Employment Law

What are employment lawyers?

Employment lawyers can assist employees and employers on a number of issues. They can provide guidance on employee rights, at-will firing violations and other issues including:   

• Wrongful termination

• Contract violations

• Workplace discrimination

• Employee benefits

• Sexual Harassment

• Whistleblower protections

• Retaliation for truthfully reporting a violation of protected activity.

• Retaliation for being a witness between the employer and another employee.

Should I hire an employment lawyer?

As an employee, you should hire an attorney if you have experienced one or more of the following issues:

• Harassment at work

• Discrimination against you because of a protected characteristic (ex. sex, race, age, etc.)

• Retaliation against you for asking for overtime pay or violations of the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act).

• Termination in violation of an employment contract

• The requirement to sign an agreement that waives entitled rights

• Failure to receive benefits stated in an employment contract

As an employer, an employment attorney can help walk you through obligations with Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) guidelines and environmental regulations. They can also defend employers when being cited for violations of employment laws and workplace regulations. If an employer experiences one of these situations, they should contact an attorney:

• Collective bargaining negotiations with a union

• A complaint has been filed against them by an employee for discrimination or harassment

• An employee has filed a lawsuit against the employer for a workplace-related matter

• An employer is planning to lay off or fire several employees, terminate an employee benefit or change the current pension plan that it offers

• An employer is planning to lay off or fire several employees

What is wrongful termination?

Wrongful termination is when an employer fires an employee in a manner that violates state or federal laws. Mississippi is known as an at-will state but there are a number of scenarios that fall under wrongful termination.

An employee cannot be fired based on race, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability or engaging in union activities. Wrongful terminations laws also protect whistleblowers, people that report workplace violations.