When Should You Hire an Employment Lawyer?
Hiring an employment lawyer at the right time can mean the difference between protecting your rights and losing them permanently. Filing deadlines in employment law are strict — miss them by even one day and your claim may be barred forever. This guide covers the specific situations where you need legal representation, the warning signs that your employer is building a case against you, and the deadlines you need to know.
Immediate Situations That Require an Employment Lawyer
You Have Been Fired or Are About to Be Fired
If you have been terminated and believe the reason was discriminatory, retaliatory, or otherwise illegal, contact an employment lawyer before signing any documents — especially a severance agreement. Severance agreements almost always include a release of legal claims, and once you sign, you waive your right to pursue those claims. An attorney can evaluate whether the severance offer is fair or whether your claims are worth substantially more.
If you believe you are about to be fired — your employer has placed you on a performance improvement plan (PIP), started documenting issues that were never raised before, or is behaving in ways that suggest termination is coming — consulting a lawyer early allows you to begin preserving evidence and understanding your options before the termination occurs.
You Have Been Offered a Severance Agreement
Never sign a severance agreement without legal review. Employers design severance agreements to protect the company, not you. Common provisions that harm employees include overly broad release of claims (waiving rights you did not know you had), non-disparagement clauses that prevent you from discussing your experience, non-compete clauses that limit your future employment, cooperation clauses that require you to assist the employer in future litigation, and confidentiality provisions that prevent you from warning other employees.
Employees over 40 have 21 days to consider a severance agreement and 7 days to revoke it under the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA). If your employer is pressuring you to sign immediately, that pressure itself may violate federal law.
You Are Experiencing Ongoing Harassment or Discrimination
If you are currently experiencing workplace harassment or discrimination, consulting a lawyer while the situation is active allows you to document events properly, understand which reporting steps strengthen your case, avoid common mistakes that employers use to undermine claims, and file administrative complaints within the required deadlines.
Your Employer Denied Your FMLA Leave or Accommodation Request
If your employer refused to grant FMLA leave, denied a disability accommodation, or retaliated against you for requesting either, consult an attorney immediately. These claims have specific notice and documentation requirements, and early legal guidance helps you meet them.
You Discovered You Are Being Paid Less Than Colleagues
If you learn that colleagues of a different gender, race, or age are earning more than you for substantially similar work, an employment lawyer can evaluate whether you have a pay discrimination claim under the Equal Pay Act, Title VII, or the PHRA. Wage claims have lookback periods — every pay period that passes without action is potential compensation you may not recover.
Warning Signs Your Employer May Be Building a Case Against You
Employers rarely fire employees for discriminatory reasons without creating a paper trail first. Recognize these warning signs and consult a lawyer if you notice sudden negative performance reviews after years of positive evaluations, being placed on a PIP shortly after reporting discrimination or requesting leave, micromanagement or documentation of minor issues that were previously ignored, exclusion from meetings or projects you were previously part of, a new supervisor who begins criticizing your work without basis, or HR scheduling meetings about your “performance” shortly after you engaged in protected activity.
Filing Deadlines You Cannot Afford to Miss
Employment claims have non-negotiable filing deadlines. In Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the most common deadlines are 180 days for PHRC, PCHR, and PA Whistleblower Law complaints, 300 days for EEOC charges (Title VII, ADA, ADEA), 2 years for FLSA overtime claims and PHRA state court filings, 3 years for willful FLSA violations and WPCL wage claims, and 4 years for Section 1981 race discrimination claims filed directly in federal court.
Missing a filing deadline is permanent — courts do not grant extensions for these statutes of limitations except in extremely rare circumstances. Consulting an employment lawyer early ensures no deadline is missed.
What to Expect in Your First Consultation
When you meet with an employment lawyer at the Lacy Employment Law Firm, the attorney will review the facts of your situation, identify which laws protect you, explain the administrative and legal process, outline the potential timeline and range of outcomes, and discuss the fee arrangement (most employment cases are handled on contingency).
Bring any documentation you have — termination letters, performance reviews, emails, text messages, the employee handbook, severance agreements, and a written timeline of events. The more information you provide, the more accurately your attorney can evaluate your case.
The Lacy Employment Law Firm offers free initial consultations for employees in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and New Jersey. Call (215) 515-5924 or submit the contact form to get started.
