Where To Go For A Jacksonville Employment Attorney
Are you looking for an employment attorney in the Jacksonville area? Perhaps you are being held back by a non-competition agreement you signed years ago? Whatever your concern, a professional employment lawyer can shepherd you through the legal web you ‘ll likely be facing.
Jacksonville employment attorneys tackle a wide variety of suits, from contract regulation and wrongful termination lawsuits, to harassment and whistle-blower claims. The problems matter to both worker and workplaces, and employment lawyers handle various issues, sometimes representing both sides of the coin in various actions.
There are many different state and federal protections for workers in claims of discrimination. While not every class is safeguarded (such as weight, tattoos, and other differences), there are many situations in which you are shielded from discrimination for belonging to a “protected class.” But discrimination that is based on an individual’s membership in any one of several protected groups– race, national origin, sex, religion, age, citizenship, handicap, pregnancy, military status, bankruptcy, HIV\/AIDS status, or genetic details– is barred in Florida by federal and state law.
The Age Discrimination Act of 1967 forbids discrimination against any individual based on age. Other classes, such as race, gender, ethnicity and religious affiliation are safeguarded by the Florida Civil Rights Act (FCRA) and federal Civil Rights regulations. Disabled persons are defended from discrimination under both Florida state regulations, and certain federal protections. Additional Florida law bans discrimination based on employees’ HIV\/AIDS status.
In addition to the above-described federal protections, Florida also bans discrimination against any individual because of marital status. An employment attorney in Jacksonville will be able to tell you about your protected situation under one or more of these laws, and help you comprehend your suit.
There are two agencies that deal with worker grievances of prohibited career discrimination in Florida: the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Florida Commission on Human Relations (FCHR). An worker claiming discrimination must record a complaint with either of these offices before taking any steps in court. A Jacksonville employment attorney can be helpful in understanding these agencies, which have particular timelines and bureaucratic procedures.
Once a bureau analysis is ended, the worker can either seek remedies from the appropriate bureau or sue in court. Both avenues can lead to hirings, back pay, reinstatements and monetary damages, but in contrast to the two bureaus, the civil courts can award unlimited damages.
Sexual harassment claims arise when an employee is victimized by a manager or co-worker with constant, undesirable abuse based on his or her sex. These types of conducts are outlawed under both state and federal regulations. The nature of the harassment doesn’t have to be sexual in order for it to be forbidden, as long as it’s based on the sufferer’s gender.
Jacksonville employment attorneys also handle breach-of-contract problems. Although many employees in the state of Florida do not work under a contract, there are some suits where an employee might be constrained by a non-compete or a collective bargaining agreement. Instead, employees are “at will,” meaning they can be fired for any reason, provided it’s not prohibited discrimination.
Breach of contract issues come up when the job and former worker disagree on the cause for the firing, or the legitimacy of the cause. When you are endured with a contract problem on the career, it is in your best interest to find a qualified Jacksonville employment attorney to review your suit.
Florida is a popular area for so-called non-compete clauses, which forbid employees from working for the competitors of companies they’ve recently left. Although Florida courts have instructed that these clauses not be too vague or too hard to impose, they’ve embraced the overall concept more than most other state courts. Figuring out when and if these agreements are enforceable can require the assistance of a good attorney.
No matter what side of the table you’re on, employment regulation is a complicated and involved subject. Your best step in understanding your role and responsibilities is to find a Jacksonville employment attorney to review your claim.