Are you the victim of employment discrimination or another type of injustice in the workplace? If so, you’ll need to find a first-class employment lawyer to represent you. Employment law is a field of law that’s highly specialized.
That’s why it’s imperative you hire someone who has a wide range of knowledge in the different employment laws and complexities of various claims. Here are seven basic qualities to look for when hiring a Minnesota employment law attorney, along with some considerations and warnings.
What Is an Employment Law Attorney?
Maybe you’ve heard of an employment law attorney but aren’t quite sure what they do. Simply put, employment law attorneys are lawyers specializing in employment issues. Their clients include both individuals and corporations.
- Besides handling discrimination cases, employment law attorneys work on other cases involving labor matters.
- These issues include those regarding employee work hours and wages.
- Sometimes, employers need employment law attorneys when they’re faced with charges for unsafe work environments.
- In other situations, they deal with contractual conflicts in workplaces.
- Another type of case they handle is sexual harassment.
1. Specialized in Employment Law
Your first priority should be ensuring that you hire an attorney who specializes in the field of employment law. Since employment law continues to change, your lawyer needs to be updated on the latest changes and restrictions in employment laws to avoid making mistakes that could cost you a lot of money.
2. Professional
Professionalism is a huge quality of a good employment law attorney. This includes treating their clients with the utmost respect. Professionalism entails telling the truth, regarding cases and not hiding facts. It also means staying in touch with clients. Moreover, Minnesota employment law attorneys should be extremely knowledgeable in all the fine details of employment laws for their state.
3. Experienced and Motivated
When deciding on an employment law attorney, be sure anyone you’re considering has several years of experience in employment law. Experience matters in other professions, but it’s especially important in dealing with legal cases. You’ll need someone who’s successfully handled a wide range of cases and can thoroughly examine every aspect of your problem.
On the other hand, sometimes lawyers can have too much experience or be close to retirement. As a result, they may not be as motivated as they should be. Therefore, you’ll need to find someone who has enough experience but still is passionate about winning every case.
4. Personable
Once you’ve narrowed down your choices, it’s time for your first consultation. This is the time to ask as many honest questions as possible. Speak directly to the attorney, making sure you’re able to be personal with him or her. If you don’t feel like you can talk to them on a personal level, then move on and find someone else.
5. Supportive
Be sure anyone you’re considering hiring is totally on your side. Therefore, do some “homework” to determine which “team” a lawyer is on. Even though an attorney can do a good job of representing both sides, sometimes they lean toward one side.
6. Sound Judgment
The skills of critical thinking and sound judgment are two of the most important skills for employment law attorneys. In other words, they need to be able to detect potential “red lights” even in their own arguments. Most importantly, they need to determine the best options on how to address a case.
7. Creative
Besides having outstanding analytical skills, a good employment law attorney should also show creative ability. Consider how sometimes the best answer may not be the one that’s the most logical. In these situations, it helps to have a lawyer who’s able to be come up with creative solutions. In other words, they should be able to think “outside the box”.
Other Considerations and Warnings
- It helps to use an employment law attorney with a subspecialty within the field of employment law, especially if your case is exceptionally complicated.
- Ensure a law firm is easily accessible and promptly responds to your calls and emails.
- In addition to checking a lawyer’s oral skills, ensure a lawyer has exceptional writing skills. They usually have to write a wide range of documents, such as legal case studies.
- Determine if a lawyer shows compassion and is a good listener.
- Ask a lawyer about his or her success rate. Consider that a good employment law attorney should be able to win cases for even the most hopeless-looking situations.
- Ask for references from past clients.
Do you need a high-quality Minnesota employment law attorney who has all these traits? If you do, please contact us for a free consultation.
Disclaimer: The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individualsituation. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established.