Termination or layoff occurs when an employer ends an employee’s job due to performance, conduct, restructuring, or financial reasons. But these decisions must comply with federal, state, and local laws, including the Age Discrimination and Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with Disaility Act (ADA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), and related laws. These laws must be adhered to even in at-will employment states.

Contact us if you believe you’ve been terminated or laid off unfairly.

Severance involves determining whether departing employees receive compensation or benefits beyond their final paycheck.

Employers may provide severance, but the severance package and terms must comply with federal, state, and local laws, including the Age Discrimination and Employment Act (ADEA), the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA), the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), and the Speak Out Act.

Contact us if you need an attorney to review your severance agreement before you sign or if you need help negotiating a better severance package.

Discrimination occurs when an employee is treated unfavorably based on protected characteristics such as race, gender, age, disability, sex/sexuality, pregnancy, national origin, or religion. Such conduct may violate the Age Discrimination and Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with Disaility Act (ADA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, and related laws.

Contact us if you believe you’ve been treated unfairly due to a protected characteristic and you want to know your options, or if you need help submitting a complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or a state agency.

Sexual harassment is unwelcome and inappropriate sexual remarks, advances, displays, or behaviors.

Harassment (or hostile work environment) is a form of employment discrimination that includes unwelcome conduct—verbal, physical, or visual—that creates an intimidating, offensive, or abusive workplace. The unwelcome conduct must be based on a protected characteristic like age, race, sex/sexuality, national origin, religion, disability, or pregnancy. Such conduct may violate the Age Discrimination and Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with Disaility Act (ADA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and related laws.

Contact us if you believe you are the victim of workplace harassment and you need to know your options.

Employers must reasonably accommodate employees’ medical conditions or sincerely held religious beliefs. This may involve schedule changes, modified duties, or policy adjustments. Employers must engage in the interactive process with employees to determine a reasonable accommodation. Failing to do so could violate the Americans with Disaility Act (ADA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, and related laws.

Contact us if you believe you need help understanding your disability or religious rights, if you believe your employer has unfairly denied your request for accommodation, or if you believe your employer is failing to fairly engage in the interactive process.

Retaliation occurs when an employer punishes an employee for reporting misconduct, exercising legal rights, or participating in an investigation.

That punishment is known as taking an adverse employment action against the employee, like termination, demotion, suspension, unwanted transfer, discipline, or negative evaluation. Retaliation may violate the Age Discrimination and Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with Disaility Act (ADA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), and other laws.

Contact us if you believe your employer is retaliating against you and you need to understand your options.

We also provide guidance for individuals with questions about pay disparity, unemployment claims, wage-and-hour concerns, job misclassification, workplace safety, employee leave, or general workplace conflict.