What To Look For When You Need An Employment Lawyer

When you need an employment lawyer, you are most likely already dealing with a stressful situation. With all the options available, looking for an employment lawyer can feel a little overwhelming, especially if you’re not familiar with employment law and are not sure what to look for in an employment lawyer.

A good place to start is the Law Society of Ontario’s website, where you can search for lawyers by name, field of practice, location, and a few other parameters. When you’ve found a few, you feel might be right for you, check out their websites to learn more about their experience and services. When you’ve narrowed down your list and are ready to meet with them, these are the traits you should look for in the employment lawyer you choose.

Look Specifically For An Employment Lawyer With Experience

The first criteria in your search for an employment lawyer should be just that, a lawyer that specializes and has specialized in employment law for a number of years, not one who occasionally handles an employment law matter. Employment law is nuanced and continuously changing. 

This is true for other legal fields and other professional services as well. If you’ve been charged with a criminal offence, especially a serious one, you’ll want the best criminal lawyer you can find, preferably one with a long history of winning cases like yours.  

The same is true in employment law. Getting harassed in the workplace by coworkers or an employer; having the terms of your employment contract drastically changed without being consulted, or being wrongfully dismissed can impact your mental health and deny you compensation you’re entitled to. Depending on the level of harassment you endured, the impact on your life can be significant, and depending on the length of your employment when you were wrongfully terminated, the compensation you are owed can be considerable, especially if you’re out of work and have bills to pay.

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If you find yourself in a situation where you need an employment lawyer, even if it’s simply to review and advise you on an employment contract, you need a lawyer who works on these issues every day, knows the laws and procedures inside out and is not afraid to go to trial if it’s in their client’s best interests to do so. 

Professionalism And Trustworthiness

An employment lawyer should be honest with you about your chances for success, the potential weaknesses in your case and the risks and costs that come with each option available to you. They should also be very clear about their fees: how you are being billed, what you are being billed for, payment options and a payment schedule.

Personality Fit

There are several characteristics that an employment lawyer must possess, including:

• Being a good listener. Paying attention to everything that’s being said during negotiations, mediation, arbitration, or a hearing is absolutely crucial for a lawyer. 
• Having empathy/compassion. 
• Passionate about defending employee rights. Many employment lawyers don’t like it when employers bully employees, make sure you choose one that feels this way.

Above all else, communication is key, and you need to feel comfortable asking questions and speaking freely with your lawyer. Your employment lawyer should be supportive and be able to explain the laws and procedures to you so that you are 100% clear on what’s happening in your case.