Photo: Christina @ wocintechchat.com / UnsplashBeing fired or forced out
- Work and lawyers
At-Will Employment and Wrongful Termination: Your Rights
Most US jobs are at-will, but there are important limits. Learn when a firing may be illegal.
5 min read - Work and lawyers
Wrongful Termination Damages: What You Can Recover If You Were Fired Illegally
Types of damages in wrongful termination and discrimination cases: back pay, front pay, emotional distress, punitive damages, caps, attorney fees and how mitigation works.
4 min read - Work and lawyers
Constructive Discharge: When Quitting Counts as Being Fired
What constructive discharge means, how courts decide when working conditions are intolerable, evidence to gather and what to do before you resign.
4 min read - Work and lawyers
Severance Agreements: What to Check Before You Sign
How severance packages work, what rights you may give up, review periods for older workers and tips for negotiating.
4 min read - Work and lawyers
Termination Letters: What Employers Must Tell You and What to Do Next
What a termination letter usually says, final pay and benefits notices, severance and unemployment steps after being let go.
3 min read - Work and lawyers
Final Paycheck Rules: When Must an Employer Pay You?
How state laws set deadlines for final pay, what must be included and what to do if an employer withholds your last paycheck.
4 min read - Work and lawyers
Layoffs and the WARN Act: Notice Rights for Large Layoffs
When employers must give 60 days' notice of mass layoffs and plant closings, who is covered and what remedies exist.
2 min read
Discrimination, harassment and retaliation
- Work and lawyers
Workplace Harassment and Discrimination: Your Rights and How to Report
What counts as illegal discrimination and harassment at work, which laws apply and how to file a complaint.
4 min read - Work and lawyers
How to File an EEOC Charge: Step-by-Step Guide to Employment Discrimination Complaints
How to file a discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, deadlines, what to include, what happens next and how it relates to state agencies.
4 min read - Work and lawyers
Workplace Retaliation: How to Recognize and Prove It
What counts as retaliation, the elements of a claim, evidence that helps and deadlines to file.
3 min read - Work and lawyers
Age Discrimination at Work: How the ADEA Protects Employees 40 and Older
How the Age Discrimination in Employment Act works, who is covered, examples of age bias in hiring, layoffs and pay, deadlines and how to file a charge.
4 min read - Work and lawyers
Disability Accommodations at Work Under the ADA
How the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to employment, what reasonable accommodations are and how to request one.
4 min read - Work and lawyers
Pregnancy at Work: Discrimination, Accommodations and Leave
Federal protections for pregnant workers, including accommodations, leave and the right not to be fired or demoted because of pregnancy.
2 min read - Work and lawyers
Workplace Investigations: Employee Rights and What to Expect
How workplace investigations work, your rights as a complainant or witness, what to say, confidentiality, retaliation protections and next steps.
4 min read - Work and lawyers
Whistleblower Protections: Reporting Wrongdoing Safely
How federal and state laws protect employees who report illegal activity, what retaliation looks like and how to document a report.
2 min read
Pay, overtime and classification
- Work and lawyers
Unpaid Wages and Overtime: Your Rights and How to Recover Pay
Learn when employers must pay overtime, what counts as wage theft and how to file a wage claim.
4 min read - Work and lawyers
Exempt vs. Non-Exempt Employees: Who Gets Overtime?
How the Fair Labor Standards Act decides overtime eligibility, common misclassifications and what to do if you were denied overtime.
4 min read - Work and lawyers
Wage Theft: How to Send a Demand Letter and File a Claim
Steps to recover unpaid wages, including keeping records, a demand letter, agency complaints and small claims or court options.
3 min read - Work and lawyers
Equal Pay and Pay Transparency Laws Explained: Your Rights to Fair Pay
How federal equal pay law and state pay transparency laws work, what employers must disclose, salary history bans, discussing pay and how to file a complaint.
4 min read - Work and lawyers
Employee or Independent Contractor? The Tests Agencies Use
The factors the IRS, Department of Labor and states use to classify workers and what to do if you were misclassified.
4 min read - Work and lawyers
Tips and Tipped Wages: Who Owns Tips and What Employers Can Do
How federal and state laws treat tips, tip credits, tip pooling and service charges, and what to do if your tips were taken.
2 min read - Work and lawyers
Gig Worker Rights: Uber, DoorDash and Other App-Based Work
How classification, pay, expenses, taxes, deactivation and legal protections work for app-based gig workers.
4 min read
Leave, benefits and unemployment
- Work and lawyers
FMLA Leave: Who Qualifies and What It Protects
The Family and Medical Leave Act gives eligible workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave. See the eligibility rules.
4 min read - Work and lawyers
Paid Sick Leave Laws: Do Employers Have to Provide It?
Federal rules, state and local paid sick leave laws, typical accrual rates and what to do if you are denied sick time.
2 min read - Work and lawyers
USERRA: Job Protections for Service Members and Reservists
How USERRA protects reemployment rights after military service, notice duties, benefits and how to file a complaint.
2 min read - Work and lawyers
Can I Collect Unemployment If I Quit My Job?
When a resignation can still qualify for unemployment benefits, such as good cause or unsafe conditions, and how to document it.
2 min read - Work and lawyers
Unemployment Benefits: How to Appeal a Denial
Why claims get denied, the short appeal deadlines, what happens at a hearing and how to prepare.
4 min read - Work and lawyers
COBRA Health Insurance After You Lose Your Job
How COBRA continuation coverage works, who is eligible, the deadlines to elect it, the cost and alternatives.
2 min read
Contracts, offers and restrictions
- Work and lawyers
Employment Contract Terms to Check Before You Sign
Key clauses in job offers and employment contracts, including termination, compensation, non-competes, arbitration and intellectual property.
3 min read - Work and lawyers
Job Offer Letters: What They Promise, What They Do Not and What to Negotiate
How an offer letter differs from an employment contract, key terms to check, contingencies and how to negotiate before accepting.
3 min read - Work and lawyers
Non-Compete Agreements: Are They Enforceable?
How courts treat non-compete clauses, what makes one reasonable and what to do before signing or leaving a job.
4 min read - Work and lawyers
Non-Compete vs. Non-Solicit vs. NDA: What Restrictions Can You Face After a Job?
How three common employment restrictions differ and which are most likely to be enforced.
4 min read - Work and lawyers
Resignation Letters: What to Write, Notice Periods and What to Keep
How to write a professional resignation letter, whether you must give notice, final pay and benefits questions and what records to keep.
3 min read - Work and lawyers
Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs): What They Mean and How to Respond
What a PIP is, why employers use them, how to respond and whether a PIP creates legal rights.
2 min read
Getting legal help
- Work and lawyers
When to Hire an Employment Discrimination Lawyer
Signs that legal help is worthwhile, how discrimination cases work, filing deadlines and what to bring to a consultation.
2 min read - Work and lawyers
How to Find Free or Low-Cost Legal Help in the US
Where to look for legal aid, law school clinics, bar association referral programs and court self-help centers.
2 min read - Work and lawyers
Contingency Fees Explained: What You Pay a Lawyer If You Win
How contingency fee agreements work, what percentages are typical, and why costs are a separate question.
2 min read - Accidents and injury
Workers' Compensation Basics: Who Is Covered and How to File
How workers' comp pays medical bills and lost wages after a job injury, and the steps to start a claim.
4 min read
Frequently asked questions
Can my employer fire me for any reason?
In most states employment is at will, but firing for discrimination, retaliation, protected leave or other illegal reasons is unlawful.
How long do I have to file a discrimination complaint?
Generally 180 days from the discriminatory act, extended to 300 days in states with their own agency.
Am I owed overtime?
Non-exempt employees generally are. Salary alone does not make someone exempt, since duties and pay level matter.
Do I need an employment lawyer?
Consider one for firing, discrimination, harassment, retaliation or large wage claims. Many offer free consultations.
What should I do first if I think I was treated illegally?
Write a timeline, save documents, report in writing and check agency deadlines.