Houston Employment Lawyers

The best thing to do is to talk to an experienced employment attorney quickly. You should also document as much about what has happened as possible. Save emails and text messages, talk to witnesses and write out a diary of events. Your employer will likely dispute your account, and the evidence you have can help you prove what happened — and what still may be happening. In some cases, you can also file reports to your HR department, the EEOC, or even OSHA for safety-related issues such as retaliation for refusal to do dangerous work.
What you may discover is that you are not at all alone. If the illegal activity has impacted you and your career, there are likely other employees who have found themselves in the same position. Getting their statements and accounts can help to establish a pattern of behavior. This is important if your employer tries to claim that what happened was a one-time event or a misinterpretation.

Employment lawyers cover everything related to the law and employment, ranging from creating legally-binding contracts to supporting employees who have been wrongly dismissed or unfairly treated.

When helping new clients, our staff will initially work to understand the issue and then review all the evidence. They’ll then be able to offer practical advice and start the legal process on your behalf. Our staff will take care of negotiations, handle all of the legal paperwork and even represent you in court, should it be necessary.

Aspects of employment law vary from state to state, which is why working with Houston-based lawyers like ours can help you to ensure that you get the best possible advice.

Wrongful termination can happen for many reasons. If you have a contract, it happens whenever the terms of that contract are breached. For instance, it may state that you can only be fired for cause, when your employer fired you for no reason, citing at-will employment laws. Your contract offers you protections beyond those laws.
While at-will employment does technically mean that anyone can be fired (or can quit) at any time, remember that you still cannot be fired for illegal reasons that violate your rights. Refer to the protected classes noted above (race, religion, sex, age, etc.). If your employer fires you due to your race, for instance, that’s still illegal even if you have no contract and you are an at-will employee.
Moreover, when companies have stated policies in place, even if they’re not technically in a contract, they still have to be followed. For example, your company may have a three-strikes policy that guarantees you two warnings before a firing. Therefore, being fired immediately and without warning could still be illegal, even though at-will employment laws allow it.

There are protected classes in the United States, and harassment and discrimination typically violate your rights under one of these classes.Per the EEOC, they include:

• Race
• Religion
• Color
• Sex (along with gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy)
• Age (40+)
• National origin
• Genetic information
• Disability

Harassment can include everything from jokes to insults to physical contact. Discrimination may include things like failure to hire, wrongful termination, passing you over for promotions, and more. We will determine if your case has all of the necessary components. 

The biggest thing that you should know is that your gut is often right. When things feel unfair and unjust, especially if the perpetrator is an employer or a supervisor, they probably are unfair and unjust. When your rights are violated, you need someone to stand up on your behalf. We can do that for you in any industry.

Wrongful termination occurs if your employer fired you in breach of your contract or for a reason that is not legally recognized. For example, employers cannot terminate your job because of your race, gender, or religious beliefs.

If you believe that you were wrongfully terminated from your job, then you should contact us. Our team of employment lawyers will review your situation and be able to offer you advice for the next steps in your case.