own.
Employment Lawyer FAQ
I was fired unfairly. Do I have a case?
Unfair alone usually isn't enough — at-will employment permits bad management. The question is whether the firing was illegal: tied to a protected characteristic, or retaliation for protected activity like reporting harassment, claiming unpaid wages, or taking medical leave. Timing, comparisons to how others were treated, and documentation are the raw material. An employment lawyer can often tell you in one consultation which side of the line your facts fall on.
How much does an employment lawyer cost?
Many represent employees on contingency, and several employment statutes make employers pay a winning employee's attorney's fees, which helps lawyers take meritorious smaller cases. Document reviews — severance agreements, non-competes — are commonly flat-fee services costing a few hundred dollars, which is small next to what's typically at stake in the document.
Should I sign the severance agreement my employer gave me?
Not before understanding the trade. You're almost always waiving every legal claim in exchange for the payment, and sometimes accepting non-disparagement or extended non-compete terms. If you have potential claims — the termination followed a complaint or leave, or others outside your protected group were treated better — the severance is the employer's opening offer, not the ceiling. The offer letter deadline usually leaves time for a flat-fee review. Use it.
What evidence should I keep if things are going wrong at work?
A dated, factual log of incidents; copies of your written complaints and HR's responses; performance reviews before and after you spoke up; pay records if wages are the issue; and names of witnesses. Keep everything at home, not on work systems, and stick to documents you legitimately have access to. Contemporaneous records made while events unfold carry far more weight than reconstructions after a firing.