Are you a victim of workplace discrimination? Have you endured sexual harassment at work? Have you suffered retaliation because you reported wrongdoing within the organization? Were you wrongfully fired from the job? If yes, you may have a valid case. Sadly, a lot of workers don’t report employment discrimination because they are often unaware of their rights or are just worried about the repercussions. Talking to an employment attorney New Jersey can help in these circumstances. We have a few pointers below for your help.
Make your list
You can always rely on online directories and websites like Nolo and Avvo to find top-rated employment attorneys in your city. If you can ask around and get references, that’s always an advantage. Make sure that you have at least two to three law firms on your list.
Meet the lawyer
Most employment attorneys don’t charge a fee for the first consultation, and that’s a huge advantage, especially because you can ask the relevant queries and consider your next moves. When you meet an attorney, here are some basic questions to ask –
- How long have you been an employment attorney?
- Do you work for just employees or represent employers too?
- What do you think of my discrimination/harassment case?
- What kind of compensation can I expect?
- Have you handled similar discrimination lawsuits in the past? What were the outcomes?
- Will you work on my case directly or assign it to an associate?
- How can I communicate with you?
- How long do you expect the case to take?
Discuss the lawyer’s fee and other costs
Typically, employment attorneys take a contingency fee, which is an agreed percentage of the compensation the client recovers from the lawsuit. However, in some cases, lawyers can also bill the client for each hour of work. It is important that you discuss the lawyer’s fee in advance. As far as contingency arrangement is concerned, you don’t have to pay the lawyer initially, but this could also mean losing a share of your compensation. There are also other expenses that clients are expected to pay out of their pocket. Ask your employment attorney about these costs and whether they can help you with all that until you recover the compensation.
Call an attorney today and discuss all the relevant aspects of your case. Don’t merely assume that your case is not strong enough to be pursued unless an expert has advised you.