Los Angeles Employment Lawyer
Are you wondering if you need an employment lawyer?
Have you been wrongfully terminated?
Has your employer retaliated against you after you spoke out about transgressions they committed?
Were you discriminated against at work on the basis of your gender, race, age, pregnancy, disability status or some other condition of employment?
Have you been sexually harassed or assaulted by a manager or coworker?
The above scenarios are just a few examples in which an employment lawyer can help you defend your rights.
Employment law is a broad term that pertains to the rights and obligations between employers and employees.
Primarily created to protect workers, employment laws are based on federal and state constitutions, legislation and court rulings. Some employer-employee relationships may be governed by contracts as well.
Covering current workers as well as job applicants and former employees, employment laws are meant to prevent discrimination, uphold health and safety standards, set a minimum level for financial support, and avoid interruptions caused by disputes between workers and management.
Legislators passed the first labor laws in the early 20th century after the Industrial Revolution upended the American workforce. The initial laws concentrated on compensating injured workers, setting a minimum wage, establishing a standard workweek and making child labor illegal.
In the 1960s and ‘70s, Congress passed additional laws to prohibit discrimination and unsafe work conditions.
These days, many employment law issues concern employee healthcare and equal pay for men and women.
All employees have the right to fair pay, benefits and equal opportunity for promotions in addition to the right to do their jobs in a safe and comfortable work environment. In many cases, though, an employer may choose to violate an employee’s rights or purposely fail to stop inappropriate conduct. This kind of behavior calls for civil action.
What are the common types of employment law cases?
Employment law includes the following specific practice areas:
• Civil rights: the rights of individuals to receive fair and equal treatment and to be free from unfair discrimination.
• Disability discrimination: when an employer unfavorably treats a qualified individual who has or is perceived to have a disability.
• Sexual harassment: when an employee faces unwanted sexual advances, demands for sexual favors, offensive comments about their sex and unwelcome sexual remarks at work on a frequent basis, constituting a hostile work environment.
• Sexual assault: when an employee is subjected to non-consensual, sexually offensive touching at work.
• Employment discrimination: discrimination of all types typically involving refusing to hire, failing to reemploy, discharging, failing to promote, harassing or discriminating against a person on the basis of any other condition of employment.
• Hostile work environment: when the behaviors, actions or communication of employees make it impossible to work and are discriminatory in nature.
• Family and Medical Leave Act case: when an employer does not allow eligible employees their 12 workweeks of leave in a year for the birth of a child, the adoption of a child, to care for a seriously ill spouse or child, or for treatment of a serious health condition that makes it difficult for them to function at work.
• Employment contract violation: when an employer violates the terms of an employment contract.
• Whistleblower retaliation: when an employer penalizes a worker for exposing their wrongdoing.
• Wrongful termination: when an employer fires workers for reasons that are retaliatory or unlawful.
What are the federal and state laws that provide legal protections for employees?
Numerous federal and state regulations protect employees’ rights from being violated. They include, but are not limited to, the following:
• California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA): prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, gender, age, sexual orientation, or military or veteran status.
• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender or national origin.
• Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA): forbids age discrimination against applicants or employees who are 40 years or older.
• Equal Pay Act (EPA): prohibits pay discrimination on the basis of sex.
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public.
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): sets minimum wage, overtime pay, record keeping and child labor standards affecting workers in the public and private sectors.
• California Wage Orders: explain the wage, hour and working condition requirements for specific industries.
• California Labor Code: collection of civil law statutes dedicated to promoting the welfare of workers in the state.
• California Occupational Safety and Health Act (Cal/OSHA): provides safe and healthful working conditions for California workers.
• California’s Paid Family Care Leave Act: gives eligible employees 6 weeks of partial pay when taking time off from work to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a new child entering the family through birth, adoption or foster care.
• The California Family Rights Act (CFRA) and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA): give eligible employees 12 workweeks of leave in a year for the birth of a child, the adoption of a child, to care for a seriously ill spouse or child, or for treatment of a serious health condition that makes it difficult for them to function at work.
• Workers’ Compensation: type of insurance program that offers workers injured on the job compensation for lost wages and medical bills.
What are other frequently asked questions about employment law?
A comprehensive list of FAQs concerning employment law can be found here.
• Are there any restrictions on what an employer can ask me during a job interview?
• What is an “at will” work state?
• Am I entitled to overtime pay?
• What qualifies as discrimination?
• What proof of discrimination at work do I need to include in a discrimination complaint?
• Can my employer ask about my age?
• What is age discrimination? What are some examples of age discrimination?
• How can I prove age discrimination in my workplace?
• What qualifies as sexual harassment at work?
• What should I do if I was sexually harassed?
• What are the time limits for filing a sexual harassment claim?
• Can I get fired for reporting sexual harassment to my employer?
• How is illegal retaliation defined?
• What can I do if I was wrongfully terminated?
How can the employment lawyers at Strong Advocates help you?
Your job and career provide you stability in life. When someone takes that stability away, you need a Los Angeles employment attorney at Strong Advocates on your side to demand respect, fairness and compensation. The attorneys at Strong Advocates handle all types of employment law cases.
The executive director of Strong Advocates, Betsy Havens, has worked tirelessly throughout her career to protect the rights of workers who have been treated unjustly. Her exhaustive litigation experience has led to life-changing results for the people she has served.
Furthermore, our highly skilled and experienced legal team will work hard to defend your rights in the workplace so you can reclaim your life – and nothing will get in the way of that guarantee. We recognize how essential it is to respond when someone infringes on your rights. When we defend you, we use our extensive skills and experience to secure astonishing outcomes. With Strong Advocates on your side, you are guaranteed to have a talented and honorable team dedicated to assisting you in regaining the respect you deserve.
Call now for a free consultation. We will treat you with respect. We will listen. We will right the wrong.