Top Rated Employment Lawyer Toledo Ohio
Here at The Friedmann Firm, LLC, our team of Toledo employment litigation attorneys are ready and waiting to help protect your rights as an employee. Our primary focus involves working to ensure that employee rights are maintained – whether that be by ensuring employees are being paid minimum wage and overtime pay, or even addressing unlawful harassment and discrimination that takes place in the workplace.
We’ve handled a number of cases that range from employment discrimination to negotiating employment contracts. Our employment law firm in Toledo, Ohio takes an aggressive approach to each case we take on.
What is an Employment Attorney?
A Toledo employment attorney is an attorney that specializes in employment law. They can help explain an employee’s rights to them and provide legal advice with regard to their individual circumstances. An employment attorney will be able to explain any laws that apply to your situation and what might be the best way to move forward – be that through filing a discrimination charge, mediation, negotiation, or other steps, like a lawsuit.
Employment law cases can become complex, so working with an employment firm in Toledo, Ohio that has successfully advised and represented clients throughout Ohio can be one key way to make a stressful situation a little less so.
What Does a Toledo Employment Attorney Do?
An employment lawyer in Toledo, Ohio does a number of different things on each case that they work on. These can include:
- Initial consultation with the client to understand what happened and explore potential legal claims
- Providing legal advice and guidance to a client, both before filing and during the complaint or lawsuit process
- Assisting in the filing of a complaint or Charge of Discrimination, either through the Equal Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC), or another relevant agency
- Handling all aspects of a lawsuit, if necessary, including drafting initial documents to file, conducting scheduling conferences, engaging in written discovery, taking depositions, motion practice, and trial
- Working on class action lawsuits, representing a larger number of individuals that have been harmed by the same policy and/or were subject to the same wage & hour violation
- Negotiating settlement terms
Our firm handles a wide variety of employment law claims. If you are facing an employment situation such as discrimination, unpaid overtime, or other areas that you think may be relevant to our practice, contact us at The Friedmann Firm today.
An employment lawyer in Toledo, Ohio will be able to book you a free and confidential consultation.
Questions to Ask a Toledo Ohio Employment Lawyer in an Interview
As a client looking to work with a Toledo employment lawyer, think of your initial consultation as a chance to get answers to a number of different questions – including questions about the lawyer’s experience handling cases like yours.
Questions that you can ask include:
- What percentage of your practice is dedicated to employment law?
- How long have you been practicing employment law?
- What is your process of communicating with clients?
- Have you handled cases like mine before?
- What were the results? (Most actual results will be confidential, as settlements are usually subject to confidentiality provisions, unless public record).
Treat your first meeting with a Toledo employee rights lawyer like an interview. You are the interviewer, and they are the interviewee. They are going to be handling your case and helping to protect your rights, so you should ask questions that make sure you have a full understanding of how they work and operate.
Our Practice Areas
At The Friedmann Firm, our practice areas cover a wide range of employment laws. From wrongful termination to equal compensation, take a closer look at the areas that we can offer assistance in below.
Wrongful Termination
Wrongful termination occurs when an employee is fired for an unlawful reason. Wrongful termination can leave an individual with no work and with the difficult task of looking for a new job. Unlawful reasons that lead to wrongful termination include being fired based on discrimination, harassment, or for reasons that violate public policy.
Whistleblower
Employees who become whistleblower (an individual that reports on unlawful violations, fraud, corruption, and dangers to public health and safety) can often face illegal backlash, called retaliation, because of their actions. Retaliation against whistleblowers might take the form of being fired or being denied a promotion.
Employment Retaliation
Employment retaliation occurs when an employer takes retaliatory actions against you because you’ve engaged in “protected activity.” Examples of protected activity are complaining about discrimination based on a protected class, complaining about sexual harassment, asking for a reasonable accommodation for a disability, participating in an investigation about discrimination allegations raised by someone else, being interviewed as part of a sexual harassment investigation, complaining that you believe you are not being paid correctly, etc. There are MANY examples of protected activity and you MUST engage in it in order to be protected from retaliation.
Complaining that someone is hard to work with, rude or disrespectful, generally, is NOT a protected activity. Speak with a lawyer to understand what is and is not protected activity, because any potential retaliation claim you may have depended on it.
Examples of retaliation can be termination, immediate suspension, demotion, failure to promote, and other examples.
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
The FLSA is a federal-level act that affords all non-exempt employees with things such as the federal minimum wage and overtime pay. Misclassification is a huge problem pursuant to the FLSA. This occurs when an employer classifies you as “exempt” from the protections of the FLSA when you actually are not exempt. Being exempt means that you are NOT entitled to overtime pay. Misclassification is common, as wage and hour laws are complex. Whether you are exempt or non-exempt depends on your job duties, not your job title. If you have any questions about whether you are entitled to overtime pay, contact our firm.
Employment Discrimination
Companies, organizations, and agencies across all industries have legal obligations to treat their employees fairly and equally, regardless of a person’s race, age, sex, gender, religion, disability, history of military service, national origin, or pregnancy status. These are known as “protected classes” and are protected under several laws such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and more. Employers cannot discriminate based on a protected class.
Class and Collective Actions
Class and collective actions are usually undertaken when an employee or group of employees have been treated unfairly by an employer or have suffered the same or similar violation of the law. A class or collective action can address things like a widespread discriminatory policy and unpaid overtime and wages.
Disability Discrimination (ADA)
Job applicants and employees who have disabilities are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Pursuant to the ADA, employers are required to treat workers and applicants the same as they would others who are not disabled. . Discrimination or mistreatment tied to a person’s disability can leave an employer subject to liability.
Other practice areas that The Friedmann Firm handles include:
- Military discrimination (USERRA)
- Hostile work environment
- Employment contracts
- Sexual harassment
- Equal compensation
- Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- Non-compete agreements
- Wage and hour claims
- Severance negotiations and agreements
Connect with Top Rated Employment Lawyers in Toledo, OH Today
If you are on the lookout for a team of top-rated employment lawyers in Toledo, OH, look no further. Our team is 100% committed to protecting your rights as an employee. We take our years of experience and apply an aggressive approach, no matter the type of case you bring to us.
Contact us over the phone at 614-610-9755 or through our contact form today to book a free and confidential consultation.