If your employer has crossed the legal line and violated one or more state and/or federal employment laws, you have the right to file a claim that seeks just compensation to cover your losses. The key to winning a claim is to hire a Vermont employment law attorney. Your lawyer decides whether litigating your case is the best legal option, or whether avoiding litigation is the best solution for you to receive justice for employment law violations. Filing a Vermont employment law claim requires the submission of convincing evidence before the expiration of the statute of limitations.
What Does a Vermont Employment Law Attorney Do?
A Vermont employment law lawyer helps clients pursue just compensation for one or more work-related legal violations. Whether you deserve workers’ compensation or an award for suffering from workplace discrimination, an employment attorney in Vermont can get you one or more of the following types of just compensation.
- Punitive damages
- Expenses associated with a job search
- Back pay
- Health insurance benefits
- The total amount of bonuses owed to you
- Pay for taking time off from work
Making a persuasive argument for just compensation does not have to occur inside a courtroom. Although winning a civil lawsuit typically helps claimants receive the largest financial award, your attorney might decide to avoid going to court by negotiating a settlement with your employer. Both your Vermont employment law lawyer and the legal counsel representing your employer meet to work out an arrangement that satisfies both parties. Your attorney might decide that mediating your claim is the best legal option. A neutral, third-party mediator examines the evidence presented by both sides before issuing a ruling.
What Types of Claims Does a Vermont Employment Law Attorney Handle?
An employment law attorney in Vermont should specialize in the type of employment law that is relevant to your claim. For example, you want to work with an employment law lawyer in Vermont that specializes in workers’ compensation claims if you suffered one or more injuries on the job.
Here are some other types of Vermont employment law claims that an attorney can handle:
- Workplace safety
- Discrimination
- Retaliation
- Wrongful termination
- Privacy rights
- Union issues
- Wage theft
- Sexual harassment
In July of 2018, Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed into law a new law that provides workers with more protections against sexual harassment in the workplace. The new law forbids employers from requiring workers or job candidates to waive their legal right to disclose acts of sexual harassment in the workplace or at a work-related event. Employers in Vermont also cannot prohibit employees from continuing to work for the same employer after the resolution of a sexual harassment complaint.
Vermont is considered to have established one of the most comprehensive laws that protect workers against acts of sexual harassment in the United States.
How Much Does an Employment Law Attorney in Vermont Cost?
Vermont does not impose restrictions on how much money an employment law attorney in Vermont can charge clients. Most Vermont employment law attorneys operate on a contingency fee basis, which means clients do not have to pay any upfront legal fees. Many of the lawyers that work on a contingency fee basis waive the payment of court costs. This means clients do not have to pay their attorneys unless they receive just compensation for one or more employment law violations committed by their employers.
In Vermont, the hourly rate charged by employment law attorneys depends on the scope of a claim. You might pay as little as $100 per hour for an easy to resolve employment law claim. The higher end of working with an employment law lawyer in Vermont can cost you more than $1,000 an hour. Hourly fee arrangements make sense only if you can resolve your claim quickly. Otherwise, work with a Vermont employment law lawyer who operates on a contingency fee basis.
How Do I Find an Employment Law Attorney in Vermont?
Finding the right employment law attorney in Vermont starts by asking for recommendations from friends, co-workers, and family members. You want to work with a lawyer that earns your trust, as well as fights hard for your rights as outlined by Vermont employment statutes.
Schedule a free consultation with a Vermont employment law attorney to decide whether you have enough convincing evidence to file a claim.
