Times You Need An Expert in Employment Law


Alternative dispute resolution

Do you need an expert in employment law to help you understand or protect your rights in relation to your employer? It’s something a lot of people don’t think about until the moment comes; but when the moment does come, you may need help very quickly. It can be worth taking the time to find options before an emergency arises.

When you think of employment law rights, the first thing that comes to mind might very well be employment discrimination. It is fairly well-known that employers are not permitted to discriminate against you in hiring, firing, promoting, or compensating on the basis of your gender, age, race, or other issues. But consider some of these other situations where you may need the services of someone who knows more about employment law than you do:

Your Employer Goes Bankrupt

No one wants this too happen, but if it does you may or may not have much warning. What happens if you are owed wages, but your employers declare themselves insolvent? At that point, you become one of their creditors. Unfortunately, you may be just one of many. 90% of chapter 11 debtors have very limited assets and revenues and 50 or fewer employees. Those employees can easily be lost in the sea of larger and better-funded creditors.

Depending on how much you are owed, you probably need someone with a better understanding of the intricacies of employment law to help you stand up for your rights and understand the bankruptcy case fully on your behalf.

Your Employer is Involved in a Class Action or Other Lawsuit

Complex civil litigation can involve a lot of people and a lot of confusion. There are moving parts everywhere, and people are caught up in the issue who may or may not truly be involved. What is your liability for what you may have done while in employment at your company? Is it possible your employer may try to shift blame to you in an inappropriate way?

In this situation also, an employment law expert is necessary so that you don’t become an easy target. They can not only help you understand your liability and defend its limits, but they may also be able to help with mediation services, as well.

Your Employer is Involved in A Merger or Acquisition

Mergers and acquisitions can change everything in a blink of an eye, and, depending on your position at a company, you may or may not be aware that it’s coming. When companies merge or are bought out, there can be serious changes in compensation, benefits, and confidentiality agreements, to name just a few areas.

If your company merges, you may not have the understanding of employment law necessary to know for certain what your rights and obligations are. Knowing where you can turn for expert help is essential.

Your Company is Involved in Something Shady

Whether it’s hiding industrial pollution, insider trading, or simple tax evasion, companies have been known to cheat. Many times they’re caught not by some alphabet government law enforcement agency, but by a whistleblower within their own ranks.

Whistleblowers can find themselves facing serious pushback, though, and many have first tried to bring up an issue in house only to be surprised to find the upper echelons of management arrayed against them. It’s not unheard of for employers to fire whistleblowers, sometimes on trumped up charges, or to otherwise attempt to silence them. Do you know your rights under American employment law? If you ever consider blowing that whistle, do it after consulting with an expert in the relevant laws.

There are other good reasons to consider finding an employment law expert to fight on your side; but even these examples should be enough to point you in the right direction. Don’t wait til you come to a crisis. At the first rumblings of trouble, find an expert in employment law to advise and protect you.

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