Employees are protected from unfair employment practices by several relevant laws. Employment law, also known as labor law, deals with workplace rights and responsibilities for both employees and employers.
The United States Department of Labor administers and enforces nearly 200 federal laws. State laws are specifically administered by the state governments. These laws cover all aspects of the employer/employee relationship(except the negotiation process covered under the labor law and collective bargaining). Employment law covers a very wide range of issues from the job hunt and initial contract to privacy and e-mail policies, taxes, immigration, working hours, wages, legal rights, security issues, leaves, benefits, discrimination and harassment, health and safety and separation. Also, employers have to adhere to several rules and laws.
Employment law is very complex and is continuously changing. Hence, it is better to consult a specialist or a legal advisor before considering legal action in the area of employment law.
Whether it is the employee or the employer, a legal attorney who has specialized in employment law could aptly represent any case relating to employer-employee disputes. Many claims relating to employment law have time limits or deadlines known as “statutes of limitations”. Therefore, it is better to file a claim as soon as possible.
From the employer’s side, most claims are handled by legal experts in their Human Resources department. Companies also outsource a few claims to external lawyers. From the employee’s side, it is very important to choose a good employment lawyer to represent a case against an employer. There are various issues to be considered when selecting an employment lawyer. These include cost, time involved, other alternatives like arbitration or mediation, the extent of involvement required by the person, etc.
Atlanta employment lawyers can be found through a referral service provided by Georgia State Bar Association, the county bar association and other professional law associations. Information is also available in the yellow pages or through search engines like Google and Yahoo on the Internet. You can check advertisements of law firms in magazines and newspapers. Friends and family members are other sources of information, and so are co-workers.
