If your employer has violated one or more federal or Massachusetts wrongful termination laws, you have a way to make your employer either make it right or compensate you for any pain and suffering.
Whether you experienced racial discrimination in the workplace or you had to deal with sexual harassment, a Massachusetts employment law lawyer can help you gather and organize the evidence that you need to win a claim.
Most employment attorneys in the state charge on a contingency fee basis, which means you do not have to pay any upfront legal fees.
What Does a Massachusetts Employment Law Attorney Do?
An employment law attorney in Massachusetts helps clients file legal claims against employers that break state and federal laws.
If you signed an employment contract, your attorney reviews the contract to determine whether it contains the proper legal language.
Your lawyer can detect the fine print written into an employment contract, such as an arbitration agreement and/or a noncompete clause. An arbitration agreement is an especially important clause to discover because it establishes the process for settling workplace disputes.
Not all employment law cases in Massachusetts end up in court. In fact, many claims never see the light inside of a civil courtroom.
This is because lawyers representing each side of an employment dispute try to negotiate a settlement that appeals to both the worker and employer.
If there is an arbitration agreement written into your employment contract, your lawyer prepares you for the process, as well as reaches out to your employer’s attorney to negotiate a pre-arbitration settlement.
The most important role of an employment law attorney in Massachusetts is to win just compensation for clients. Cases that involve wage theft, retaliation, and discrimination can return thousands of dollars to plaintiffs.
Just compensation includes lost wages and benefits, as well as punitive damages for violating the law. Several employment statutes also apply to job candidates, particularly when it comes to discrimination during the screening process
What Types of Claims Does a Massachusetts Employment Law Attorney Handle?
A Massachusetts employment law claim can involve one or more of the following issues:
- Lack of workplace safety guidelines enforcement
- Wrongful Termination
- Workers’ compensation
- Retaliation
- Discrimination
- Minimum wage violation(s)
Despite Massachusetts enacting some of the strictest wage theft laws in the country, some employers continue to rob their employees of rightfully earned income.
Failure to pay overtime remains one of the most common types of wage theft issues. Since Massachusetts pays a minimum wage of $13.50 (2021) that is much higher than the federal minimum wage, dishonest employers try to trick workers into taking the lower federal minimum wage.
If you work in the hospitality industry, you have to monitor how your tips get distributed. Some employers skim off the top of tip-sharing arrangements.
How Much Does an Employment Law Attorney in Massachusetts Cost?
What a Massachusetts employment law lawyer charges depends on several factors, with experience and litigation success rate playing a significant role in determining a fee.
Most employment attorneys in Massachusetts charge on a contingency fee basis, which means they take a percentage of the just compensation that is awarded by a judge presiding over a civil lawsuit.
Attorneys that charge by the hour set their fees as high as into the triple digits. An hourly arrangement works if an attorney can recover money for you within a relatively short period.
Otherwise, you should consider working with an employment law attorney who charges a flat fee based on the just compensation that is awarded to you.
How Do I Find an Employment Law Attorney in Massachusetts?
You have decided to hire an employment law lawyer in Massachusetts. Now, the question is how do you find one? Start by networking with friends, family members, and professional peers. Getting a referral from someone that you trust is the most effective way to find the right employment law lawyer.
The attorney who you decide to hire must have experience litigating cases that concern your specific form of an employment law violation.
For example, an attorney who specializes in handling privacy rights cases might not be a good fit for an employment law case that involves wage theft.
You can also access the Massachusetts Bar Association website to develop a short list of candidates to represent you. A Google search using neighborhood-specific search terms like North End, South Boston, and Beacon Hill can help you narrow your choices.
Schedule a free case evaluation today with a Massachusetts employment law lawyer to determine how to proceed with your employment law claim.
