6 Things to Know and Have Ready Before You Call a Lawyer to Discuss Your Termination

Losing a job is hard, very hard. If you have been terminated, it may be difficult to even think about the details leading up to your termination, let alone organize the information and communicate it to a professional.

But employment attorneys need certain information to determine if they can assist in bringing an action against your former employer. Employment lawyers are also busy, trying to manage current caseload while fielding “intake” calls from potential clients like you. So, here is a list of helpful information to have ready beforeyou make the call for consultation:

 Work location.

This is important because the attorney needs to identify the laws that apply to your former employer. A New Hampshire employer will be subject to different laws than a Massachusetts employer, for example.

Number of employees.

Employment laws generally only “cover” employers meeting a size threshold. Size is generally defined by the number of people employed in the workplace.

Termination date.

Many employment laws carry with them very short filing deadlines, so it is important to a) not wait long before seeking legal help and b) to have an accurate termination date to give the attorney.

Length of employment and performance history.

These help the attorney get a sense of your employer’s perception of you and your work. Years of service and solid work performance help to argue against justifications for termination.

The stated and REAL reasons for termination.

Frequently employers are not candid when they communicate reasons for termination. The plaintiffs’ attorney needs to know, from the terminated employee, both the stated reasons (if given) and the suspected “real” reasons for termination, in order to determine if the “real” reasons are illegal and are provable.

Economic losses.

Termination cases almost always involve proving wage and benefits losses suffered by the employee. Having hard figures from which to calculate and/or estimate your wage and benefits losses is helpful to evaluating a claim.

If you have been terminated and have questions, contact our office at (603) 288-1403 for a free consultation or fill out our online contact form.