Why You May Have Been Wrongfully Terminated

Your employer firing you is sufficiently hard to deal with when you know that there was an equitable and authentic explanation. In the event that you have been unreasonably terminated, things are exacerbated. Wrongful termination cases are exceptionally hard to examine, so each case requires a cautious individual audit.  That’s why you should contact an employment lawyer, if you’ve been wrongfully terminated.

What is a Wrongful Termination?

The term “wrongful termination” is misleading to some people. In the context of employment law, the word “wrongful” does not refer to a moral sense of right or wrong. Rather, wrongful termination is a legal term that refers to firing an employee in violation of state or federal anti-discrimination laws.

Albeit a worker may feel that he was terminated unjustifiably or without motivation, the truth is that an employee can be terminated in any way, shape, or form and also for unknown reasons. For example, in Pittsburgh, like many states, employment is at will.  This means that unless the employee is working under an employment contract, a company may fire a worker for any non-illegal reason.  Illegal reasons typically include terminations based on race, gender, sex, disability, national origin, or religion.

Employment laws continue to evolve over time. And in recent years in a very marked way due both to changes at the political level and the economy. To keep up with the ever changing legal structure, hiring an employment lawyer is key for both companies and workers.

Reasons to Hire an Employment Lawyer

Here are Some Reasons why it is Highly Recommended:

Informative/preventative

Consulting with an employment lawyer allows you to learn about the legal implications that may arise in the workplace. Hiring an employment lawyer before the wrongful termination benefits both the employee and the employer.

For the employee, he or she will obtain the benefit of being informed of his or her legal rights with respect to his or her employment.  For the employer, compliance with employment laws will prevent employees from bringing costly lawsuits.

Cost reduction

In addition to the logical saving of time involved in delegating to a professional who knows the employment law, sometimes it can also lead to financial savings since being properly advised before making a decision minimizes the risk of a lawsuit.

Employment lawsuits are expensive.  Not only do employers have to pay their lawyers, they also have to pay out the settlement award.  The lawyers’ fees coupled with the the settlement award can sink any small business.

Security

If you have knowledge of the legal framework, you will not have sleepless nights wondering if your company is out of compliance with employment law. And also wondering whether when the next lawsuit might be coming.

Professional assistance

During lawsuits, it is essential to have the assistance of a lawyer. A company cannot represent itself during a lawsuit.  You might want to consider having your lawyer involved and up to speed early rather than waiting to get him or her up to speed after the lawsuit has already begun.  For employees, although you can represent yourself, that is a bad idea. Laws and legal procedures are complex.  A lawyer is needed to help navigate them.

Summing up

Wrongful termination refers to an illegal firing.  Whether you are an employee or an employer, you need a lawyer if you believe there may have been an illegal firing.  Lawsuits are expense and can take time.  But you will not save money in the long run without a lawyer nor will you be successful in your lawsuit.

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Interesting related article: “What is a job?“