As a national leader for a wide variety of legal initiatives, California has enacted some of the toughest employment laws in the United States.
The state takes a particularly dim view of employment violations that concern discrimination, sexual harassment, and wrongful termination.
If you have endured unlawful behavior in the workplace, you should contact a California employment law lawyer to determine how to proceed with your case.
The clock is ticking on the statute of limitation for employment law claims, which means you need to act with a sense of urgency by immediately getting in touch with an attorney.
What Does a California Employment Law Attorney Do?
With employment contracts becoming a popular human resources tool for employers, a California employment law attorney can review the contract that you signed when you were hired by your employer.
Your lawyer examines the employment contract to detect anything that makes the contract null and void. If your employer coerced you to sign an employment contract, your attorney can build a case for you to submit in a civil lawsuit. Employment contracts typically contain important information that describes how legal issues should resolve.
Although employment law lawyers in California spend time litigating cases for their clients, one of the less-publicized roles of an attorney is negotiating settlements.
The employment law attorney in California that you hire should possess persuasive negotiating skills, as well as know when to agree to a settlement and when to take a claim to court.
If your California employment law lawyer decides to file a claim in a civil court, your attorney might argue for just compensation that includes one or more of the following types of awards.
- Lost income
- Vacation pay
- Health insurance benefits
- Bonuses
- Medical expenses associated with a job loss
- Punitive damages
What Types of Claims Does a California Employment Law Attorney Handle?
An employment law lawyer in California should specialize in one type of case. Law firms that are dedicated to litigating employment law claims hire attorneys to work a specific type of employment law.
If you endured any following employment law violations in California, you should search for an attorney who specializes in that type of employment law.
- Workers’ compensation
- Union issues
- Wrongful termination
- Retaliation
- Discrimination
- Workplace safety
- Privacy rights
- Wage theft
Despite California employment law prohibiting wage theft of any kind, the illegal practice continues to be a major problem in the Golden State. Some employers exploit recently arrived immigrants to cheat them out of wages.
Here are some of the common types of wage theft practices in California:
- Failing to pay overtime
- Not paying the state-mandated minimum wage
- Declaring an employee to be an independent contractor
- Charging employees for business-related expenses
- Stealing from a tip-sharing pool
- Not paying for travel while an employee is on the clock
The key to winning a wage theft claim is to present documents verifying a claim that your employer underpaid you. This can come in the form of time records, as well as copies of your monthly bank statements.
How Much Does an Employment Law Attorney in California Cost?
On average, an employment law lawyer in California charges between $350 and $475 per hour for handling cases. As you can see, just a few hours of work can put you into more than $1,000 in debt for legal services.
The best option for a fee arrangement is to hire an employment law lawyer who works on a contingency fee basis. A contingency fee agreement means the California employment law attorney that you hire does not receive any upfront money for legal fees.
Instead, your lawyer takes a percentage of what the court awards you for just compensation. The average amount of money taken by an employment law lawyer in California is 30 percent.
How Do I Find an Employment Law Attorney in California?
Before you file a California employment law claim, spend time researching attorneys that have a license to litigate claims in the state.
The California Bar Association website offers a helpful tool that provides you with the information you need to whittle down your list to a few options.
After accessing the California Bar Association website, review the feedback each attorney on your short list has received on sites like Facebook and Google. Client feedback should reveal a pattern that demonstrates the legal skills of a California employment law attorney.
