If you have a claim against your employer, hiring an experienced New York employment lawyer is the first step toward asserting your legal rights effectively. But, while it is important to take action promptly, it is also important to ensure that you make an informed decision about your legal representation.
So, how do you choose the right employment lawyer to represent you?
While there is no single “right” answer, there are several factors you should consider when deciding whether to hire a particular employment lawyer to represent you. To consider these factors, you can simply ask about them during your free initial consultation.
Questions You Should Feel Free to Ask During Your Free Initial Consultation
What are the questions you can (and should) ask to help ensure that you are making an informed decision? Here are 10 questions you should feel free to ask during your free initial consultation with a New York employment lawyer:
1. Do You Focus Your Practice on Employment Law?
When you have an employment law claim, it generally makes sense to choose a lawyer who focuses his or her practice on employment law. A lawyer who primarily practices in the area of estates and trusts might be very good at what he or she does, but this requires a very different skillset compared to representing employees in employment law matters.
2. How Much Experience Do You Have Representing Employees?
The lawyer’s volume of employment law experience is a relevant factor as well. While prior results do not guarantee future success, if a lawyer has extensive experience helping employees protect their legal rights, this at least suggests that he or she is capable of representing your interests effectively.
3. How Much Experience Do You Have with My Particular Type of Claim?
Along with asking about the lawyer’s employment law experience generally, you should also feel free to ask about his or her experience handling your particular type of claim. If you have an employment discrimination claim, you will want to choose a lawyer who has a track record of helping employees who have experienced discrimination on the job. Likewise, if you have a claim for unpaid wages or overtime, you will want to choose a lawyer who is familiar with the specific steps involved in helping employees collect the compensation they have rightfully earned.
4. Will I Work With You Directly Throughout My Employment Claim?
When you choose an employment lawyer to represent you, you want to know that you will work directly with that lawyer throughout your employment claim. This is something that you can (and should) ask about as well. While the law firm’s support staff might handle certain aspects of your claim that do not require your lawyer’s level of insight and experience, generally speaking, you should be able to work directly with your lawyer throughout the process.
5. Will I Be Able to Get in Touch with Someone Else at the Firm When I Need To?
You should expect your employment lawyer to have other clients, and this means that you should expect your lawyer to be unavailable from time to time. However, you should still be able to get in touch with someone when you need to. Will you have a paralegal or administrator assigned to your case? Does the firm have a support staff that assists all of the firm’s clients as necessary? These are questions you should feel free to ask as well.
6. What Are My Chances of Success?
This is an important question, and it is a question that you should ask. However, you should also understand that your lawyer won’t be able to provide a definitive answer—especially not during your free initial consultation.
Instead, you should expect to receive a preliminary assessment based on the information you are able to provide. Once your lawyer gathers additional information about your situation, they will be able to provide a more in-depth assessment of your chances of success.
7. What Are the Potential Outcomes of My Employment Claim?
While your employment lawyer won’t be able to predict the specific outcome of your employment claim, your lawyer should be able to discuss the potential outcomes that are on the table. This includes discussing the various types of remedies you may be able to seek based on the specific facts and circumstances at hand. Ultimately, it will be up to you to decide what remedies you want to pursue, and you will want to work closely with your lawyer to ensure that you make an informed decision.
8. What Can I Expect if I Decide to Move Forward?
Knowing what to expect when you file an employment claim is important. To help you decide whether you are prepared to take legal action, your lawyer should be able to clearly explain the steps involved in pursuing your particular type of claim.
9. Are There Any Deadlines I Need to Be Aware of Related to My Claim?
In this same vein, if there are deadlines you need to meet in order to protect your legal rights, you need to know about them. An experienced employment lawyer should be able to tell you if you need to act quickly in order to preserve your ability to take legal action.
10. What Legal Fees Will I Need to Pay?
The lawyer you choose to handle your employment claim should be completely transparent about his or her legal fees. You are entitled to know how much you will have to pay, and you should not receive any surprise legal bills related to your representation.
Request a Free Initial Consultation with a New York Employment Lawyer at Bell Law Group
Do you need to speak with a New York employment lawyer about your legal rights? If so, we invite you to get in touch. To request a free initial consultation at Bell Law Group, please call 516-280-3008 or tell us how we can reach you online today.
