When you’re having work conflicts, employment attorneys are the professionals you need to resort to. They’re legal experts who work in a vast variety of cases involving employers and employees. Whatever your side of the conflict is, this article may help you have a handle on labour law and get a glimpse at your legal options as a party to a litigation.
What does an employment attorney do?
These attorneys work as advocates for employers or employees in employment litigations. One of the most common cases of employment litigation is the dispute over the treatment of employees, whether it regards to sexual harassment or unfair labor laws. Both employers and employees can benefit from the assistance of this attorney who can inform them about employment legal standards regarding wages, working hours and health and safety, among others.
Do I need an employment attorney?
Are you unsure about the need for a specific attorney or an attorney at all? Let’s see some common legal conflicts in which you’ll probably need the guidance of an employment attorney:
- Mistreatment of employee
- Discrimination of employee
- Exposing employees to dangerous work environment
- Wrongful termination
What you’ll employment attorney will guarantee
Any pro employment lawyer has to be able to guarantee certain services, otherwise, look for someone else right away!:
#1- You’ll meet all the deadlines for filing a suit. They’re pros when it comes to employment laws, obviously, so they’ll lay out all the requisites and prerequisites for you from the starting point.
#2- The other party will take your claims seriously, since you have someone in the know who’s advocating for you.
#3- If there’s a case, your employment lawyer will find it. Of course you don’t know every employment law in the books, so you may not be aware that you may have a case on your hands, whether it’s as a plaintiff or as a defendant.
How does an employment attorney charge?
There are two possible agreements you can signs with your attorney when it comes to payment method:
- Hourly rate agreement: This works best for legal services that don’t require much time, like reviewing a contract. Hourly rate agreements are basically a pay-by-the-hour fee that can get quite steep if the case requires much time.
- Contingency agreement: In this case, the lawyer takes risks, given that if the client doesn’t get the money for damages or a positive result, the lawyer won’t receive money, whereas if the outcome is positive, the lawyer earns a percentage of the earnings. One of the most common problems with contingency agreements is that some professionals don’t take a case if it isn’t solid enough.
- Flat fee agreement: If it’s plain and simple, employment attorneys generally charge a fixed number. In some cases, the flat fee doesn’t cover other services, so make sure to get everything straight.
Retainer agreement: This is a different system of payment by which the attorney puts the money in a special trust account from which he or she deducts the hourly fee and other charges.