Five things to remember before calling an employment lawyer
Do you think you have a valid discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage violation claim against your employer and want to sue? Below are five tips that will help you with your claim before you even speak with an employment lawyer.
- Communicate problems to your employer through emails and letters.. If you only rely on verbal complaints and requests, your employer will most likely refuse to talk to you about your concern, especially if there are no witnesses to your conversation.
- Keep a journal in which you can record all the dates, times, places, and names relevant to your problem.. Immediately write down word-for-word conversational snippets that could validate your claim. Stay professional no matter how angry you are with your employer. Avoid using profanity because the diary can be used as evidence. Lastly, never leave your diary unattended in places where your boss can access it. That would almost certainly get him fired and end his lawsuit.
- Emails, press releases, and correspondence could be used as critical evidence. in a violation of employment law follows. Witness testimony will also add credibility to your claim. If his boss makes a racist comment, slaps him on the butt, or harasses him to shut up because he saw him do something illegal, talk to anyone who may have been there. If they saw him, try to get them to side with him. If he manages to convince them, he will really strengthen his case.
- While you may have done your research on employment law, don’t even try to play attorney. Terms like “retaliation,” “hostile work environment,” and “whistleblower” aren’t magic words that can automatically intimidate your boss into submission. Chances are your boss is smart enough to seek legal advice first before responding to your ill-planned tirade. Chances are things will change and you, instead of your boss, look like a bully.
- Never resort to insulting your boss or physical violence. because it will get you into much deeper trouble than you already have. Take a deep breath and follow the first four tips, then call an employment lawyer.
While there are more tips that can help you, the five listed above are the first and most important. The rest can be provided by your attorney.