Finding a lawyer for employee rights- How to find one

Most of the employees tend to face extremely harsh behavior, discrimination, and illegal harassment at their workplaces, but don’t even have the courage to consult a lawyer for employee rights, or don’t even know that they should raise their voice against the ill-treatment they face at the workplace.

Several employee rights are already in place to cater to employees in difficult situations, but the employees need to be aware of their legal rights, they can avail themselves when in need. Many disputes can be resolved through effective and open communication, but oftentimes an employment lawyer is all you need against the violation of rights.

If you are having a workplace dispute with your colleagues – or with your employer – it is high time to look for a lawyer who will protect your rights.

How to find a worthy Employment lawyer?

A reputable lawyer for employee rights may get fame due to the word of mouth. Your acquaintances might have been working with an employment lawyer, or they may know someone – who has connections with the lawyer – who may help you resolve your dispute.

It is possible that anybody who had a good experience working with a particular employment lawyer can help you out in addressing workplace issues. Your situations and relation with your employer may differ from your acquaintance’s. To get a clearer vision before hiring a lawyer for employee rights, you may want to ask some questions regarding the lawyer, such as:

• Did the employment lawyer follow professionalism?
• Did he respond to the communications promptly?
• Did he understand the situations and got back to them efficiently?
• Did the financials go according to the agreement?
• Did he personally take the case or gave it to his juniors to practice?

But what if you don’t want to disclose your matter to your connections, and still want to hire an experienced lawyer for employee rights?

Many organizations provide the services to connect you with experienced employment lawyers. You can find such organizations by visiting the website of:

• Local bar Association: A governing body at every state that monitors, licenses, and disciplines the practicing attorneys in the state is a local bar association. It generally provides lawyer referral services to the local public for a small fee. Usually, non-profit arms at these bar associations offer referral services in every state and county.
• Private referral services: You can also find employment lawyer referral services through private companies. They operate locally or online to provide their services.
• Legal clinics: Most of the local law schools provide free consultation via their law clinics. You can search for law schools in the legal aid society telephone directory.

Meeting with the employment lawyer

Once you find the resources to find the right lawyer for your situation, start narrowing down the names from your list. Each lawyer you have shortlisted must have a social presence online. Do some research and check out the profiles to find out the relevance to your case. In most states, bar associations maintain a lawyer database that can be useful to look for local employment lawyers. You can also check the background and expertise of the lawyer by using online resources.

Once you shortlist the employment lawyer, arrange meetings over the telephone, or engage in an email conversation and get yourself a clearer view of why you should hire that particular employment lawyer. Ask your questions to get a flawless view of your case. Here are some questions you may want to ask:

• What does he feel about your case? Is it strong enough to be filed for?
• How many cases he had handled like yours?
• How much do you need to spend on the case?
• How will he charge?
• How long does the case take to complete?

Most lawyer referral services and private lawyers provide a free consultation before you hire them, so you can make your decision accordingly. However, some of the highly experienced lawyers for employee rights charge a legal fee for providing legal advice which is fairly reasonable.

Managing your lawyer

Most complaints about lawyers relate to miscommunication or the lack of communication with the clients. Your chosen one may have all the expertise you need, but the right to take your case as you want is yours – because you are the one who is going to suffer the consequences of your case’s outcome.

Demand your employment lawyer to remain available for every call you make and keep you alert about the regular proceedings of the case. You may need to put an extra effort to manage your lawyer. You may have to:

• Check the statements your lawyer is making against your claim
• Learn about employee rights and laws to monitor your lawyer’s work
• Manage your calendar yourself for your case hearings to avoid any unpleasant surprises
• Maintain a well-organized document file containing case details, expenses, hearing date, documents received from courts, etc. to not miss anything because of your lawyer’s negligence.

You must take swift action if you find your lawyer with any deceptive, nonprofessional, or illegal behaviors. Your bar association can guide you about lawyers’ untrusted traits, and will also provide details to file a complaint against such lawyers.